Sources said officers are trying to determine if Messi’s parents were negligent which resulted in the child’s death. Gorkin was buried at the Lapeyrouse Cemetery following a church service in Port of Spain on Friday last.

An autopsy revealed that he died from drowning, and that there was a considerable amount of water in his lungs. Yesterday investigators told Newsday that the parents of Gorkin had been already interviewed as well as other people and police were expected to interview others yesterday.

Police sources said that based on some of the statements there appeared to have been some measure of negligence in ensuring the safety of the child.

Gorkin along with his parents and other relatives went to the Boardwalk in Chagauramas to spend a fun filled day. Little Messi was last seen by his father Atiba, however when it was time to leave and checks were carried out, the child was no where to be found. Frantic checks were made in and around the Boardwalk and a missing person’s report was made to the Carenage police at about 8 pm that night.

Anxious relatives who thought that Messi was kidnapped made a stirring plea on Facebook for anyone who knew the whereabouts of the child to contact police. However the next day, at around 7 am, the child’s body was seen floating near Pier 1 by a security guard.

The body was recovered by the Coast Guard and taken to the Forensic Science Centre in St James.

Head of Waajihatul Islaamiyyah (The Islamic Front) Umar Abdullah yesterday told Newsday that he and relatives are hoping firstly to have a funeral service for Martins and then the complaint will be filed.

“We are trying to get back the body from Forensic Sciences Centre early enough to have the funeral. If not we will have to do it Tuesday. There are a lot of inconsistencies in the reports so an independent investigation must be done. The truth must be told,” Abdullah said.

He said he has spoken to PCA’s Director David West about the incident and promised to provide the authority with video footage of the shooting. Witnesses will also be made available to the PCA.

Police said Martins, a member of the Unruly ISIS gang (now referred to as the Masjid of Peace) of Enterprise, Chaguanas, opened fire on them at Caroni Savannah Road, shortly before 4 pm on Friday, while his close friends said police simply walked up to him and shot him.

Police said Martins was wanted for a series of offences, including murder and that he had gone to the automobile dealership to extort ‘tax’ from the owner. His friends said he went there to purchase a car.

Abdullah was yesterday of the belief that “a lot of mischief is taking place.” West said when the official complaint is made the PCA’s investigators would then review the information.

“It will go through the normal process. I cannot say how long the investigations would take. I do not know the complexity of the manner.

Evidence needs to be gathered and I do not have all the evidence right now,” West said.

Maharaj said President Anthony Carmona told Ayers-Caesar not to commit suicide after she handed in her resignation on April 27, two weeks after she was appointed a judge of the High Court.

Maharaj said Ayers-Caesar has documented all the relevant facts surrounding her ‘forced’ resignation.

She is claiming that her resignation was not voluntary and to remove her from office was unconstitutional and illegal.

He continued, “I don’t know if anybody who is voluntarily resigning that you would warn them not to commit suicide.” The major defence of the State and the JLSC is that the resignation was voluntary, he said, “I do not know on what basis they have said that. It is important that the public would get both sides of this case and would make its judgement call.” “Could you imagine someone who was chief magistrate, a judge, who left one morning to go to work, and to go home that afternoon without a job?” He also revealed Ayers-Caesar worked in his chambers prior to becoming a magistrate.

Asked about her current emotional state, he said, “I knew her as a young lawyer, as a magistrate.

I must say in recent times I did not know she was such a strong woman.” Maharaj was confident of a victory in the courts but was prepared to take the case to the London Privy Council.

“We will get a declaration that she is still a judge. She can also get damages for what she has suffered.” “This is a case the judges in the Privy Council would be very anxious to hear. It would be an important case because it involves the independence of judges, and whether a judge could be removed in these circumstances,” he said.

This case, he said, would have a good effect in terms of reforms of the JLSC. “It would cause a lot of reforms to take place. I think a lot of public good can come out of this matter.”

