Chaguanas East MP Fazal Karim yesterday appealed to the People’s National Movement Government (PNM) to hold its hand on the $3 million upgrade of the Chaguaramas Golf Course and instead reopen the $63 million University of T&T (UTT) Aviation Campus in Couva which could earn valuable foreign exchange.

Delivering his budget contribution in Parliament, Karim described the campus as a gold mine for foreign exchange, which the Government could capitalise on.

Karim said the PNM in its 2015 manifesto identified aviation as having a successful penetration of international market, which they promised to support.

He said in 2016, the PNM in its draft estimate document promised to undertake upgrade at the Couva aviation campus at $166.5 million with construction of hangar, simulator, teaching and workshop buildings, but not a cent was allocated nor was its sewer system, electricity or water connected.

The same thing happened in 2017, Government allocated money for its upgrade but not a dime was spent.

“Why are you starving it (campus) is it because you don’t like the slogan from “Cutting Cane to Flying Plane? Or is it because it is in a UNC constituency? Why are you leaving it in bush?”

In the 2018 draft estimate, Karim said the Government pledged that the aviation institute will serve to help reduce expenditure for training of nationals abroad.

Karim said the facility can accommodate ten helicopters, five ATRs aircraft and a Boeing 737 jet.

“If that facility in Campden could land a Boeing 727 jet, the ATRs can land there. We seem to be sitting down and complaining on oil prices when we could be utilising our resources to create jobs for the people of country and earn foreign exchange.”

If the Government is short on cash, Karim said they can repave the campus' runway and charge all aircraft owners and operators, who currently use the airstrip free of charge.

Government's 2018 revenue-earning thrust should have included placing taxes on sugary drinks and fast foods and decriminalising marijuana to boost tourism, says UNC MP Dr Fuad Khan.

Khan recommended this in his contribution to yesterday's 2018 Budget debate in Parliament.

He said he'd expected taxes on surgary drinks and fast foods because of T&T's serious problems with non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

"Many countries tax sugary drinks and fast foods and put the revenue from that towards their health plans dealing with NCDs. But the sugar lobby in the US and in T&T seem to be untouchables."

Khan said some T&T children of age five to seven have Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. Included among local dietary problems, he added is the use of monosodium glutamate (MSG).

"We should outlaw MSG since it creates food addictions worse than heroin."

He suggested the Attorney General consider decriminalising small amounts of marijuana for medicinal purposes to aid tourism.

"Colorado and Jamaica have benefitted from this," he said.

Khan who urged Government to name the Parliament complex after late prime minister Patrick Manning, praised PNM MP Marlene McDonald's defence of the Budget on Tuesday.

Khan said McDonald had fought "tooth and nail for the PNM" while in Opposition and she'd employed that battle-mode again in her Budget presentation.

"I'm sorry Prime Minister Keith Rowley isn't here (to hear this) now. But she was chastised and lost her Ministry for something that shouldn't have happened but she defended the PNM (Tuesday). I wouldn't have had the heart to do that if it was me."

"Her contribution shows how to be strong for your party. She could have walked, but she didn't — what she did was admirable," he said.

On Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh's claim of high local costs for orthopedic equipment, Khan said the former government had also noted deficiences in the process and was changing that system and others.

He congratulated Finance Minister Colm Imbert's Budget, "since it's going to propel UNC back into office."

"What's Wrong With The Song? — a Portrayal of Men and Women in Calypso."

That's the theme of a gender analysis exercise which Government will undertake with the Trinidad Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) to determine the influence of calypso and other cultural expressions of society.

So said Gender and Child Affairs Minister Ayanna Webster-Roy yesterday, hitting lewd, provocative lyrics in compositions.

Speaking in the 2018 Budget debate in Parliament, Webster-Roy said in 2018, the division will unveil specialised training for men and women in communities, especially involving girls and boys to change mindsets towards addressing domestic violence issues.

"We're fully aware of the influence of calypso and other cultural expressions of society," she said.

She said the launch of the analysis exercise will be done in observance of Calypso History Month.

"I don't really play the radio often at home. But sometimes I hear my kids come home from primary school and they sing some songs and I wonder if they really understand what they're singing," she said.

