A 21-year-old man from Barrackpore has been arrested and up to yesterday was assisting police in their investigations into the report of Semoy Ramdhanie, 13, being reported missing two Sundays ago.

According to police, Ramdhanie left her home at Mission Road in Freeport and failed to return home.

Her mother Indira Ramdhanie made a report to Gran Couva police and on Holy Thursday at about 10.45 pm, police acting on information, went to a house in Barrackpore where they found Ramdhanie.

They arrested the 21-yearold man.

In the second incident, relatives reported to San Fernando police that Shania Ali, 16, of Rushworth Street, San Fernando, left the home at about 7.25 pm on Wednesday last and all subsequent attempts to contact her proved futile.

On Holy Thursday, Ali walked into the Sangre Grande Police Station and told police she was spending time with relatives at Fishing Pond in East Trinidad.

Investigations are ongoing.

According to police, at about 5 pm on Saturday, the suspects went to a Chinese supermarket in Carapichaima and ordered an employee to hand over cash from the register. The employee complied and the bandits seized $1,000 and an undisclosed amount of cigarettes before escaping in a car parked nearby.

A report was made to the Freeport Police Station and an all-points-bulletin was issued.

The report added that police set up a road block exercise at Taitt Madoo Road in Freeport where they later spotted and intercepted the getaway vehicle.

Officers arrested three persons including the lone female occupant but two other suspects managed to elude the police by running off into a bushy area.

Up to yesterday the two suspects remained at large but police are confident of arresting them soon as their identities and addresses were revealed during an interrogation of the three detained suspects.

R owley last week Thursday, during a ‘live’ interview on a radio station said that “very disturbing” documents on the leasing of the Galicia were sent to AG Faris Al-Rawi for possible action and that the public will soon know more about these documents.

“Because of how the public has been manipulated, it is important the Government provide all the information and all the documents,” Rowley said during that interview. He pointed to probable criminal conduct in other quarters. Rowley added that many critics of his government’s handling of the Galicia’s departure from the sea bridge, were mere “mouth pieces” for persons who had, “their noses in the trough”, in an arranged situation.

“You have people committing Government to expenditure of millions and millions of dollars, without appropriate authority. You see persons starting out at one end as lawyer for the Port (Authority) and then being a broker for the boat (Galicia),” Rowley alleged.

“People have been the beneficiary of largesse coming their way because of improper procurement procedure,” Rowley further alleged, adding he has told AG Al-Rawi to read the documents and decide on whatever action is necessary.

However, Moonilal in a press release, said it was the PNM Government that promised in its 2016-17 Budget, presented on September 30, that the Procurement Regulator and Board of Procurement Regulation will be established within six months.

“By the end of March 2017, if not before”, all agencies that procure or dispose of public property would be able to do so in accordance with the Public Procurement Act, the country was told. But this turned into yet another failed promise, Moonilal said, from, “a bungling and clueless Rowley regime”.

And incredibly, Moonilal added, Rowley is now conceding that, “people have been the beneficiary of largesse…because of improper procurement procedures.” As with several other vital legislative and policy measures, Moonilal said, this essential procurement structure and procedure has been sidestepped by an “inept administration.” Rowley’s revelation of the Galicia bobol, the Opposition MP stated, is nothing but, “a raw admission of incompetence and recklessness by a useless regime.” He must be held directly responsible, Moonilal said in reference to the Prime Minister.

Moonilal described the referral of documents to AG Al-Rawi as, “barefaced public relations”, designed to score, “cheap political points”, in the face of Rowley’s, “appalling national leadership.” The national community, Moonilal said, must insist that officials of the Government who are guilty of public criminal conduct, as identified by Rowley, must be held accountable.

Timely implementation of the procurement measures would not only have averted the Galicia scandal, but also several other acts of corruption at the levels of the Central Government, statutory bodies, State enterprises and Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Moonilal added.

He ended his release by saying that the Galicia scandal was a direct indictment on a hopeless and failed administration.

“All of us have lived many Easters, told Almighty God easy promises of rejecting sin but most of us remain the same after Easter.

“Our country needs us to take Easter seriously.

“Our country needs us to take the new life seriously…

Our duty is not to ensure we become richest nation on Earth but a nation of peace, love and justice.” “You see, resurrection is about new life and what newer life can we have that a nation once known for bobol and corruption now known as a nation of peace, love and justice? So if we are serious about resurrection and new life, we have to change our lifestyles.” Father Harris was addressing worshippers during the Easter Sunday service yesterday morning at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Independence Square, Port-of- Spain. Comparing the dreams of Jesus’ disciples prior to His death to those of TT citizens who believed in the message of a new political order that was promised by National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) during the the 1986 General Election, the Archbishop recalled that, “there was talk of a new movement __ One Love.” “It was a dream that everyone held dear…but in a short while, the government that was supposed to help make that dream real began to disintegrate.