In a statement issued on the weekend, the ministry refuted claims in the electronic media that the decision by six leading courier companies to withdraw their lawsuit over the OPT on Friday may have been influenced by fear of victimisation in the companies obtaining foreign exchange.

“This is a ludicrous suggestion because the persons who purchase goods online do so using their personal credit cards through the commercial banks, and these personal credit cards are not in any way connected to the courier companies.

“Further, the very suggestion that courier companies might be victimised in some way is reprehensible because the Ministry of Finance is not in any way involved in the distribution of foreign exchange to courier companies. Foreign exchange is distributed by the commercial banks,” the ministry said.

The ministry added that the companies withdrew their lawsuit on the strength of the detailed written submissions filed by the Ministry and the Office of the Attorney General in the High Court. “Clearly, the courier companies realised that they had no case with respect to the Government’s legitimate right to vary or impose taxes in order to generate revenue to service the needs of the general population and the country at large,” the statement said.

On Thursday night a party of officers led by Acting Superintendent Ajith Persad from the Port of Spain CID went to Sukhdeo’s Lange Park, Chaguanas, home, and detained him.

His arrest came after a Hilux van which was stolen from a Barataria man was recovered in the Penal district recently.

Investigators allegedly traced the stolen vehicle back to the businessman which led to him being charged with the offence.

Sukhdeo spent the weekend behind bars at the Central Police Station, and was charged on Saturday night.

Harrysingh-Carmona also called for proper food labelling legislation, saying there must be more visual and real information on eating healthy.

“We must not glamorise bad eating habits and unhealthy lifestyles. Legislation must, therefore, be in place to ensure that all foods sold are properly labelled in terms of fat content, cholesterol level and calories.

They must form part of the advertisements on radio, television and social media so that informed choices can be made by the public,” she said.

Harrysingh-Carmona made the suggestion on Saturday while delivering the feature address at the opening ceremony of a two-day children’s camp hosted by the Diabetes Association of Trinidad and Tobago (DATT).

The association hosted the event at the Preysal Secondary School at Couva.

Emphasing that there is need to devise innovative ways and means of arresting this health crisis in the Caribbean, she added it was why she promotes the child advocate model as a means of trying to push and encourage the message of a healthy lifestyle. The child and not an adult, Harrysingh-Carmona said, becomes the messenger among his/her peer group.

She urged coordinators and facilitators of the camp to ignite in the child that kind of child advocacy so that the youngster can spread messages of good health, well-being and exercise.

“The child advocate can warn his parents, friends and schoolmates about improper eating habits that can lead to diabetes and other health issues.

An informed child advocate can, therefore, trigger a veritable health revolution in the society at large,” she said.

Harr ysingh-Carmona is the patron of DATT, a non-profit organisation.

Those in attendance were President Carmona; Health Minister, Terrence Deyalsingh; DATT’s President Praimraj Boodram; and First VP Andrew Dhanoo (symposium chair).

She said too many persons in the country were hospitalised due to diabetes, which accounts for 28 percent of patients.

“Amputations because of diabetes mellitus are simply too high,” she added.

“Prevention starts at home, in the kitchens and in the lunch kits of our children. Our local cuisine can be a mind field given our obsession with oil, lard, butter, MSG and our well-known Siamese twins- salt and sugar,” Harrysingh-Carmona said.

However, she acknowledged that one can eat ‘local’ and still eat healthily.

“Our advocacy can, therefore, involve influencing the manufacturing world to do the right thing through legislative means because collaboration on such entities like issues of health has not proven to be very successful,” she told the gathering.

To the children of the camp, Harrysingh- Carmona encouraged them to maintain their focus in their advocacy against unhealthy lifestyles and non-communicable diseases. She publicly thanked Deyalsingh and the authorities for listening and hearing the cries of DATT and mandating the exclusion of drinks and juices with high sugar content from all cafeterias in schools.