"I wonder if people writing really have common sense (when) you hear songs like 'Kick Een She Back Door' and 'Bend it Over' - what we really trying to do ?"

"We really need to critically look at the things we put out in songs and different cultural expressions because subconsciously it changes people's perception and it gets people to act in ways they don't intend to. So we have to be very mindful."

Webster- Roy detailed 2018 initiatives including a draft policy for HIV-affected in the workplace, a draft Child Policy and Children's Authority safehouses for women and their children by December.

Webster -Roy appealed for Opposition MPs to change their language.

But UNC MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh, speaking after, lambasted PNMites' behaviour including the Prime Minister's "shut up" remark which he said was distasteful and disrespectful.

As T&T joined the international community in recognising the International Day of the Girl Child, advocate Hazel Brown said violence and abuse and the lack of initiatives remain two of the biggest challenges facing girls.

She said not enough was being done to prevent and safeguard girls against violence and abuse from being violated and abused even from their own relatives.

She said a project titled "Girls at Ten" was expected to be launched soon aimed specifically at targeting girls at a young age.

"Our analysis of girls at ten shows that intervention must happen at an earlier age and such intervention must allow them the kind of needs that are equitable in society.

"A lot of projects start at 14 and 15 for girls but this is not always practical because measures must be put in place for girls and at an earlier age because they are facing challenges and sometimes they are serious challenges," Brown said.

Brown again renewed her call for a national gender policy which she said had fallen on deaf ears for far too long.

"Apart from not enough being done there is the urgent need for a national gender policy that will provide the kind of laws and programmes to benefit girls but years have passed and we are still waiting on this," Brown said.

Counselling psychologist Anna Maria Mora said society must play a greater role in preventing girls from having children at an early age.

"We still have a lot of problems helping our girls understand their fertility. We do not teach them to respect that ability to reproduce and understand that function as mothers. So when they reach puberty, life becomes very difficult for them because they have all these influences and they don't know what to do," Mora said.

She said another issue was that in many cases girls, even those in primary schools, were looked upon merely as girlfriends, even by "big men."

"I don't think girls get the respect they need as far as being individuals and being somebody of character who has the potential to be anything she wants to be," Mora said.

The Trinidadians who the Human Rights Watchgroup discovered in an Iraqi detention camp last month comprised a family of two sisters and their children, plus their mother and father, according to HRW’s Bill Van Esveld.

Van Esveld confirmed this following queries by T&T Guardian yesterday. Van Esveld is the author of HRW’s September report on the discovery of the Trinidadians and other nationalities at an Iraqi detention site. He is a children’s rights researcher at HRW who worked in the Middle East for almost 10 years and with entities including the UN General Assembly.

During Budget debate on Tuesday, United National Congress MP Rodney Charles alluded to HRW’s report, which stated Iraqi authorities are holding more than 1,400 foreign women and their children after they surrendered with Islamic State (Isis) fighters in late August.

Over September 10 and 11, Van Esveld visited the detention site - located south of Mosul - and interviewed 27 foreign women, including the Trinidadians.

“They didn’t want to tell me their names or ages. But there were two adult sisters, one of whom had one young child. The other (sister) had three young children - and was pregnant- and there was the sisters’ mother,” Van Esveld said.

“Their father, who they said was age 53, was with them when they surrendered to Kurdish Peshmerga forces north of Tal Afar in late August.”

Van Esveld said he was told the father was separated from the women.

“They don’t know what happened to him,” he added.

Van Esveld said the sisters told him they had lived in Mosul for “close to two years” before fleeing to Tal Afar on February 28.

Van Esveld said that group wasn’t aware of any other Trinidadian nationals in detention. He said all detainees were transferred by Iraqi authorities to another site north of Mosul.

Yesterday, attorney Nafeesa Mohammed called on Government to look at the HRW report.

“Government should verify information - via T&T’s UN mission perhaps and if necessary, examine cases on merit or profiling, the circumstances of people’s presence there and engage dialogue. If they’re nationals, they can’t simply be rendered stateless.

Commissioner of Prisons Williams Alexander will be actively engaging in talks with acting Commissioner Stephen Williams on the issue of arming off-duty prisons officers.

He made the comment yesterday following the funeral for slain prison officer Richard Sandy at the St Barnabas Anglican Church, Pleasantville.

