HELEN DRAYTON

How alike the rapid deterioration in the relationship between governments and the people is to familial relationships that turn sour. Both progress to abuse.

After the death of Asami Nagakiya last February, former mayor Tim Kee resigned under a barrage of criticism when he said, "You know before Carnival I did make a comment about vulgarity and lewdness The woman has the responsibility to ensure that she is not abused." His critics were clear: what women wear and how they behave during Carnival are not invitations to rape and murder, and the Government should take responsibility to ensure the safety of all people.

A year later, a woman, at the Prime Minister's first conversations with the public in Arouca/Maloney, asked a predictable question: What plans the Government has to stop the murder of women (citing the recent MovieTowne killing of Jamilia DeRevenaux)? The PM gave a detailed response including the ratio of domestic violence deaths to the total murder count and the issues facing the police but unfortunately, added the words, "You called on the Prime Minister to do something about crime. I am not in your bedroom, I am not in your choice of men You have a responsibility to determine who you associate with and when to get out, and the State will try to help. But when the tragedy comes and it becomes known to the police, the police must now go the extra mile to ensure there is detection."

Yes, it was a very short "sound byte" and, not surprising, mostly women vociferously condemned the statement, some calling on him to apologise. Significantly, there was an event the same week just gone that underscored police problems-a video showing a female student in a store resisting a police officer who, reportedly, was trying to protect her.

The Attorney General came out in defence of the Prime Minister because as he said, "People were equally responsible for their own situations." He probably meant "actions," and should have included, not the actions of criminals.

Isn't it time for a conversation between the policy-makers and the public-a reasoned conversation on domestic violence and crime in general? Since the "public conversation" programme is underway, maybe the Government should grasp the opportunity to set the stage for a common understanding between itself and citizens on the societal effects of domestic violence and crime generally, rather than deepen public vexation. A part of that conversation should be the depoliticisation of citizens' safety.

The woman who asked the question did so sincerely given the high level of murders, and it is reasonable to assume she had no expectation that neither the Prime Minister nor the police could be in women's bedrooms and everywhere there is a likelihood of violence to detect and prevent it. Because of the low detection and conviction rates and skepticism about prevention, how can we feel safe? How can the Government reassure us it is fulfilling a prime responsibility of any government to keep citizens safe?

Certainly, the Prime Minister and the Attorney General must be aware that if criminals know the chances they will get caught is virtually nil, then crime will spiral out of control-a governance hazard, leaving all citizens exposed to violence and mayhem.

The question posed was an important one and directed to the right person. The "sound byte" was typical of an ingrained patriarchal culture of systematic normalising of rape and murder because of alleged irresponsible behaviour by women. Men and boys are victims of violence and domestic abuse, and they get little if any attention and empathy. Many people will laugh at a man if a woman inflicts violence on him. There is no question that the majority of domestic violence fatalities are women. We know too, many women stay in abusive relationships for various reasons including lack of safe shelter especially if there are boy children. We also know some victims refuse to give evidence against their abusers and return to the abusive relationship. None of these situations and what women wear or how they twerk are excuses for rape, abuse with the intent to kill, and premeditated murder. Abusers often threaten death. Women and men don't always know the true character of the person they are associating with, just as the electorate don't always know the true character of a government before electing it.

My advice is since there are rapists and killers and the police don't know how to catch them, we must take care to protect ourselves.

If the intent of the Prime Minister was to caution women to do whatever they can to protect themselves-and I see nothing wrong with that-then regrettably, the choice of language was inflammatory and inferred victim blaming. If we place the statement in the context of a lack of proper infrastructure to deal with domestic violence and low detection and conviction rates then it is an admission we cannot rely on the State, and we had better find ways to protect ourselves.

The public trauma is heightened when the responses from officialdom are: "The crime rate is unacceptable,""The Police Service Commission is responsible for hiring a Commissioner,""The police can't do it alone,""The public has a responsibility to help the police," and "We are a lawless society."

We are lawless because detection rates are low because laws are not enforced because corruption sucks the integrity of the nation, encourages lawlessness, fuels widespread crime and sends productivity to hell and because there is no accountability and consequences for performance failure.

As said, the time is right for a conversation. The Prime Minister will be wise to meet with women and men's groups and converse with citizens to reassure them of Government's robust actions to protect them. Public pressure is necessary to depoliticise citizens' security.

It's been nearly two weeks since Angelo Bissessarsingh has died. His life was a bright flame that was prematurely extinguished by a terminal illness. T&T mourns the passing of a man who dedicated himself to the recording and preservation of our collective history. While this loss is heartbreaking for his family and friends, some solace can be found in the knowledge that his pain has ended.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Mr Bissessarsingh, though I have read a couple of his books and once heard him speak at a public signing. As a student of history, I've followed his work, appreciating both his colloquial approach to the material, as well as his approachable personality. That being said, I have to admit that I am also jealous of him. But not in the way you may be thinking. Like Angelo, I too was diagnosed with cancer. However, unlike him, I had neither the comfort nor the courage in discussing it so openly.

