Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard SC has given instructions for the man to be charged with the murders and he is expected to appear before an Arima magistrate today.

According to police, the man was being sought by officers of the Northern Division and the Homicide Bureau but he managed to evade arrest.

An off duty police officer from the Northern Division saw the suspect entering the maxi taxi near Arima and used his private vehicle to follow.

The officer alerted his colleagues from the Northern Division Task Force intercepted the vehicle.

The man was arrested and handed over to officers of the Region Two Homicide Bureau.

The man’s Wallerfield home was searched and a 9mm pistol with several rounds of ammunition were allegedly found. The weapon has been sent to the Forensic Science Centre for ballistic testing.

The officer was commended by acting Commissioner Stephen Williams. Head of the Northern Division, Mac Donald Jacob also heaped praise on the officer and called on other officers to demonstrate the same level of commitment to duty as the constable.

She said calls by THA minority leader Watson Duke for the festival’s cancellation would result in major financial loss. The festival begins on Saturday and runs until April 30. The event has a budget of $12 million this year, $3 million less than last year.

On Thursday last week, Duke said this year’s event should be cancelled until the issue of a ship for transporting cargo between Trinidad and Tobago is rectified given that the Super Fast Galicia will no longer operate here.

Stewart-Phillips said, “Mr Duke as minority leader is free to voice his opinion. It does not mean as a responsible assembly we would heed this call. What Mr Duke needs to understand, and even Tobago must understand, is that a significant amount of money has been invested into this festival and it cannot be cancelled at this stage because we would be at a major loss.” She said while concerns surrounding the sea bridge have been noted, the Port Authority as well as Caribbean Airlines have assured there would be no further interruptions for the festival.

“Concerns have been raised all around and we would have been in contact with officials at the Port Authority who have assured that they would do all in their power to ensure that the sea bridge is not further interrupted, in terms of the fast ferries, and that assurance also came from Caribbean Airlines.

“That is the most I can say at the moment. I understand and I know that the air and sea bridge are major concerns. They have been major concerns for a while. This did not just develop, but we are confident and hopeful that things will be regularised by then and even going forward, not just for the purpose of the jazz festival.” International Shipping, agents for the Super Fast Galicia, served the Port Authority notice that it would be withdrawing the vessel from the sea bridge.

Suggestions by the Government for use of a barge have been met with strong opposition from the Tobago Division of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce as well as wider Tobago.

Speaking at yesterday’s peace rally and concert themed Non-violence begins with Me held at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, Evans-Ford said, “Regardless of what you experience, when you surround yourself with people who love you and care for you” healing and moving forward to extend love and compassion is possible.

Evans-Ford said in 2008, while teaching at a high school as a US Peace Corp volunteer in the Eastern Caribbean, she became a victim and survivor of a violent crime. That experience now helps her to help other people, she said.

Relating her story, she said, an evening after taking a nap and tidying up she heard a knock at the door. On checking, she found the door opened.

“As soon as I closed the door,” she said, “I knew something was wrong.” She walked into the kitchen with her hands up and coming towards her was a man wearing a mask and swinging “a very big knife” in his hands. He told her to take off her clothes.

She thought he wanted money so she changed the subject and he asked where the money was.

Transportation money she had nearby she gave him, but money for other expenses were in her bedroom. She went to the bedroom to get the money, all the while saying “Jesus.” There he again told her to take off her clothes. Seeking a way out, Evans- Ford ran past him, she said, “But he caught me and slammed me down. I struggled with him.

He still had that knife and he was cutting at my hands.” During the struggle, she said, she took the knife, managed to break it and tossed it away. That upset him and he held her down so she could not move.

He then dragged her to the kitchen and got another knife.

She managed to get back on her feet and made a dash for the door but he caught her and slammed her down to the floor again.

“He told me to take off my pants. In that moment, one of the most powerless moments of my life, I had to do it. I had no other choice. There was a knife to my neck.” she said.

Thinking the worse, she told him that if he was going to rape her if he could “please” use a condom.