There have been increased calls by Prisons Officers Association president Ceron Richards for arming off-duty officers in the wake of Sandy’s murder last weekend.

Yesterday, however, Alexander admitted this decision was up to Williams. He said they have had support from Williams in the past on the issue, but said the prison service also has the power to issue firearms based on officers’ circumstances.

In light of the recent attacks on officers, Alexander said this policy has been stepped up but only for on duty officers. Cases involving arming off-duty officers were increasing but were still being determined by him, he said.

Asked whether more off-duty officers were now being given guns with the increasing attacks on officers, Alexander said, “We don’t want the criminal elements to know everything we do, but there is a concerted effort to protect my officers. The lawless people must understand we will not sit idly by and allow our officers to be killed.”

On whether it would not be a deterrent if criminals knew officers were armed, he said, “That is one argument, but you see the bravado of these people. You saw what happened to Dana Seetahal, you saw what happened to many high-profile persons in this country.”

He said crime had climbed to another level and they will respond accordingly.

POA president Richards has also called for the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, which will allow officers to carry concealed firearms to protect themselves. He said although Firearm Users Licenses have been issued to prison officers by the police commissioner, it was just a few hundred of the 2000-plus prison service.

Also asked about the issue yesterday, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon said if discussions between the police and prison services call for legislative action to protect law enforcement officers it will be done. On the talks of firearm licenses for off-duty prison officers between Alexander and Williams, Dillon said: “That is a conversation that is taking place and continues to take place between the Commissioner of Prisons and the Commissioner of Police and if it is, based on the recommendations, if legislation is required, then it will be done.”

He said he also promised to meet with the POA and the Fire Service Association to treat with outstanding issues.

The issue of protection for officers also came up during Sandy’s funeral service. In eulogising his younger brother, Ricardo Sandy said it was time those in authority stopped playing with people’s lives. He said it is not an issue about right or wrong, but that action needs to be taken to prevent more families from facing the harsh reality of a violent T&T.

Addressing Dillon and members of the T&T Prison Service directly, Ricardo said, “You all are playing with an issue that people’s lives are involved in and their families. I am hurting because Richard was real, as real as they come.”

Dismissed acting Port Authority CEO/GM Charmaine Lewis is said to be consulting her attorney on her next move.

Lewis was unavailable yesterday as calls to her mobile phone went unanswered. But sources close to her told the T&T Guardian she has been advised not to speak to the media pending further advice. Lewis on Tuesday said she planned to explore her legal options since she felt she had been wrongfully dismissed.

The T&T Guardian also understands that Joint Select Committee chairman Stephen Creese has asked the secretariat to seek legal advice on the matter, since witnesses to the committee have the protection of Parliament. Lewis appeared before the JSC during its probe into the sea bridge. Creese’s mobile went to voicemail and messages left were not returned.

The JSC is said to be concerned there is a perception that Lewis’ dismissal is linked to evidence she gave to them and intends to send letters to the Port chairman Alison Lewis and Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan.

Meanwhile, Port employees were said to be upset at Lewis’ dismissal, describing her as a “hard worker and a mentor” who had their best interest at heart. Employees say they are now “fearful” of what can happen and are afraid to speak out publicly.

Workers also wondered if suspended T&T Inter-island Transport (TTIT) CEO Leon Grant will also be dismissed.

Grant was suspended several weeks ago after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, when he appeared before the JSC, raised concerns that Grant failed to bring to the attention of the board an email from the Cabo Star owners of an offer to lease the vessel to the country. Rowley said had that been done the country could have saved US$5000-US$6000 on the daily cost of the vessel, which has since been leased at a cost of US$22,500 per day. But Grant told the JSC he knew nothing about the e mail.

Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union president Michael Annisette also said yesterday that the board failed to observe “good industrial relations practices” when it dismissed Lewis by email.

He said the board had the option, if it felt it had lost trust and confidence in Lewis as acting CEO/GM, to reinstate her to her substantive position as deputy general manager of the Port Infrastructure Company POSINCO. In any event, he said good industrial relations demanded that the board bring concerns to her attention in writing and give her the opportunity to improve.