I first came to know of Angelo from an interview that aired on one of the nightly news programmes a few years ago. It was during the closing segment that's usually reserved for human interest stories. With his ursine physique and living in a house chaotically stuffed with all sorts of historical knick-knacks, he looked more like a 'crazy shut-in' rather than a 'rebel historian'. It wasn't until the disclosure was made about his illness that I really paid attention to what he was all about.

Being a cancer survivor myself, I know all too well the terrors and tribulations that are involved. But I couldn't help but wonder why he would want to reveal something that's so deeply personal in such a very public way. The pessimist (aka jerk) in me thought he was just trying to solicit sympathy in an attempt to sell more books. After all, take away the "I'm dying" part of the narrative and his work might have just ended up on shelves alongside the likes of other local, fame-less authors like Michael Anthony and Fr Anthony de Verteuil. Of course, I am in no position to pass judgement on another person, let alone a fellow member of the 'Big-C' club. But the more I thought about his choice to share his experiences, the more I began to question my choice not to.

We all bear our burdens in our own way. I resorted to a self-imposed silence. Even in the midst of the most downtrodden moments, I never channelled my thoughts and emotions into the healthy avenues of expression. I didn't write anything down in my journal. I didn't seek out therapy. And I didn't even join a patient support group as recommended by my physicians. It wasn't out of pride or a desire for privacy. As far as I was concerned- if I ignored it-it simply didn't exist. On the occasions when I had to acknowledge it, if someone asked about my health for example, I always tried my best to minimise it. I would focus on the fact that I had a number of positives working in my favour. That my diagnosis could have been worse (a lot worse). That my parents were able to afford excellent care for me. And the obvious one of all-that I am still alive, while others, like Angelo, can't say the same. Now, these are valid points to consider, especially when keeping a perspective on things. But the truth was that the tactic of avoidance only made things difficult to deal with when forced to confront my condition and its lingering effects.

However, as any person can attest, some of the worst pain to endure doesn't come from physical wounds, but emotional ones. How many of us hold on so tightly to those pains that they end up causing more harm? Some people turn to drugs and alcohol to numb themselves, or engage in risky behaviours just to feel something else. It can even strain the relationships with family, friends, and loved ones, which not only leads to further feelings of isolation but causes stress to the people who care the most. Depression, as it turns out, can be just as deadly as any ailment. Now I'm not saying that my suffering was so intense that it created in any of those problems. But even with a support system to rely on, there is still so much that I have yet to reconcile. And that's why I decided to take a 'page' from Angelo's life story.

What struck me most about him was that he didn't use his illness as an excuse to give up, but as a reason to make the most of living. I'm not trying to diminish his literary contributions, but perhaps one of the greatest truths he revealed was having the courage to be honest and open with respect to personal challenges. Since nothing flourishes in the darkness of denial, let truth be the illumination that makes our lives better and fulfilled. A nation thanks you for your service, Angelo Bissessarsingh. And I thank you for your example.

Dr Shashta Sawh

Breast physician-Pink Hibiscus Breast Health Specialist

At some point in time in our lives, I am certain that many of us must have come across this word "metastasis"-be it from reading an article, knowing someone with a metastatic condition, or hearing about it in a conversation.

But what does metastatic breast cancer mean?

When a woman is first diagnosed with an early stage breast cancer, her breast surgeon would remove all of the cancer which can be seen and felt. Some may then have radiation, chemotherapy or endocrine therapy in an aim to prevent any local recurrence or metastasis.

But even these cannot guarantee that all of the tiny, microscopic cancer cells are destroyed, and in certain cases some may survive. Over time, these cancer cells reach distant organs such as the bone, brain, lung, and liver and deposit themselves as cancer lesions. When this happens in areas away from the breast, it is then referred to as metastatic or advanced stage of breast cancer. In the post surgery period, surveillance would be recommended to check for any recurrences or for spread of cancer cells to distant organs. Surveillance scans, though effective, are not sensitive enough to detect microscopic cancer cells from travelling through the body to these distant organs, but are indeed sensitive to detect when breast cancer cells have now deposited and presents as lesions in these sites.

Having a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer is never what a woman with breast cancer wants to hear. This is indeed an overwhelming diagnosis for any woman. Patients facing this situation often feel depressed, scared, anxious, and even angry. They may wonder why did it happened to them. They may begin to question their previous treatments and even be upset with themselves or their doctors for not being able to fight the disease, wondering if they did something to "bring the cancer back".