“Just like we were having a regular conversation, he asked me ‘Were do you have a condom?’” Teaching HIV/AIDS education, she had a bag of condoms in her bathroom. Dragging her to the bathroom, she was again seeking to escape.

Then she heard her neighbours, who heard her screaming, banging on the door. “The man was really upset and grabbed my bloodied body by the waist swinging the knife. Somehow I was able to crawl underneath his grip, get to the door, open it and my neighbours pulled me out of that space.” The man, 21, a serial rapist and drug addict, escaped but was caught later.

Together with two other victims who testified against him, he was tried, found guilty and sentenced to 46 years in prison.

The man had lost his mother at a young age, and not making excuses for what he had done, Evans- Ford said, “It just shows you the reality of how important it is to reach out and be present for young people who may be struggling with addiction, violent tendencies, and other issues.” Her struggles did not end with the man being sent to prison. She was subsequently diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.

She is “in a different place now” thanks to counselling and being able to go to people who have helped her to move forward.

According to reports the victim and members of her family were camping at Salybia Beach when she was invited by a kayak attendant to take a ride in the river.

During the trip, the man guided the kayak some distance upstream and, on reaching close to some bushes, he ordered the teen out of the kayak and assaulted her.

The suspect then ordered her back into the kayak and she was taken back to Salybia Beach.

The frantic girl related her ordeal to her relatives who took her to the Mathura Police Station.

She was then taken to a district medical officer where she was examined.

The suspect was detained and taken to the police station where he is expected to be charged with several offences. Police yesterday advised members of the public to be extremely careful when venturing out on trips with strangers. In an unrelated incident, a 20-year-old woman of Sangre Grande was awaiting transportation to take her home at about 2 pm on Wednesday when she saw a 26-year-old man who she knows.

It is alleged that the man invited her to his home at Foster Road, Sangre Grande and the woman agreed.

However, while at the house, the man began cuffing the woman on her head and face and demanded sex.

The woman refused but was overpowered and raped. She managed to escape and made a report at the Sangre Grande Police Station. Corporal De La Rosa and PC Timothy visited the scene and detained the suspect.

They got only $15 which represents donations visitors placed near the murtis (religious statues) during their tour of the heritage site at the weekend.

The incident was the third such act of sacrilege in the last six months at the temple.

President of the temple Randolph Rampersad said the most recent incident got him so “fedup” that he decided not to report the matter to the police.

When worshippers and tourists arrived at the temple on Saturday morning, they observed that a glass window at the back of the building had been smashed.

A large boulder was found inside the temple. Rampersad told Newsday yesterday, “How could someone have the conscience to break into a religious place just to steal $15? Six months ago they broke into the temple and stole money from the donation box. Then three months ago they broke in again and vandalised the place and now this. It is so frustrating.” He said that on all the previous occasions he had reported the matter to the Freeport Police Station, “but this time I did not make a report because I know nothing will come out of it…. I remember talking to a senior police officer at the station and begging him to have his officers just patrol the area at nights to keep away the criminals and not even that was done.” Rampersad said people no longer have respect for religious institutions.

The keepers of the temple had intended to install burglar proofing but Rampersad said they were concerned that it would diminish the beauty of the structure which was rebuilt 22 years ago and is standing strong in the waters of the Gulf of Paria. The broken window was valued at $450.

Fire officers investigating the incident say the incident could be attributed to a nearby bush fire which started near the warehouse at about 4 pm at New Gunness Trace, Caparo Village, near Longdenville.

According to a police report, Nikita Roopchan, her husband Beedesh and son Valmikki had gone to Maracas Beach. Police said earlier in the day residents had telephoned the fire station in Chaguanas and reported that there was a bush fire which was spreading towards the warehouse. By the time fire officers arrived, the fire had engulfed the warehouse and had begun spreading to the house.

Fire officers broke open the house and disconnected the gas lines to the stove. According to the fire officers, this prevented the house from going up in flames.

However, the house was gutted with most of the family’s appliances and furniture being destroyed.