Dissecting the reasons given by the board for dismissing Lewis, Annisette took issue with the question of her refusal to go on vacation leave. He said the “fundamental principle is that you cannot force somebody to go on vacation leave, there must be mutual agreement.”

On the allegation that documents were deleted from her computer, he said the questions are “was the person given an opportunity to produce the documents or what is the policy of the port as it relates to deletion of documents on computers of senior management?” He said it is not about the person or the personality, but “the fundamental principle of good industrial relations practice. The person’s right to be heard and to seek advice.”

Efforts to contact port chairman Alison Lewis were unsuccessful yesterday.

Education Minister Anthony Garcia is denying any disciplinary action has been taken against Siparia West Secondary School principal Sookoo Sonnylal, following the circulation of a video online in a school official is seen in an altercation with a group of students.

Garcia told the T&T Guardian yesterday that while the ministry has no authority to hire, fire, transfer or discipline teachers and principals, there was a serious breach identified in the video, which follows a few others of violence at the school. The latest video shows a man holding a piece of iron while trying to address students who were out of class.

Citing the Education Act of 1966, Garcia said a principal’s most important function was the safety of the students.

“There have been instances of breaches of the disciplinary metric that exists in the school. I will also point out where there are breaches; each school must have a disciplinary plan which will include all the actors in the school. The principal of a school, his or her’s most important responsibility is to ensure the safety of students and that is in the Education Act,” Garcia said.

Section 27 (a) of the act and the regulations state that principals of schools shall be responsible for the day to day management of their schools, including the supervision of the physical safety of pupils. Part (c) states that principals are responsible for the allocation and supervision of the duties and responsibilities of members of their staff while Part (d) gives them control over the discipline of the school.

Despite talks yesterday that Sonnylal had been suspended, Garcia said the ministry had asked him to “remove himself from the school and report to the St Patrick District Education Office in San Fernando.”

In the interim, a senior school supervisor has been sent to the school to oversee operations while a School Supervisor III was given the responsibility to monitor the school.

“The only body with the authority to fire any principal or teacher is the Teaching Service Commission and for this to be done you have to go through a process. If a teacher or principal commits any breach, it has to be investigated by a senior officer of the ministry and if there is any charge, it will be referred to the Teaching Service Commission who will look at it, then inform the teacher or principal of the charge and then based on that a tribunal will be appointed to look into it.”

Recalling that the ministry had undergone a series of measures to reduce school indiscipline, Garcia said the violence at the Siparia West Secondary School was isolated. He said out of the 580 public schools in T&T, this is just one incident and it does not take away from the fact that there has been an overall improvement in the discipline in the school system.

“This situation in the school is an isolated one and we asked the School Supervisor III to do a thorough investigation and submit a report, which should have been on my desk today (yesterday). I just got back from Parliament so I have not seen it as yet.”

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday called on members of various trade unions to let their voices be heard and to speak for themselves as they continued their protest in front Parliament at the International Waterfront, Port-of-Spain.

During a break in a sitting of the lower house, Persad-Bissessar spoke to protesters outside and expressed her support. She also assured those gathered she would raise their issues before Parliament and would appoint one of the protesters to go before the Senate to voice their concerns.

“When it goes to Senate they should represent themselves. The whole Budget will go before the Senate, so we will appoint one of you all (protesters) to speak for us and for yourselves,” she said.

National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) president general Michael Annissette, who said Government continues to neglect the plight of its citizens, also expressed full support to the demonstrators. He criticised the 2018 Budget for not factoring in the needs of those in lower to middle income brackets and accused Government of being disconnected from communities. He also urged Government to engage in discussion with trade unions.

“There was no empirical analysis and no consultation with stakeholders. We cannot build a society where economics is viewed in terms of dollars and cents. Economics is about people, society and communities, when you have a disconnection between these groups of people it is a brand of economics that has no place in this modern society,” Annissette said.

Members Club and Lottery Workers Union (MCLWU) representative Maxine Gonzales said while they were willing to share the burden, the tax hike would cripple the gaming industry.

“It feels as if the Government does not like the gaming industry. We pay our taxes and we are regulated by the Financial Investigations Unit of the TTPS. We understand this, but you cannot tax a country into prosperity.”

Earlier during Parliament’s 2018 Budget debate, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh spoke to the casino workers’ issue. He warned the country it was better to “take our bitter medicine orally rather than leave it to the IMF to administer it another route, when it would be ten times more bitter.”