Every patient finds their way of dealing with this diagnosis and will go through an array of feelings. It is important to find a good support system either from friends and family or counselling with a professional and support groups. There is no perfect way in coping with this and patients should not feel isolated at times like these. But this diagnosis, though a daunting one, is not a hopeless one.

With the advancement in medicine and research in breast cancer there are now many ways and options in which this stage can be treated allowing women to live comfortably with a productive life. Every patient's case is treated in a very tailored made manner by their specialists as there are many factors taken into consideration when planning a new treatment plan. Some medicine may provide a good response which allows the metastatic cancer to shrink or be stable for many years. But if or when the drug stops being effective because the cancer has become resistant to that course of treatment, specialists have many other drug choices to switch to.

Metastatic breast cancer should always be managed and treated by specialists oncologists. Speaking to your doctor about your fears and concerns can help guide them in planning a treatment that is best suited for you and to provide a good quality of life.

Fayola KJ Fraser

MSc student at the London School of Economics

"You called upon the Prime Minister to do something about crime. I am not in your bedroom. I am not in your choice of men. You have a responsibility to determine who you associate with and know when to get out and the State will try to help."

What do this statement, the recent tragic rape and murders of women such as Shannon Banfield, "sooting" on the street, the statements by MP Fuad Khan and the statement by former mayor Tim Kee all have in common?

On the surface level, they are all problematic but dissimilar incidents, but at a broader, more structural level they are all reflective of the formal, informal, overt and covert issues of gender discrimination in T&T.

Social scientist Jacqui True (2012) describes this as the "multidimensional continuum of violence," which means that violence in the home, workplace, in the street, and at the state level are all different (but equally problematic) strains of the same issue.

To deconstruct this statement by the honourable Prime Minister, he begins with "I am not in your bedroom. I am not in your choice of men." A classic case of an extremely common phenomenon in domestic violence, which somehow puts the blame on a woman for violence which she experiences. In "locker room" banter among men, you may commonly hear "well she look fuh dat, she had that coming."

When a woman is walking down the street, whether in a long pants or a carnival costume, does what she's wearing make her deserving of sexual harassment in the form of "sooting" or otherwise? What happens when the harassment goes too far and she ends up dead?

Well in Trinidad, the mayor says women have "the responsibility to ensure that they are not abused." And at the end of such statements by public figures, when they realise they have ruffled feathers, they decide to say that what they said was "misconstrued".

I, however, refuse to believe these statements of highly intelligent and articulate men simply escaped their mouths by chance, but rather it is the structural, embedded gender norms that exist which give them agency to say these things.

Get out and go where?

The next part of the PM's statement was "you have a responsibility to determine who you associate with and know when to get out."

This element reflects not only male privilege but also the class privilege to which many men and women who actively care about gender issues are blind.

Some women are subject to multiple vulnerabilities in the sense that they are not only easier to victimise because of the fact that they are women, but women who struggle in poverty face further oppressions which means their risks of violence are higher.

For example, a woman who is in a situation of domestic violence, who is highly educated, has a comfortable job and can sustain herself is not in the same position as a woman who is highly dependent on a male partner for her livelihood.

So "getting out" may be a great solution for Dr Rowley who is not considering the woman who has children who depend on her, or a husband/partner who may be threatening her with economic violence where she will have no means of survival if she follows our honourable PM's genuine advice to "get out".

Get out and go where?

This concept of getting out brings me to the final part of his statement, that some might see as his best contribution that was ignored-"The State will TRY to help."

However, it is a totally useless and valueless contribution that has no serious thought put into it.

The State has a real responsibility to advance the situation of women in our country, If not for the sole fact that it's clearly the right thing to do and there are benefits all round.

Tackle from

primary school level

What are some more valuable ideas for the State that do not include blaming women for their choice of men in solving domestic violence?

In a prevention model, it is important from the primary level of education in our schools to develop policies and programming that support a renewed understanding of gender norms.

These interventions have been tested in countries such as South Africa and Canada in schools, where there are 50-hour (per term) programmes with young people that address gender norms and promote the development of respectful intimate relationships.

If we focus on a model to address people already in violent relationships, the State can look to the healthcare sector.

There should be an integration of training for medical professionals to ensure that they can identify signs of domestic violence, and provide support for women who may be emotionally unable to make the first move in telling someone about it.

For those who can come forward, the State can also provide subsidised mental health care (although mental health is largely ignored in Trinidad) as a great majority of domestic abuse is not only physical but mental and emotional.

It is not enough to sit in a comfortable armchair and proclaim that the systems are there, it is imperative to give women agency to use those systems.

There is almost no person in Trinidad with the power of the Prime Minister, so it is especially damning when he makes sexist statements, and as members of a democracy, instead of making excuses for what "he really meant", we must demand deep thought and reconsideration from our leader.

Violence against women "is a violation of human rights as established in international law" (True, 2012).

