A 49-year-old man, who was said to have had a substance abuse problem, was brutally chopped to death in Belle Garden, East Tobago, on Friday evening.
The body of Trevor Romeo, bearing multiple chop wounds, was discovered lying face-down in a ditch about 150 feet south of the Windward Main Road. Police have since detained another villager who was up to yesterday assisting with inquiries. Police reports are that sometime between 5 and 6pm Romeo was violently chopped following a dispute with another man. His left arm was almost severed. It is believed that Romeo fell into the ditch while attempting to escape his attacker. The motive for the murder is still unclear and residents and investigators remain baffled as to the nature of the dispute between the suspect and the victim. The suspect, who is said to have a known history of mental illness, bore only a blank expression as he was taken into custody by the officers.
According to villagers, both the suspect and Romeo are known “sprangers” around the area but have expressed shock at the suspect’s behaviour since he normally shied away from other people. “He had to be provoked to trip like that because he don’t talk to nobody. If you walking on the same side of the road with him, he would cross to the other side until you’re gone,” one villager explained. Supt Watson, Detective Insp Cyril Broomes, head of Scarborough CID, Detective Sgt Williams and other officers visited the scene. Also visiting the scene was CMOH, Dr Mentor Melville who viewed the body and ordered its removal to the Scarborough Mortuary. A large crowd of curious villagers and motorists gathered at the scene. Officers of the Scarborough CID are continuing investigations.
THE South-West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA), has introduced several new measures to meet the increased influx of patients seeking medical attention for a viral infection that closely mirrors the dreaded Dengue haemorrhagic fever at the San Fernando General Hospital.
SWRHA Acting CEO, Michael Harris, said the measures which were arrived at following a marathon meeting between senior members of the Hospital’s medical staff, including Medical Chief of Staff, Dr Austin Trinidade, and Authority officials on Friday morning, were to be implemented immediately. He said the measures included improved patient management care at the Hospital’s Accident & Emergency (A&E) department where patients would be screened quickly to determine whether to ward the patient or send them home with treatment. Another measure, called for increased pharmacy hours over the weekend and an increase in “doctors’ rounds” on the wards to assist in the speedy discharge of patients. “This measure would ease the congestion on the wards,” Harris said.
He added that laboratory hours would also be increased to expedite blood sample results. And while Harris said that there were no reported cases of Dengue at the Hospital, he pointed out that since the beginning of the rainy season, the Institution had seen an increase of patients seeking attention for viral infections. He stated that Thursday’s abnormal influx of new patients from all over the Southland was the main reason for the Hospital implementing an advisory bulletin for persons suffering from the viral infection, the symptoms of which are similar to Dengue. Harris pointed out that operations at the Hospital should be returned to a state of “normalcy” by early next week. An advisory bulletin issued by the SWRHA informed members of the public to: “Get lots of bed rest, drink lots of fluids (water or fruit juice), take Panadol or Tylenol (not aspirin or Motrin).” The bulletin further advises the public to go to the hospitals or district health facilities or to contact EHS if they observe any of the following symptoms: blood in the urine, nose bleeds or bleeding gums. Harris reiterated that the Authority is advising patients seeking medical attention, should visit the primary health care facilities within their district first, before seeking care at the SFGH.
The National Carnival Development Foundation (NCDF) was formally launched at the Cascadia Hotel last week.
The hotel’s ballroom was transformed into a mini-Carnival arena with pan, mas and calypso throughout the night. In his welcome address to the specially invited guests, Secretary David Mc Kell gave a brief backgound on the formation of the organisation, the journey they took before attaining NGO status on June 14, 2003, under the Companies Act. This was done to represent and promote the interest of members of the Carnival fraternity and mas bands in particular. Chairman Donald Little in his own address stated that NCDF is now the only officially registered organisation representing mas men. Little spoke of some of the major problems facing their industry but stopped short to inform the gathering of the mission statement of the NCDF, which is to promote and encourage the expansion of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival as an industry, benefiting socially, infrastructurally and financially, the members of their organisation and the mas fraternity as a whole.