“The first thing the IMF would do is tell us fire 20 per cent of public servants. I’m sure every single casino worker has a relative who works in the public sector. Also, what would be the fate of maxi drivers if 14,000 to 16,000 people left the public service? We’ll take the ‘boos’ and boots for now, but I ‘m sure we’ll be exonerated in the long term and it’ll redound to T&T’s benefit.”

(With reporting by Gail Alexander)

Gunmen who shot at a man driving along the Priority Bus Route (PBR), Beetham Gardens ended up in a shootout with police yesterday.

According to police, Colin Guy, 23, originally from Beetham Gardens, was driving west along the bus route around 1.30 pm when he was shot at. Officers of the Homicide Bureau, who were heading in the opposite direction stopped and began shooting at Guy's attackers. Guy, who now lives at Cocorite, was shot in the left hip and drove himself to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he remains warded.

Residents, however, gave a different account of what happened.

The said the officers stopped near Pashley Street and began shooting at them without warning and some residents returned fire, thinking it was gunmen from waring John John, Laventille area who were attacking them.

They accused the police officers of shooting indiscriminately at residents.

Some residents who were near the One Child Development Centre preschool said the officers were hostile and prevented parents from picking up their children at the school.

The shootout forced vehicles to turn off the PBR and onto the Eastern Main Road.

For over two hours traffic was diverted off the PBR.

Police said no one was injured or arrested following the shooting between them and gunmen from Beetham Gardens.

A Venezuelan national who was kidnapped at a bar in Curepe last Saturday was rescued by police yesterday in Carapo .

A $100,000 ransom was demanded for him but none was paid.

According to a police, 33-year-old Jason Guerra, of L'anse Mitan Road, Carenage, was at a bar at Southern Main Road, Curepe when he was grabbed. The kidnappers bundled the Venezuelan in a Nissan Tiida before speeding off.

Around 10 pm that day, the kidnappers called his friends and demanded the ransom, according to police.

Officers of the Ant-Kidnapping Unit, Northern Division Task Force, Air Support Unit, Inter-Agency Task Force, Guard and Emergency Branch and the Canine Unit along with members of the Defence Force investigated the report and conducted a joint exercise between Tuesday and yesterday morning in the Carapo district.

The exercise, led by DCP, Crime and Support, Harold Phillip and coordinated by Snr. Supt. Ajith Persad, involved the use of a helicopter and sniffer dogs.

Based on information the officers went to Santa Rosa Race Track where they found the man in some bushes and he was taken for medical treatment.

No one has been arrested for the kidnapping.

The mother of one of three men killed by police on Tuesday in Central Trinidad said he was a hardened young man and blamed his death on his bad choices and the friends he kept.

Speaking with the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James yesterday Marsha Dickson, mother of Jamal Morgan, said she had tried talking to him about his life but he never listened.

Dickson said her 26-year-old child of Griffith Road, Chin Chin, Cunupia was wrong for robbing a furniture store.

“I am not giving my son right for what he did. What he did was wrong. He was a hardened boy. He never used to listen. I was tired talking to him about the stupidness he was doing, but he always followed his friends,” Dickson said.

Dickson said judging from photographs of her son's body she believed he was trying to surrender when he was shot.

Morgan, Lance Clarke, 26, and Simeon Antoine, 25, were shot by police during an exchange of gunfire after an armed robbery in the district.

Police reported that the trio opened fire on them when they were stopped near Egypt Trace, Enterprise.

The officers returned fire and wounded the men who were pronounced dead on arrival at the Chaguanas District Hospital.

The men were cornered following a chase by the officers who responded to a robbery at a store along Soogrim Trace, Cunupia. The trio along with a fourth man escaped stole jewellery, cash and other items before fleeing.

Clarke's mother, Mavis Lord, said her son was a loving child who took her to church on Sunday. She said her son, of Jackman Trace, Cunupia, was a family oriented man and as old as he was, would still be playful with her.

She said his presence used to fill a room and was admired by the youths in the area. She too was of the view that her child.

Relatives of Antoine, of Hassarath Road, Cunupia did not speak with the media.