“Once more, a sense of disappointment took over but my dear friends, dreams do not die if there is a will and the disciples in spite of their disappointment, kept on dreaming (after Jesus’ crucifixion).” Although he didn’t refer to crime or murders in TT during yesterday’s homily, Father Harris spoke about how the ideals of One Love can lead to an improved TT.

“Jesus, after the resurrection, purified that dream __ no longer were disciples to dream of a kingdom of this world.

Now they dreamed of a kingdom yes but (one) captained by love, by justice, by peace.

“My brothers and sisters, you and I are descendants of those first disciples.” “While we all want One Love, we have to understand that the kingdom we seek is not of this world.

“It is of love, justice, peace.

That only comes about by living the new life that Jesus showed us in how he lived his life, death and resurrection,” Father Harris advised.

As the men, women and children gathered at the cathedral paid close attention, Father Harris said Jesus showed us, through his actions, how to live this new life.

This included eating the Passover meal on Holy Thursday family-style with His disciples because Jesus considered them his bothers.

He also washed their feet, a job normally reserved for servants at the time, to demonstrate that we must become the servants of one another.

Sirju gave his homily at the 10 am Easter Sunday Mass yesterday to a packed congregation gathered inside the Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish on Harris Promenade, San Fernando. Easter, considered the central feast of the Christian faith, celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead after being crucified three days before.

Jesus’ resurrection represents for Christians, the triumph of life over death and the promise of resurrection for those who love and serve him. But many have failed to do so, Fr Sirju said, reminding church-goers that being baptised comes with certain responsibilities.

Sirju said that many have kept their baptism “in the tomb”, having never resurrected it through acting out the requirements of their faith — such as attending Holy Mass every weekend.

“But that doesn’t stop them from asking for my recommendation when they’re applying to go to a new school. Yesterday, a young man came to me asking for a letter of recommendation.

I had never seen this young man before.

What is worse, the man only knew about three or four people from the church. How could I recommend someone I do not know,” Fr Sirju asked.

“I am sure that doesn’t happen in the Pentecostal church.

There is something seriously wrong with the way we live our lives.” Sirju called upon Catholics to remember and to fulfill the requirements of their faith, and not just seek what they can gain from being associated with the Catholic Church

She said that a “collective effort is needed,” to address the plethora of issues facing TT today.

“These are challenging times, but we in the Opposition remain hopeful that by working together, we can build a stronger, more prosperous TT,” Persad-Bissessar said.

Noting the “ powerful messages of hope and renewal” associated with Easter, Persad-Bissessar said, “This Easter, let us recommit to advancing our nation-building efforts; let us undertake to be kind, and to treat each other with respect and compassion.”

The major objective of this important exercise is to engage the Government, national stakeholder groups and a UN team over a seven day period in these sessions to support the integration and the mainstreaming of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into TT’s National Development Strategy 2016-2030, Vision 2030.

This is in keeping with the promise of the Government to develop a national strategy focusing on national development in keeping with the global SDGs.

Once complete, a Mission Report will be presented, as well as a SDGs Roadmap for TT. Elements of the SDGs roadmap for the Government should include the identification of priority areas for development acceleration.

The ministry said pre-Mission research has highlighted some areas as priority areas for development acceleration.

These include inclusive economic growth (labour market reform, decent work, macroeconomic stability, employment); energy security and efficiency, national security and reform of the justice system

It was a case of handcuffs versus handcuffs, but in the end the Police Service prevailed as the policeman called for back-up. The coastguardsman was taken to the San Fernando Police Station where he was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and playing loud music in a vehicle while it is in motion.

The confrontation between PC Sujeet Ramcharan and the coastguardsman took place at about 4 am at Cross Crossing in San Fernando, in an area commonly known as ‘The Cross’ which is popular with limers. A police report stated that a vehicle entered the ‘The Cross’ which is lined with food stalls, but its music was blaring so loudly that it triggered the alarm in several parked vehicles.

PC Ramcharran spoke to the driver about the loud music, the report stated, but the driver shouted, “Who’s you? I is ah Lieutenant in the Coast Guard! I could lock you up!” PC Ramcharan and PC Mahabir were at the time armed and wearing tatical police uniform. Nearby a police vehicle with its blue lights blinking, was parked.

The driver was asked for his licence and insurance, but replied, “Boy, you doh know nothing.