DOMA President Gregory Aboud, NCC Chairman Kenny de Silva and Port-of-Spain Mayor Murchison Brown all brought greetings to the newest Carnival outfit. While de Silva and Brown spoke about the relationship between their organisations and the mas, Aboud spilled out his deep personal feelings as to what mas is all about to him and expressed the wish for some of the good old days of Carnival to be brought back. Presentations of a bouquet, a mas headpiece and a t-shirt to Minister of Culture and Tourism Pennelope Beckles were all done by Launch Committee Chairman Mike Antoine before he moved the vote of thanks. After that, guests were entertained by characters of both traditional and conventional mas, as well, the live performance of the band Pure Energy. A large cross-section of the Carnival fraternity in Trinidad and Tobago was represented at the event. Some of them included Peter Elias, Keston Nancoo, Colin Murray, Michael Headley, Randy Glasgow and other members of the executive of the NCDF, namely Mahendra Maharaj, Juliet de la Bastide, Peter Reynald, Thais Hart, Ian McKenzie, Earl Patterson, Roger Pierre, Alvin Daniell, Edmund Hart and Francis Stephen.
“The legislation is there for so long and no one seems to be working on it,” said Germaine Allum, the Trinidadian who was involved in historic simultaneous triple swap surgery at John Hopkins Comprehensive Transplant Centre on July 28.
She was discharged from the facility on August 8 and told Newsday last Thursday that she is fine and resting. She is not on painkillers and was advised to “take it easy” for two weeks following the transplant. Allum said the Human Tissue Transplant Bill (2000) will help ease the plight of renal failure patients. She said many people want to donate their kidneys including distant relatives and close friends. “I don’t see what the problem is, there is no ethical issue to be resolved,” she said. Describing the pre-surgery procedure at John Hopkins she said a complete medical assessment was done. “They want to ensure no surprises five and ten years down the road to put you in problems.” The donor must be in good health with no ailments such as heart problems or diabetes. A psychological evaluation is also done. After fulfilling the requirements, the risks associated with the surgery and the entire procedure is explained to the donor.
Allum is aware that systems must be in place before kidneys can be donated but she said there are no grounds for the legislation to be held back. In the meantime, she said only people who are live-related donors (siblings, a spouse) can get a transplant “while other people pay the price and go abroad.” She is speaking from experience because she did not have a live-related donor. Allum said long term dialysis is more expensive than receiving a transplant and it put a strain on the body. “It is a temporary solution until you get a transplant.” Allum said a transplant operation is not a solution, it is another form of treatment, especially for younger people “who want to have a future to look forward to.” Dialysis requires lifestyle changes and places limitations on activities. Allum, an accountant with Ernst and Young, could only work a few days because she had dialysis three times every week. Eventually she went on sick leave. The treatment also impacted on her social life. Even if she went out to a party she had to restrict her fluids to Coke and water. People on dialysis cannot consume alcohol. Hot days were “torture” and she could not even bathe at the beach because of a tube in her shoulder. “When you go out to eat, you are limited in what you can eat.”
Allum and the other transplant patients are being monitored for the next six weeks. Blood testing is done every week and adjustments made in her medication. She will have to take medication for the rest of her life but she is not bothered. “There are certain things you have to do every day, I rather that than dialysis, that’s for sure.” She will always be grateful to Connie Dick, the 41 year-old woman from Pennsylvania whose kidney she received. While she cannot recall what she spoke about with Dick, donors and recipients met on August 1 and “swapped stories about what they have been through.” Allum expects to be back home in October.
Innis Toussaint’s girlfriend would like to donate one of her kidneys to help him but her blood is not a match for him. She is, however, a match for Toussaint’s friend.
A stranger could be a perfect match for Toussaint but until the Human Tissue Transplant Bill is implemented, kidney swapping between people who are unrelated cannot be done. “There are many people who want to give but they don’t match,” he said. Toussaint has been going for weekly dialysis treatment at the Dialysis Centre, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope for the past 11 years. He is 46 years old. It has caused his bones to deteriorate, resulting in him having two hip replacement surgeries done. His shoulder has also been affected. “All my bones are going,” he said. Toussaint is critical of the service offered at Mt Hope describing the facility as an “empty shell.” Although the Centre has six new dialysis machines that work efficiently, the other items which should go with the treatment are lacking. “The Mt Hope pharmacy does not stock the things we need and every added thing you have to pay. If you are on dialysis and get a headache, you have to pay for the tablet.” Saline solution, blood builders (Eprex), iron tablets and Rocatrol, a high form of calcium, are not part of the service. “They don’t have those things in place for patients to survive the stress of dialysis.”