Dominica's government will be waiving the requirement for students to attend in uniforms when schools on the island reopen on Monday.

In addition, assistance will be provided to replace text books destroyed in Hurricane Maria.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, speaking on his return from a trip to Washington yesterday, said the list of schools to be reopened will be published by the island’s Ministry of Education.

In the first few days, teachers will be meeting with students and their parents to get an idea of how many text books were completely destroyed so that the Ministry can determine the number of textbooks to be purchased. He assured that the government will underwrite the cost of the books given to students.

While in Washington, Skerrit met with officials from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), State Department, World Bank, IMF and the Clinton Foundation on a climate initiative. He said full details of the trip will be revealed in his address to the nation tonight.

Skerrit said he was very satisfied with the visit which had yielded a number of positives for the island. He said the attention the “World Bank team, from the president down to the lowest rank officer, has shown for Dominica has been overwhelming and touching.”

On the meeting with the IMF, he said, there were discussions on certain matters but gave no details.

“I am comforted by the fact that there are many people out there who have our back and committed to assist us not only now but in the long term,” he said

He said a US company offered three 3-megawatt solar generators to assist with the electricity supply and a benefactor has offered to assist with building two schools and 100 homes.

Almost a month after Hurricane Maria, many Dominicans are still living in shelters. Skerrit said his government is looking at a strategy for building temporary housing with adequate sanitary and kitchen facilities. He also announced plans for a national consultation to come up with national strategy for resuscitation of the agricultural sector.

Skerrit said the government had identified a source of funding and when he addresses the nation he will announce areas where direct support will be given to farmers.

Officials of the Ministry of Education said repair work is ongoing at the Malick Secondary School where teachers have been staying away from classes because of health and safety concerns.

"We are covering exposed wiring, light sockets, power washing and sanitizing the compound.

Corporation officers visited and the Rodent Control Unit baited the compound. The school is not closed," an official told the T&T Guardian in response to renewed calls from the Parent Teacher Association for problems at the school to be addressed.

PTA vice president Karen Walters said the situation has not changed as the school is still affected by infestations of vermin, as well as infrastructural problems.

She said officials from the Insect Vector Department and the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation had done work on the school compound and parents had been assured by the principal that the school had been sanitised.

"The school cafeteria was closed down for health and safety reasons. There were droppings in the cafeteria. There are infrastructure issues such as sockets and wiring exposed. There are partitions that are falling apart and there is no electricity and there is a whole myriad of problems at the school," she said.

Walters said teachers have been staying away from classes since last week Tuesday.

"The students are going to school but there is limited supervision. The teachers stopped going to classes and now they have dropped 16 classes from the curriculum," she said.

Attempts to contact T&T Unified Teachers' Association (TTUTA) president Lindsay Doodhai for comment yesterday were futile.

A 58-year-old Morvant mechanic who was found guilty of sexually assaulting his nine-year-old neighbour more than a decade ago has been sentenced to nine years in prison with hard labour.

In passing the sentence on the Never Dirty resident, whose identity has been withheld to protect the identity of his victim, Justice Maria Wilson said he had breached his position of trust as an elder in the community when he attacked the girl at his home in 2005.

The man is expected to be released in a little over two years as the time he spent on remand awaiting trial and the period he was incarcerated after being found guilty by a nine-member jury in July were deducted from his sentence. Wilson initially said that a 10-year sentence was appropriate in the case, but agreed to reduce it by one year as the prisoner had a clean criminal record before being charged.

She also noted that his bio-social and risk assessments reports from the Prison Service showed that he had impeccable behaviour while imprisoned and suggested that there is little chance of him re-offending upon release. Wilson said, however, that such crimes are far too prevalent in T&T and a strong message needs to be sent to potential offenders.

According to evidence presented during the trial, the mechanic committed aggravated sexual assault and grievous sexual assault on the girl in June 2005 when she visited his home to collect an item at her mother's request.

The victim, who is now 22, testified that the man answered the door dressed only in his underwear and invited her inside to watch a movie. She said she believed that the movie was a cartoon but it turned out to be pornography.

The girl said she attempted to leave but the man grabbed her kissed her, then pinned her down and sexually assaulted her.

The man was caught red-handed by the victim's mother who barged into the house because she felt that her daughter was taking too long to return home.

