There are a lot of cases that are less painstaking and require less patience and commitment from the police that are left unsolved.

Again, kudos to the police on a job well done, but please apply this effort to all other murder cases.

L Roopnarine via email

The time has come for faith-based bodies, school boards, and PTAs to become more involved in promoting healthy eating through specific programmes in their communities and schools.

Moreover, even though at school students are taught about healthy and unhealthy foods, in many cases the cafeterias offer a variety of unhealthy items including sugary drinks and fried foods.

I hope that in the New Year there will be initiatives to promote healthy eating at schools, and that cafeterias will provide students with items in keeping with good nutritional standards.

Perhaps the Ministries of Education and Health can collaborate meaningfully in this regard and encourage and assist schools to adopt healthy lifestyle initiatives including health promotion and nutrition programmes at PTA meetings.

Ian Green Couva

In the past three weeks, Stackhouse Company Ltd, Sookhoo Liquor Mart, Benefit the People Supermarket and D&J Warehouse were all firebombed.

Is this being done to make the country ungovernable? When terrorists target the food supply of a country, those with eyes to see will understand where this is going to lead us.

Meanwhile, not a word from the Government or the people in charge.

Are they so busy “celebrating” that the seriousness of these actions have escaped them? There is a great battle taking place for the soul of TT and all of us have to pray very, very hard for our beloved country.

Linus F Didier Mt Hope

Some of the vehicles you see occasionally cruising around appear to be more of a makework programme than anything else.

What was the original intent is anyone’s guess as the personnel are not police officers and thus cannot legitimately intervene in criminal matters.

There is little evidence of the benefits brought to any community by this service.

There will certainly be an uproar by people with a vested interest in an effort to justify their existence but this decision is one that the Government would have carefully considered and should not be deterred from doing what should have been done a long time ago.

Karan Mahabirsingh Carapichaima

We are indeed in a recession but sustainable economic diversification based primarily on technological innovation, when started, takes some ten to 15 years to come into its own — it is no short-term mechanism to address a recession.

Hence the Government is telling us, mistakenly, that in the short term the hardships of a recession can be alleviated by local spending on infrastructure — like President Hoover in his economically misguided attempt when faced with the recession in the US.

Hence the Government is planning a highway to Toco and a ferry port there, continuation of the highway to Point Fortin, particularly through the wetlands of Mon Desir, much to the chagrin of the environmentalists (who are still hoping to meet with the Prime Minister as he promised them), a series of hotels and there is even talk of making aluminium car wheels from imported aluminium ingots. Yet, there is a sense of dissatisfaction among the people — “we voted them in but we still catching hell.” The OWTU is threatening to shut the place down if it does not get its pound of flesh from the emaciated Petrotrin.

The PNM was put back in office not only because of the perceived corruption of the UNC, but because the PNM had a plan to bring back the good times, which after a year plus it has been unable to do. TT is a small open economy and depends, as for lifeblood, on earning foreign exchange mainly from its exports of petroleum and its products to fund the necessary essential and luxury imports. When the foreign exchange supply fails, as it has at present, the only realistic option is to reduce economic activity in the country, the speed of which can be controlled via the sparing use of debt and our foreign reserves. This will hurt the population.

Recognising the fate of the NAR in a similar recession that abruptly tried these austerity measures, the PNM is using increasing debt and our foreign reserves to slowly reduce economic activity, given the massive fall in foreign exchange income — appearing to be hoping that oil and gas prices will soon recover and their production will follow suit.

But this is not what some think we voted the PNM in to do and postponing the tax increases on wine until after Christmas is not enough (some retailers have already raised prices), given that we already are paying more for gasoline. To my mind this is a failure of leadership, failure to communicate effectively with the populace.

The population in general does not appear to understand the gravity of the situation which is aggravated by the private sector crying out for more foreign exchange (sales are down for Christmas) — something which, had the then PNM government diversified the economy since the sixties, this recession might not have occurred. When income to a household is cut — and that seems to be the new status quo — the family’s economic activity has to be reduced and savings/borrowings used to adjust downwards. So it is with national economies.

Mary K King St Augustine

There is, therefore, no need to suddenly start harassing those found here illegally without a proper explanation from the authorities.