Toussaint said the new machines may provide help but without the other items, they are “killing.” While patients in Trinidad are paying approximately $700 for each session and the added expense of medication, Toussaint said their Tobogonian counterparts were getting it free. He appealed for free dialysis for renal failure patients in Trinidad. The Government’s warehouse, C40, was also criticised for having “nothing” for dialysis patients. Toussaint said many patients are giving up because they could not afford dialysis. “All the money you put aside for your children and food, that goes for doctors.” Toussaint has exhausted his medical plan and the medical insurance from TT Electrical Company where he worked a cable joiner for 23 years. He has been living on legal aid and assistance from his family. “You know how hard it is to suffer when you see things could get better,” he said. During dialysis treatment last Wednesday, Toussaint said the syringe used to draw blood fell off the line in his arm causing his blood to spill onto the floor. He said the syringe being used is “the cheaper one” without a safety lock for it to securely fasten to the line.
Maracas vendors have accused contractors for the Tourism Industrial Development Company of using “Gestapo methods” by calling the police to remove them from the beach. They have been protesting in the past week for a new car park and improvements to their huts where they sell bake and shark to the public.
In a letter to President of TIDCO Brian Harry, the vendors claimed the police aggressively tried to remove them by advising contractors to wrap them in ticker tape if they did not move. “Contractors also blocked access to our booths from the road preventing customers from entering causing further financial losses.” The vendors are appealing for compensation for losses during the renovation period because this is one of the peak seasons for them. They complained that day after day it has been a struggle because most of the time they have to throw away their goods (flour, shark and vegetables) because they do not get enough sales. Conditions at the beach where their huts are located is a major concern for vendors. Heavy rainfall causes flooding, sand blows into drains causing them to back-up and cause more flooding, the sewerage system is poor. The booths are too small, have poor electrical wiring, leaky roofs, broken windows and doors and there is an improper water supply. Vendors said they cannot afford to do repairs and questioned how food can be served under these conditions.
Meanwhile, vendors at the car park “are making thousands of dollars a day selling approximately 1000 pounds of shark per week at an estimated value of $15,000.” These vendors were able to put up tents, tables and chairs which attract more customers and can offer a wide variety of salads and dressings because of constant sales in the car park. The beach vendors said their plight is not against these vendors but TIDCO. They renewed their call for TIDCO to erect more huts and sheds on the beach for people to have shelter from the sun and heavy rain. The vendors said more and better quality garbage bins should be placed on the beach “so people will not litter the beach and so dogs will not tear open the bags.” The stray dogs should be caught. Vendors said a new car park should be built because it would bring in more money for them and for TIDCO. “There are five regular rent-paying vendors in the car park and 18 vendors on the beach who cannot pay their rent. It is not fair that the majority of the vendors should be located so far away from parking facilities.” The vendors said TIDCO is letting money go down the drain by not helping them because they are unable to pay rents and this is a substantial loss to the company.
Is the unloading of fish from a ship a messy activity or not?
An anonymous tenant of the Chaguaramas Development Authority has complained that the area’s fishing industry is being operated in an unhygenic manner which threatens both property values and its tourist/yachting industry. But a local trans-shipper of fish has denied the charge. In a recent letter to the media entitled “Something fishy at Chaguaramas”, the complainant alleged: “Now we are beginning to witness ugly looking ships coming in like thieves in the night offloading tonnes of fish in an area which is not endowed with the cold storage or other facilities which are required to ensure a healthy and congenial environment. It is not unusual for the fish to be off loaded and spread all over the ground and either transshipped or sold for local consumption. There is no docking facility, no warehousing, no waste treatment plant, not to mention the fact that the waters of the sea are indiscriminately polluted with oil. There is not even the presence of the customs officials”. But pressed by Newsday, the complainant could not point to any permanent mess being caused by the fish offloading.
Newsday contacted one trans-shipper of fish at Chaguaramas. He denied that his activity caused pollution or was unsanitary. Opting for anonymity, he said: “Generally when you are offloading you are taking one fish at a time, up to 150 lb in size, and putting it in a box. There is no cleaning or butchering of fish. Only possibly you may take off the tail but this isn’t left lying about because it makes a tasty meal and everybody wants it. It’s a very clean operation. “Nothing is thrown in the water. None of the boats I handle make a mess or pollution. Fresh seafood for consumption is a relatively clean business”. He said fishing was much cleaner than the industrial operations at Chaguaramas like welding and sandblasting, or the oil industry, whose rigs were serviced in the area. He noted all three businesses – yachting, oil-rig service industry, and fishing, had to coexist at Chaguaramas. He said: “Fishing companies are very considerate to yachties. If anything was amiss with the fishing boats, the Coast Guard, YSATT (Yacht Services Associ-ation of Trinidad and Tobago) and the Harbour Master would all know about it”. Noting that the 30 foot to 70 foot fishing boats he dealt with were not corporate businessses but rather individual small businesses, he called for peaceful co-existence, urging: “Everybody has to be considerate”. He noted that the fish export business earned valuable foreign exchange for Trinidad and Tobago and provided much local employment.