At the trial, the victim and her mother said the girl would normally visit the man's home to play with his daughter who was the same age and went to the same school.

The victim said she still had mental scars from the incident and had not received counselling.

The work done for the past 16 years by Wayne Chance and the Vision on Mission was applauded on Wednesday night by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

Speaking at the award ceremony for the non-profit organisation and swearing-in of the new Vision on Mission board, Rowley said such initiatives are worth supporting.

Rowley said the $11.6m given to the organisation between 2001 to 2016 was well spent and accounted for.

"Vision on Mission is a crime-fighting tool that has been used to curb recidivism and keep children on the straight path," Rowley said as he repeated a call he made in 2010 when he got into office for more citizens to volunteer their services.

Rowley told the audience at the Central Bank Auditorium that the current justice system was focused on retribution and rehabilitation. President Anthony Carmona and Justice Malcolm Holdip received the Restorative Justice Awards at the event.

Chance in his address said the new aim of the entity is to go further and faster. He said part of that initiative will be materialised with the completion of the women's facility.

Other examples given throughout the night was the completion of low-cost housing in Laventille for former inmates and deportees as well as the partial completion of another low-cost housing facility in south Trinidad and greater usage of the farm in Wallerfield.

The new board for Vision on Mission include former National Operations Centre (NOC) Garvin Heerah as the executive director, former prison commissioner John Rougier as a trustee and Snr Supt Joanne Archie as public information officer. An 11-member team chaired by Chance was also appointed as the board for Partners of America, Trinidad and Tobago chapter.

After receiving her award for the category of Keep Pressing On, Stacey Beckles, a former inmate who began her own Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) to assist women in prison, thanked Chance and the Vision on Mission team for the work they have done.

The Vision on Mission team was also congratulated for turning former inmates into business owners who now contribute positively to society.

Police officials have appealed for co-operation from residents of east Port-of-Spain to deal with an upsurge of violent crime in the area.

At a T&T Police Service (TTPS) town meeting at the Brian Lara Promenade in Port-of-Spain on Wednesday night, senior police officers noted that residents had not co-operated with police following a spate of recent murders.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Radcliffe Boxhill said: "We are continuing to try to bring harmony to the communities of east Port-of-Spain by pushing away with our initiative for peace, hope and reconciliation amongst the people of east Port-of-Spain. We cannot succeed in this initiative without the full participation of the members of the community."

East Dry River resident Wendell Scott, whose cousin was one of three victims of a drive-by shooting three weeks ago, asked about the outcome of previous anti-crime initiatives in the community. He said the current situation had him considering migrating.

"I am a law-abiding citizen who has never been inside a courthouse or a jail. I am living in St Paul Street and can't go over into John John where I use to live because I could get kill," Scott said.

Boxhill said that the TTPS was focused on improving its detection rate for murders and violent crimes as well as increasing firearm seizures.

"We have not thrown our arms in the air. We have continued with our firearm interdiction effort which to date has seen over 700 firearms being taken off the streets. Most of these firearms recoveries were made possible by collaboration with members of the community," he said.

Boxhill said the TTPS chose the Brian Lara Promenade because previous meetings in communities across T&T were not well attended. The meeting was attended mostly by street vendors who complained about the police and the Port-of-Spain City Corporation's handling of illegal vending.

Melba Boxhill and Juliet Davy, co-ordinators of the Charlotte Street Heritage Vendors Market, said police officers had a nonchalant attitude when approached by vendors during their daily foot patrols.

"We would stop the police and point out a person who is threatening us. They say that is not their problem, tell the City Corporation police," Melba Boxhill said.

Head of the Port-of-Spain Division Senior Supt Floris Hodge-Griffith took note of the complaint and promised to address it with the officers under her charge.

"I can guarantee you in the shortest possible time you will see our presence," she said.

Radcliffe Boxhill and Hodge-Griffith said the TTPS will launch their anti-crime plan for the Christmas season later this month.

"We are optimistic that this plan would work because after we instituted similar measures last year, we had the lowest level of crime in Port-of-Spain in December. We will institute heightened police presence, foot patrols, static vehicles, mobile units, you name it we are going to have it," he said.