I is ah Lieutenant and I now from a function with the Prime Minister!” The driver came out the vehicle, the report stated, and shouted, “I go call (Prime Minister) Dr (Keith) Rowley for allyuh…you know I could lock all yuh up to!” The man eventually handed over his driver’s licence and insurance to the officers who advised him to follow them to the police station. “Allyuh have to get a sergeant to lock up me tonight! I is a lieutenant,” the man shouted. PCs Ramcharan and Mahabir confronted and attempted to arrest the driver who pulled out a pair of handcuffs and swung it at the officers.

The driver charged at PC Ramcharan and shouted, “I could arrest you under Section 14:01.

I will lock-up two ah allyuh! All yuh is constable, I is Lieutenant.” PC Mahabir radioed for back-up. Officers from the Southern Division Task Force arrived and the driver was arrested and taken to station.

A breathalyser test was administed which the driver failed. He was then charged. The driver later confessed he was not a Lieutenant but an Able Body Seaman in the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard was contacted and officers arrived at the police station and took their colleague into custody. He will appear before a San Fernando Magistrate tomorrow.

However, Diane Hadad, Chairman of the Inter-Island Transport Committee of the Tobago Division of the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce, says she has “no clue” about when a new vessel would begin operating on the sea bridge.

“This is the best-kept secret,” Hadad declared while speaking with Newsday yesterday. “I have no idea. There is no communication with us on whether they have found anything and whether whatever will be presented. I have no clue. I’m not in the know.” In contrast, Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan and Chairman of the Port Authority of TT (PATT) board Allison Lewis both expressed confidence that a decision on a replacement vessel would be made tomorrow.

Sinanan told Newsday the PATT board will meet tomorrow, at which time they will “evaluate all the information that’s been sent to them (and) finalise their decision.” Asked if there was enough time between a possible decision on Tuesday and the replacement vessel assuming duties on Saturday, Sinanan replied, “Yes, yes, definitely.” “Remember we had already put on the table the three options.

I understand there’s another option, that’s four, and there are still some other options that are coming. So Tuesday we will evaluate all of the options we have and make a decision.” Sinanan said apart from the barge which several Tobago stakeholders have denounced, the options referred to “are some other vessels that people would have sent submitted as a possible replacement. Some of them are in the region but they take a day or two to come in.” Sinanan assured that if one of these vessels was chosen, there would be no delay while they sailed from their current location into TT.

“We definitely will have vessels here by Saturday.” Meanwhile Lewis told Newsday that subsequent to the PATT board’s meeting last Thursday, “we had some additional work to do.” Lewis said the board asked PATT’s management to review the available options and to have their findings ready for presentation during tomorrow’s board meeting. Although she declined to say exactly how many options are on the table, Lewis did say, “it’s quite a few”, the barge being one of them.

“I’m very hopeful,” Lewis told Newsday, that the PATT will have a decision by tomorrow afternoon on the Galicia’s replacement.

The Galicia is a 13-year-old vessel that began principally transporting cargo between the islands in July 2014.

The previous administration paid $48 million for an initial 12-month charter. Following the expiration of that contract, the vessel has been on a month-to-month contract with the PATT for the past 18 months.

Vilma Lewis-Cockburn, Manager of Marketing and Public Relations of the Trinidad and Tobago Inter-Island Transportation Company, said yesterday’s ferry service was “back to normal” after a couple days of delays during the annual Easter rush to get to Tobago. “Today (Sunday) the water taxi left Port-of-Spain at 7 am. We had a 9.30 am sailing and a 3 pm sailing but we decided to merge the two due to a lack of demand for seats.” The water taxi, which usually runs from PoS to San Fernando, was recruited to assist the fast ferries, the TT Express and TT Spirit, by making one roundtrip this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

While things were quiet on the port yesterday, Lewis-Cockburn expects demand to surge at the Scarborough port today and tomorrow (Tuesday), “as people try to get back in time for start of the new work week, even though they may have a ticket for Wednesday or Thursday.”

The officer was arrested in the early hours of Friday morning following a brawl at a bar in Siparia.

From Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday, Siparia takes on a festive atmosphere due to the La Divina Pastora celebrations.

Police reports state that at 2 am on Good Friday, the officer was involved in a fight when he ran to his car and pulled out a gun.

He was arrested shortly after by officers of the Siparia Police station. Meanwhile, a 27-year-old soldier assigned to Camp Ogden in Long Circular, St James is also expected to appear in court tomorrow on charges of trafficking cocaine.

Police reported that the soldier who lives in Cunupia, attempted to smuggle the cocaine which was hidden in scented candles at Piarco International Airport.

The drugs were found when the soldier was searched by officers of the Organised Crime Narcotics and Firearms Bureau at the Airport.

Police later searched the soldier’s home and reportedly found a police uniform, ammunition and 20,000 in TT currency