Members of the public got a chance to see Trinidad and Tobago’s Carifesta V111 presentation at the Queen’s Hall last Friday. Director of Culture Eugene Joseph, Chairman of the TT Carifesta Planning Committee, Eric Butler and Minister of Culture Eddie Hart all spoke on the occasion.
The preview of TT’s Country Night was divided into two segments, the first a cultural segment and the second a theatrical production called “The Golden Masquerade”. National Chutney Monarch, Heeralal Rampartap and National Junior Calypso Monarch, Sheynenne Hazell both had the audience eating out of the palms of their hands while Brother Resistance did well with his “Ring De Bell”. Bptt Renegades Youth Steel Orchestra also provided great entertainment with their rendition of “Unity” and “Waistline”. The synopsis of “The Golden Masquerade” reads: In the magical island kingdom of Iere, there are many cultures, one people. Ananci is the “web that holds the races together”. The metropolitan city of Rampanalgas sends a war party to Iere and steals Ananci. Although the King’s first response is to send a war party, he eventually follows the advice of his counsellor Neeza and decides upon a more surreptitious path. Neeza is sent off to Rampanalgas even as the people of Iere build a Carnival costume, “The Golden Peacock”, as a gift for the City of Rampanalgas.
In the midst of the Rampanalgan Jabmulassie celebration of their abduction of Ananci, the costume arrives and the battle to reclaim Ananci ensues. There was clever use of calypso music mixed with tassa and African drums, stick fight, belle and indian dances. But in their quest to involve all aspects of Trinidad and Tobago the Golden Masquerade proved to be too long. Nice costuming and good dance routines could not stop a number of people from nodding during the performance. Many Cultures One People is the theme of TT’s production for Carifesta VIII which will be held in Suriname from August 25-30.
Rain didn’t deter their many friends from saying Sayonara to the JapaneseAmbassador, His Excellency Ryo Takagi and his wife, Mme Chikako Takagi at their residence in Maxwell Phillip Street last Thursday.
On the receiving line, His Excellency introduced his guests to Counsellor Kaoru Tsurita and his wife, Mme Mitsue Tsurita, who recently arrived in TT from Japan to take charge of the Embassy pending the arrival of the new Japanese Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago. In a short speech of farewell, the Ambassador said how much he had enjoyed his stay in Trinidad and proposed a toast to the people and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. In reply, Minister of External Affairs, the Honourable Knowlson Gift, referred to His Excellency’s love of Carnival, local music and dancing before proposing a toast of long life and continuing happiness for His Excellency and Mme Takagi.
Residents of Mandingo Road, Princes Town, blocked the roads in the area in protest of the dilapidated road conditions that have been existing for over 15 years.
Kapil Maharaj who has been living in the area for the past 30 years told Newsday that the last time the roads were fixed was in 1983 and since then the residents have been neglected by all past administrations. “They come and measure the road about three times just before the local government elections of this year. But that is all that they are doing. The government cannot fool the people of this area,” he said angrily. “The main leaks in the area have remained unattended for many years despite the complaints by villagers. The issue of underground leaks is causing the land to slip and roads to cave away,” he explained. Maharaj also said that while the population of the village has doubled over the past 30 years, the roads and infrastructure remain the same. He noted that the government has ignored the maintenance of the roads.
Another resident Kishore Beepat who plies his taxi for hire says that the cost of fixing cars is rising every day, but the roads are not being developed in any way. He blamed the bad condition of the roads for the destruction of the vehicles. “I have no other source of income and all money is spent on car repair and I am left with little to maintain my family of four,” he said. The Mandingo Road is located 3 miles off Princes Town and it branches off the St Croix Road. Most of the residents of this area earn an income from the sugar industry. A large percentage of workers were Caroni workers. Who have since accepted VSEP. However, many have already started to till the fields for the planting of vegetables.