Two weeks have passed since the gates of St Joseph Secondary School have remained closed to its teachers and students because of health and safety issues.

T&T Guardian was told that on September 28 classes were dismissed at about 1 pm and students were told that they would have to return to their homes becomes the school's environment had become unhealthy for them and staff.

One parent told the T&T Guardian that classrooms had a build up of moss and mold and as a result, there was a foul stench emanating. The school is also plagued with an infestation of bats and rodents.

An education official at the Ministry of Education said that they received several reports about the school and confirmed that officials from the Occupational Safety and Health visited on Monday.

However, the official said he was unable to confirm when classes will resume, "the entire school has been power-washed over the weekend so it will be reopened soon once clearance is given."

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has praised the contribution of T&T First Peoples, saying the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community has done much to ensure their historical legacy is preserved and that they continue to be relevant to the country’s cultural landscape.

He also congratulated Santa Rosa Queen Jennifer Cassar, Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez and the members of the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community for their ongoing work to sensitise T&T about the role and contributions of the community.

“Recognition is also due to them for educating the young members of the First Peoples community in the history and ways of their ancestors. It is a history of which we can all be proud.

“Today – a national holiday – I proudly stand with the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to recognise and celebrate the first inhabitants of our beloved nation,” Rowley said.

He said while it has been established that the history of the Americas and the Caribbean was punctuated with violence, confrontation and subjugation, it is also a history of courage, bravery, resistance and an enduring aspiration to preserve traditions through which the country has derived its identity.

“In T&T the indigenous Amerindian populations were the first to suffer the onslaught of European colonisers. Demoralised, disillusioned but never defeated, our First Peoples, largely recognised through the Arima-based Santa Rosa First Peoples Community, have continuously strived to preserve and revitalise their Amerindian history and traditions,” he said.

Rowley said many have participated in the First Peoples Community Annual Santa Rosa Festival, in honour of the community’s patron saint and during National Patriotism Month 2017, heritage tours are organised to local sites dedicated to preserving the legacy of the First Peoples.

“So much of Caribbean history and the history of T&T has been lost or distorted that it is immediately necessary for us as citizens of T&T to research, hold on to and share our stories with one another and with the world.

“We, in Trinidad and Tobago, are a people of diverse origins. We have weathered many storms and together we will continue to draw on the strength of our ancestors to build a strong and resilient nation,” Rowley said.

President Anthony Carmona said his DNA is “inextricably bound” to the First Peoples as his paternal great-grandparents were Waraos, Amerindians from the Orinoco Delta in Venezuela.

In a message for the First Peoples holiday today, Carmona said he felt a deep sense of connection and bond to the culture and this had informed his public support for recognition of the inalienable rights of the First Peoples.

By declaring October 13 a national holiday, T&T has made a profound statement of genuine inclusivity for all, he said.

“It is a belated attempt, in some measure, to right the wrongs of the past and to confer due and equitable recognition to this Republic’s indigenous demographic. The First Peoples of Trinidad and Tobago are an undeniable, integral and revered component of our history, heritage and dynamic, multi-faceted cultural tapestry,” he said.

“In spite of their past afflictions and woes, the First Peoples continue to soldier on in their quest to preserve their cultural heritage and maintain a community way of life that is inspiring and exemplary.”

Carmona commended Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez and the descendants of the First Peoples for their enlightening and progressive initiatives to celebrate the occasion over the past few days.

He said a mandate has been given to citizens by T&T’s First Peoples to “lay down our weapons of intolerance, apathy, race and cultural isolationism and indifference and instead nurture a society of compassion, understanding, tolerance and community.”

“We as a nation can learn so much from the traditional value systems of the First Peoples, which placed greater responsibility and ownership of the community rather than oneself. Inherent in the culture and value system of the First Peoples, is respect for Mother Earth, respect for the elderly, respect within families and the institutional wisdom of the old Sage,” the President said.

“The matriarch and the patriarch in First Peoples communities are the repositories of great influence and guidance and their words of wisdom are always sacrosanct.”

Carmona expressed the hope that the First Peoples Heritage celebrations will trigger awareness, sensitivity and knowledge of the indigenous and spiritual traditions, highlight the positives and the importance of the sustainable living practices and engender a revitalisation of the traditional skills associated with indigenous culture.