Pledging her support to the association, Harrysingh congratulated members for their genuine and selfless volunteerism aimed at creating better lives for those who are vulnerable.

The association will host an expo from September 29- 30 at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya. The aim of this event is to bridge the gap between health care providers and the public. Organisers promise a healthy and delicious food options in a fun atmosphere in IN ORDER to grow its Food Zone.

Police detained him shortly after the shootings and he remained in police custody up to last evening pending his court appearance today.

Police reports are that shortly after 7 pm on Wednesday, a man went on a shooting spree in Palo Seco. The first victim, age 20 years old of Penal, was shot in the stomach while seated in a parked vehicle along Beach Road. Minutes later, two men, ages 31 and 43 years old both from Palo Seco, were standing near the Tacoma Recreational Club when they were shot.

The eldest victim sustained injuries to his right arm, while the 31 year-old was shot in both legs.

The gunman escaped in a Nissan B15 and Santa Flora police were alerted of the incident.

Shortly after, police intercepted the vehicle and detained the suspect.

The residents of Jaggan Village are now pleading to anyone that could render assistance. Residents said that an estimated$1.7 million in damages was incurred.

Emily Sookraj, one of the villagers, told Newsday about how her entire world came crashing down on the heads of her family when a landslide claimed her home and two others on Saturday.

Sookraj said at about 12.30 pm on Saturday, heavy rain began falling in their village. The rain was so heavy that water slowly began seeping into their home on top a hill in the village. Two hours later, her house, which was fortified with steel beams and concrete gave way to tonnes of mud and silt, which slipped from the side of the mountain, into her home.

“I was in the kitchen when it happened,” Sookraj said. “All I heard was rumbling, and when I looked back, everything came down on us.” Mud, sand silt and sediment from the mountainside broke through the back wall of Sookraj’s home, along with two other families, and flooded its interior. Sookraj said, her youngest child, 31-yearold Suzanne Gomez was sleeping in her bedroom at the back of the house when the landslide came down. Newsday was told that the landslide pushed Gomez out of her bedroom, through a wall and into another room where she was almost buried under the mud and silt along with concrete from the wall.

Sookraj said that her daughter managed to climb through a crack in the wall at the far end of the house. She was later taken to hospital where she was treated for a damaged ligament in her foot.

Residents yesterday told Newsday that they have been working around the clock, trying to clear mud and sediment out of the damaged houses. Friends, relatives and neighbours in the village chipped in to conduct repairs to the damaged homes. Newsday was also told that MP of St Ann’s East Nyan Gatsby Dolly went to see the damage and promised the villagers that they would be supplied with mattresses and other items, however up to press time yesterday, the villagers complained that they hadn’t gotten the mattresses. Villagers were also promised a monthly grant of $2,500, so that they could find other lodgings. Villagers told Newsday that it may not be enough for the people who lost their homes to get back on their feet.

“Right now we need somewhere to sleep,” said one villager. “We cannot sleep here and we cannot live here. It is totally uninhabitable. The hill could come down on our heads at the slightest bit of rain. Yes, we were given a grant, but we still have to find a place to rent for that money, and after the three months we would have to fend for ourselves. If we are not able to pay the rent what will happen to us? We are not rich people. We cannot pay rent. Even if we get units to rent-to-own that would be better than what they are giving us now.” Minister of Works Rohan Sinanan was yesterday overseeing clean-up work in the aftermath of Saturday’s heavy rainfall. He told Newsday that up to 11.30 on Saturday night, the Ministry of Works were conducting clean-up exercises in areas like Haleland Park. He said that the reaction time for flooding in several areas were cut in half because equipment was placed in strategic positions were available to clean up in the aftermath of the flooding. Sinanan said that the flooding which was experienced in several parts of Northern Trinidad, including Port of Spain, was not a result of poor infrastructure, but because of the amount of rain that fell in a short period of time.

