NEWS
Former commissioner rubbishes top cop's gun stats: Not so fast, Erla
Former commissioner of police (CoP) Gary Griffith on Sunday slammed CoP Erla Harewood-Christopher for her claim that 100 legal guns have been used in crimes. Harewood-Christopher made the claim in a sworn statement filed in the High Court two weeks ago, in response to a lawsuit of gun dealer Towfeek Ali who is seeking permission to import ammunition. She raised serious national security concerns and the stability of the country over such imports, the poor accounting records of guns and ammunition imported, the possession of "military-grade" guns and 5.56 and 7.62 ammunition in the hands of civilians which can pierce wood, concrete, metal and body armour worn by police. Read more here
Teen hiding AR15, ammo in bedroom arrested
A 17-year-old boy who was held on Saturday with a high-powered rifle and a quantity of ammunition in Sangre Grande is currently assisting police with investigations. He was arrested during an anti-gang operation. According to police, at 6.30 pm on Saturday, officers executed a search warrant at a house in North Eastern Settlement. During the raid, officers from the Eastern Divisional Gang and Intelligence Unit allegedly found one black AR-15 equipped with one magazine, 21 rounds of 5.56 ammunition, 50 rounds of nine-millimetre ammunition and one drum magazine containing a quantity of nine-millimetre ammunition in the accused’s bedroom. Read more here
POLITICS
Opposition Leader: More must be done to protect mothers, children, citizens
In her Mother’s Day greeting, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has called for more to be done to protect mothers, children and all citizens. “Even as we celebrate Mother's Day, we cannot ignore the horrendous crime situation in our country. Too many mothers have lost their lives to murderers. Just this week, we learned of the tragic death of a young mother whose body was found in the Queen’s Park Savannah.” On Monday, the body of 24-year-old Gabrielle Rafael, mother of five, was found in the savannah. Read more here
Moonilal to grill CoP on Thomas fiasco at JSC
Oropouche MP Dr Roodal Moonilal plans to grill Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher on the Brent Thomas fiasco when she appears before a Joint Select Committee meeting this week. Moonilal made the comment while pointing out that the Thomas scandal warrants a full public enquiry from Caricom, as it demonstrates a wanton disregard for the rule of law by high-profile arms of law enforcement. Moonilal said he was looking forward to questioning the Police Commissioner on Thomas’ alleged abduction. The deputy UNC leader said he intended to find out directly who authorised a Regional Security Services aircraft to land in T&T, even though T&T is not a signatory to the RSS. The Caricom member states forming the RSS are Barbados, Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Read more here
BUSINESS
CAL resumes flights to Caracas
State-owned Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) on Saturday resumed flights to the Venezuelan capital Caracas. CAL, in a news release on Saturday, said it is pleased to announce the resumption of operations to Caracas and the expansion of its route network to the Eastern Caribbean in the coming months. These are significant milestones for the airline and signal its intention to continue its growth trajectory, it added. The flights between Trinidad and Caracas will initially operate every Saturday, “with increased frequency expected later on”, CAL said. Read more here
REGIONAL
Region Eight to be transformed with modern infrastructure
With Guyana experiencing an unprecedented wave of development, Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, has reassured residents of Mahdia that they too will experience the massive transformation. Since the government took office on August 2, 2020, Guyanese have seen tremendous development reaching all corners of the country. A number of roads, bridges, hospitals, schools and hotels are among a plethora of projects being undertaken by the administration. On Saturday, Minister Sukhai affirmed that the government intends to ensure all Guyanese benefit equally from the resources of the country. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Thailand elections: Voters deliver stunning blow to army-backed rule
Thai voters have delivered a stunning verdict in favour of an opposition party that is calling for radical reform of the country's institutions. Early results show Move Forward exceeding every prediction to win 151 of the 500 seats in the lower house. It's now 10 seats ahead of what was the frontrunner, Pheu Thai, led by ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's daughter. Analysts are calling this a political earthquake that represents a significant shift in public opinion. It is also a clear repudiation of the two military-aligned parties of the current government, and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led a coup that ousted an elected government in 2014. The governing coalition won only 15% of the seats. "We didn't leave any stones unturned," Move Forward's 42-year-old leader Pita Limjaroenrat told the BBC. "People have had enough in the last decade. Now, it's a new day." Read more here
15th May 2023