Speaking with Newsday yesterday, Roopchan said, “It was while at the beach we got a telephone call that there was a bush fire near to us but which was under control. Only minutes later we received another call that the warehouse was on fire. We immediately left the beach and kept hoping and praying that there would be some miracle and we would not have been affected.

It was not so.” She said when she and her husband and child arrived on the scene, they saw thick black smoke coming from their house.

Her voice cracking with emotion, Roopchan said, “The smoke was too much for me so I stayed in the car with our son. I could see the glass windows shattering and the wall cracking.” The family also owned several vehicles but they were all burnt.

“These vehicles are our bread and butter. How will we make our money to provide for our family? It is really hard to know that in the blink of an eye we are now left without a place to stay…just like that.” Her son seemed oblivious to fate that had befallen his parents as he played with a toy car.

“He does not know what is going on. He is too young to understand.

We don’t even know where we will be staying for the night.”

Saying that life was precious and sacrosanct and deserved to be respected, he called on citizens to, “Not marginalise persons in challenging communities nor trivialise the senseless demise of many in those communities.

During Easter and beyond, we must continue to invoke God’s benevolence, kindness, genuine love and prayers for those in need.” The President also said the nation needed service leadership rather then power leadership in all spheres of activity and called on citizens to be more Jesus-like in their actions.

“Every year, Easter speaks to the need for a new and renewed start and a refined and better way of thinking and living among us all. It empowers us to exhibit real, genuine compassion and kindness regardless of what our personal circumstances are. We must remember that Jesus Christ stood his ground in the face of an unrelenting adversary in the form of social injustice, religious persecution, jealousy, envy and hate. His spirituality was grounded in affirmative action and faith in the resolute power of mercy and forgiveness.

Speaking to the unique Easter experience found in his home town of Siparia, Carmona said, Easter must be lived and, “Not merely a seasonal ritual of spiritual ceremonies. It offers and encourages unity among our peoples.” He said there is simply too much pain and hurt in the country and wondered if healing can begin at Easter time.

“We must not be flippant about the lives and needs of the downtrodden. The life of every man, woman and child is important regardless of their status, race, colour, religion or political suasion. We must therefore be honest to ourselves and with others.

We must not say that we care when we do not, we must not say that we feel and do not, we must not say we are concerned and show neither mercy, compassion nor forgiveness. Easter is about enforcing genuine humanity in our lives.”

Cuffy-Dowlat, 59, was taken to the Mt Hope Hospital, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, after she fell ill at her home on April 10. She had been battling diabetes for a while. Up to the time of her passing, she was also a radio talk show host. Cuffy-Dowlat became well known for her outspokenness on national issues, was a founding member of the Congress of the People (COP) and contested general elections on two occasions. In 2007 she contested the Oropouche seat and in 2010 she challenged late prime minister Patrick Manning for the San Fernando East seat as a People’s Partnership candidate. Cuffy-Dowlat lost on both occasions but earned quite a name for herself in the public arena for gaining 6,109 votes against Manning who was political leader of the People’s National Movement and who retained the seat with 9,736 votes.

Condolences have been expressed by many politicians including former Housing Minister John Humphrey who remembered her as parliamentary secretary in his ministry in 2012. Dr Allen Sammy who is managing director of Sou Sou Lands Limited, said Cuffy-Dowlat was a director up to the time of her death. She was the mother of two children and a grandmother of five.

Yesterday, former health minister Dr Fuad Khan said he knew Cuffy-Dowlat since 1995 when he first contested general elections and his best memory of her was her attempt to bridge the United National Congress and the COP as coalition political parties.

“In the course of this principled struggle, one could not fail to see her determination and dedication, not only to uniting these two factions at the leadership level, but also its members,” Khan said.

“During the founding of the People’s Partnership, and subsequent to the coalition demitting office, Carol contributed important analytical advice and opinions, confident of her immense and increasing political influence among the working class, youth and intellectuals.” The funeral takes place at 9 am at her home at Oasis Greens, Egypt Village, Endeavour, Chaguanas.