“There was nothing we could do about it save for cleaning up after,” Sinanan said. “The amount of rain that fell in a matter of hours was so much that the water courses could not take it.” He added that along with the amount of rain, the time it falls is also a factor. The two occasions that rain fell in Port of Spain causing flooding, it fell at the height of high tide causing water to rush to the vcapital.

Over 200 rivers under maintenance my ministry of works.

Sinanan suggested that run off traps be placed at several rivers to catch water during rainy reason then slowly allow the water to run off.

My mission was to investigate some widely-held views about Indo- Trinidadians to ascertain to what extent such views represented reality or were merely myths, half-truths, misconceptions and misrepresentations.

I concluded that (a) the notion that Indo-Trinidadians dominated the national economy or the public bureaucracy at any level was a myth, (b) the view that they were significantly over-represented in the professions was a half-truth in that this position was probably true only of medicine and law but not of the whole gamut of other professions in the country, (c) the belief that Indo-Trinidadians were more clannish and indeed more racially-oriented than other ethnic groups was a misconception and possibly a deliberate misrepresentation.

Such conclusions I had hoped would serve to place ethnic perceptions and indeed ethnic relations on a realistic footing.

With respect to (c) above and the allegedly more deep-seated racial psyche of Indo-Guyanese and Indo- Trinidadians as propounded by Raffique Shah in his column in the Express of 16/5/17, I had intended to respond earlier to draw attention to the flawed premises of Shah’s emphatic conclusion. In the meantime, one Kamal Persad penned a response in the Express of 15/7/17 which refuted Shah’s assertions that Indo-Trinidadians are more racially predisposed than Afro-Trinidadians in their voting behaviour.

My own view is that substantial numbers of both Afros and Indos are motivated by tribal instinct and deep ethnic sentiment. However, any attempt to determine which ethnic group displays greater racial consciousness and solidarity may be both unproductive and inconclusive.

To assert, as Shah does, that Indos are more guilty than Afros in this regard can hardly be supported by all the available data and seems merely to be the result of selective interpretation.

Shah is of course free to hold whatever view meets his fancy but the motivation which compels him to easily castigate Indos as racists and inveterate tribalists is a matter of speculation.

I myself in 1991 was deemed by Shah to be foremost among Indo- racists due to my effort to investigate the notion that Indo-Trinidadians dominated the economy. One wonders whether he is desperate to advertise his assumed credentials as a patriot and nationalist totally free from racial and tribal sentiment and, in order to do so, he sees the need to come down heavily against the ethnic group to which he belongs by lineage.

Incidentally, this self-acclaimed patriot led an army revolt against a constitutionally elected government and, on the charge of treason, was set free on a legal technicality.

There is also speculation that Shah’s bitterness against Indo-Trinidadians stems from his firm belief that in the merry-go-round contest for the parliamentary leadership of the ULF during the 1977-78 period, Basdeo Panday strongly appealed to Indo-Trinidadian racial sentiment against him and his radical associates which resulted in his and his group’s defeat.

Is it then that he has never forgiven Panday and his support base for his political demise? It is of course true that, consummate politician that he is, Panday is not averse to using any and every means at his disposal to defeat a political enemy. As we are aware, he has given currency to the dictum that “politics has a morality of its own.” The appeal to race as a mechanism of political mobilisation is not novel in Trinidad politics. The reality is that it has been used on occasions by politicians of all hues from the 1940s through the 50s and 60s to the present day.

Race was indeed a factor in the 1976 election campaign, even if muted and latent.

The 25-year-old Valencia man is expected to appear before an Arima Magistrate today charged with the offence. Additionally the DPP also gave instruction to release a 32-year-old man who was also detained in connection with the double murder.

Two people — 24-year-old man and a 54-year-old relative of Mohammed — were already charged with the double murder and have appeared before an Arima Magistrate.

On June 28, Mohammed and Subar was found bound and gagged, with their throats slit, at Mohammed’s home on Ajim Baksh Street.

The discovery of the two bodies was made by Mohammed’s husband.