The problem should be dealt with in a pragmatic and humane manner.

There is no doubt we have a large number of undesirable immigrants from all over the world flocking to this country as we have now universally been tarnished with the brush of tolerated corruption and uncontrollable crime, which attract all types of criminals.

Perhaps these particular Chinese immigrants are here to reinforce a bunch of local criminals. This, however, seems very unlikely and perhaps their motive is to try to seek employment and be a success as their countrymen have already achieved here.

Having said that, we must not forget that Trinidad has become a haven for criminals from all over the globe.

Whatever the reasons for the sudden crackdown on these Chinese immigrants, the public should be informed in order to uphold the reputation of those legally settled here.

GA Marques via email

And Joanna Rogers was named senior female Athlete of the Year. The awards were handed out at the annual dinner and award ceremony of the club held at the Tranquillity Government School, Port of Spain, on Wednesday.

It was close call for the 17-year-old Prescott who got the nod ahead of five-time winner Ashton Gill and Jaden St Louis.

But it was Rogers all the way in the female category.

And Brian Morris got the award in the new category, the junior male Athlete of the Year, and Shaniqua Bascombe earned the female equivalent.

The 15-year-old Rogers, a Form Three student at the St Francois Girls College, apart from aiming to be an Olympic athlete, has her heart set on becoming a physiotherapist.

Prescott, who represented Trinidad and Tobago at this year’s Carifta Games, is a student at St James Secondary School, and excels in the 400, 800 and 1,500 metres. Rogers is unbeaten in the 800 metres here to date, having won the women’s 800 metres at the Falcon Invitational Games.

His experience will be vital in the group, having worked for a number of the organisations, in the sister isle Tobago, in the public relations arena.

In 1995, Wushu (Chinese Martial Arts) was introduced to Tobago by Sifu Rahman Khabir (now president of the Wushu Kung Fu Association) and, in the 21 years since, three instructors were produced __ Mark Greene (no resident in the United Kingdom), Dawn Glaisher and David Koo (who both conduct Tai Chi classes at the Kariwak Hotel, Crown Point, Tobago.

The Wushu Association is the governing body for Chinese Martial Arts in Trinidad and Tobago, and is recognised by the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, as well as the TT Olympic Committee (TTOC).

Persons interested in joining the Wushu Association can send an email to triniwushu2005@ gmail.com.

In the League Premiership Final, Church on the Rock whipped West End United 3-1 with a pair of goals from Man of the Match Elijah Belgrave, while Kareem Hoyte got the other.

Ashton Joseph got the lone item for West End United.

And, in the Knockout Competition, Church on the Rock swept past 2015 winners Grande Praise by a 4-1 margin.

Finding the back of the net for Church on the Rock were Shaquille Phillip, Kareem Baptiste, Marcus Charles and Ryan Porter, while Simeon Auguste got the consolation strike for Grande Praise.

Also in winners’ row recently were West End United, who defeated D’Abadie Deliverance Sanctuary 4-3 in a high-scoring affair.

Joel Saxon notched a hat-trick for West End, while Dominic Morton got the other strike.

Linus Maloney scored a double while Raymond Pinder also found the back of the net for D’Abadie Deliverance Sanctuary.

None of the other seven who will go to post for the 1350 metres event will get to the finish ahead of Set Sail.

This Dave Chadeeowned and Harold Chadee-trained speedster has won both her races without actually getting off the bridle and in near record timing.

Her toughest test is likely to come from the equally speedy Golden Choice, while Rocket Wheels loom as the danger. The word going the rounds for the St James Stakes also over 1350 metres is that Battle Cry will be hard to beat following his ikmpressive victory ih his debut start.

But the highly regarded Steve Austin and early winner Discouldrun are the dangers.

Hello, Johnygotlucky and Nabawi are the ones to provide the opposition. Monday’s Boxing Day 10-race programme produced by the Arima Race Club promisses great excitement.

And those turfites who splurge on the pop;ular Hi5, can expect a lucrative $40,000 single winner bonus, while those who chance their luck on the Superfecta can expect a single winner bonus of over $20,000.

The big holiday day racing cavalcade is expected to get underway at 11.45 am.