She will be cremated at the Waterloo Cremation site.

Cuffie, in his message dated April 13, said the message of the resurrection is one of triumph over seemingly insurmountable hurdles, in this case, even death and that “The empty treasury, like the empty tomb must not be a source of panic and despair for us, but rather a challenge to our faith and hope in something much bigger than we are – the triumph of good over evil and death over life.” He said the country “continues to grapple with the effects of sluggish oil and gas prices, and its attendant ripple effects on the national economy” but added that this country’s citizens are resilient and “just as we believe that not even death could have detained the Christ, so too we must believe that everything is possible for us as a country.” He said there was a tendency by some adults” to ascribe blame for every imaginable ill being experienced onto someone else, rather than accept responsibility for their own actions. Cuffie also encouraged citizens to “look toward the promise that Easter represents, the promise of new life and rebirth, the promise of growth and recovery.” Lee in a release on Saturday called on Cuffie to submit his resignation or be removed by the prime minister immediately “or his disgraceful, distasteful and insulting statements which he sought to mask as an Easter message.” “It was clear that the minister who can be considered the official spokesperson for the Government based on the communication portfolio sought to make a mockery of the most significant celebration on the Christian calendar by seeking to defend the failures of his Government as well as mislead the population into believing the treasury is empty,” he said.

“Never in the history of our nation has any minister or public official sought to infuse politics into the significance and teachings of the various religions or even change the meaning of those beliefs within our nation as was seen by this attempt to insinuate that citizens were to be blamed for the state of national affairs within Trinidad and Tobago.”

Lee also referred to Cuffie’s statements that “those who once shouted Hosanna are now shouting crucify him” and questioned whether the minister was “Seeking to compare his administration to the trials faced by Jesus as well as make citizens feel guilty for speaking out for better Governance in the past.”

He said this was a clear breach of the boundary which exists between the state and religion “but even more so it is a clear use of state power to spread government propaganda by seeking to infiltrate the independent beliefs we hold sacred to us as a nation. As a society we must hold strong to the religious and cultural values as well as teachings which have forged as a united cosmopolitan society and never allow any entity to convolute these principles for Political or personal gain.”

He continued: “There is a time and place for everything and political propaganda has no place in religion similar to how an individual who breaches the integrity and decorum of public office as Minister Cuffie has no place in the Cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago.”

Cuffie in a telephone interview on Saturday said he stood by his statement. On Lee’s criticism of him saying that the treasury was empty, he said both the prime minister and finance minister “have been quite clear about our prevailing economic circumstances.” “The fact is when we got into office the country’s overdraft had reached its limit and we have had to make two draw downs from the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund.

And I’m sure Dr Lee would be well aware of those developments.” On calls for his resignation Cuffie responded, “Dr Lee has his job to do and I have my job to do.”

After meetings with senior female ICT executives of AMCHAM’s member companies, the business organisation and the IDB launched their Women in Leadership Mentorship Program.

Addressing the group of leading women in the field of Information Technology, she said “We need role models for girls and young women to see that it is possible to be successful in senior ICT positions.” The mentorship program, which will be done in partnership with the IDB, is intended to pair five mentees with senior regional professionals in the fields of Science, Information Technology, and Economics. The mentors were selected from the IDB’s network of professionals.

AMCHAM’s CEO Nirad Tewarie stated that “this initiative is an extension of the theme of our recently concluded Women’s Leadership Seminar held in February #Be Bold For Change. We are ensuring that we make a conscious effort to not only add to the discussion but to be part of the solution.” He added, “We are fully committed to seeing this through along with our partner the IDB, and it is our hope that this pilot project can serve as a template that other business service organisations can adopt and that we can expand.” Carina Cockburn, Chief of Operations for the local IDB office, echoed this sentiment and reiterated the IDB’s position that promoting gender equality is pivotal to its goal of accelerating the process of economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

While applicants can only be selected from AMCHAM membership base, it is important to note that AMCHAM’s diverse membership covers all sectors of business.