So I say to the honourable Prime Minister, if you remove yourself from the woman's "bedroom" and their "choices" and place the onus of preventing domestic violence on such victims, you are in fact using your post as the highest political representative of our nation to say that we, in T&T are knowingly and consciously violating international human rights law.

The issue of the CCJ emerged following a symposium hosted by the Law Association two Saturdays ago. According to a Guardian report on February 7, 2017:

"Retired Indian Supreme Court Justice Bellur Srikrishna expressed surprise that after 54 years of independence, T&T had still not managed to dispose of the far-off Privy Council in favour of a regional court that already has the backing of all Caricom states, at least in its original jurisdiction on disputes related to the Treaty of Chaguaramas. 'No sovereign country can allow its judicial decisions to be subject to review by a court of another sovereign country,' said Srikrishna. 'This is a democratic republic. You have been independent (over) 50 years. I am surprised that 50 years it has taken. In India we did it in two.'"

The sentiments expressed by Justice Srikrishna are based on India only having experienced a two-year hiatus before they replaced the Privy Council with their own Supreme Court. Indeed, the Indian Constituent Assembly abolished the jurisdiction of the Privy Council in India in September 1949, which came into force in October 1949. By December 1949, the last appeal to the Privy Council from India had been completed.

On the face of it, there seems to be a logical argument to be followed. What is missing is that Indian independence came after a protracted period of struggle between Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress and the British Government. T&T had no such period of struggle involving the fiercest resistance that non-violent civil disobedience could offer.

Instead, the guiding philosophy for T&T was to mimic the British Constitution as was publicly stated by Eric Williams in his address to an audience in Woodford Square on July 19, 1955. The actual statement made by Williams was:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I suggest to you that the time has come when the British Constitution, suitably modified, can be applied to Trinidad and Tobago. After all, if the British Constitution is good enough for Great Britain, it should be good enough for Trinidad and Tobago."

That statement by Williams stands in stark contrast to the struggles of Gandhi and his supporters to get Britain out of India and to set up a Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution. The differences could not be more obvious because India wanted to move away from the British Raj, while T&T wanted to embrace it.

India attained its independence after protracted struggle on August, 15, 1947, and the Constituent Assembly had already set about the task of drafting a constitution. In September 1947, the British West Indies were involved in a meeting at Montego Bay, Jamaica, that had been convened by the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Arthur Creech Jones, to discuss the way forward for a possible Federation of the West Indies.

Indian independence and Federation of the British West Indian colonies were miles apart both literally and figuratively. However, the significance of both cannot be lost on the reader primarily because India had emerged out of a period of protracted struggle against the British, while the West Indies were toying with the idea of how to have a better relationship with Britain. The Federation was formed in 1958 and the original intention of the British Government was to grant independence to it and to that end, a conference was held in London in 1961 to discuss federal independence.

The issue of individual independence arose out of the opposition to the idea of federal independence by the Jamaica Labour Party and Alexander Bustamante. This forced a referendum on the subject in Jamaica in September 1961 in which there was victory for the idea of secession by Jamaica from the Federation.

There was no independence movement in T&T because the plan was to become independent as part of a West Indian federation and not as an individual country. By January 1962, Eric Williams had announced that T&T was now going to seek its own independence rather than to continue in a federation of the remaining nine territories after the departure of Jamaica.

What Justice Srikrishna would have missed in his comparison as to why T&T has taken so long to join the CCJ and leave the Privy Council just like India is the fact that India fought and struggled for its independence. T&T had independence handed to it almost immediately in August 1962 following the demise of the Federation in April 1962. There was no struggle and no mass movement that wanted to separate from the British.

Eric Williams' philosophy was to have the British Constitution "suitably modified" as our model. Indeed, when the opportunity arose to amend the Constitution in the 1971-76 Parliament in which the PNM had won all of the seats after a no-vote campaign, Williams chose to retain the Privy Council rather than to abolish it.

In comparing the two countries, it must be accepted that India left the Privy Council by political wish, while T&T kept it by political wish.

School teacher Camille Winter had two other bail conditions added to the existing ones when she reappeared in the Sangre Grande Magistrates' Court on sex charges yesterday.

CoP: We can't stop

domestic murders

As grieving families of people killed in domestic-related cases continue to cry out for justice, acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams says the police can do nothing about killings that stem from such situations.

Suspect surrenders

The 23-year-old former lover of Jamilia DeRevenaux, who was killed outside her MovieTowne workplace last Sunday, surrendered to police on Friday.

'Help us find them'

Government yesterday called on representatives of certain local Muslims organisations to share information and assist in identifying potential terrorist recruiters and those going abroad to participate in conflicts.

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There is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.

J.R.R. Tolkien

Very often in verbal communication, what is not said can be more important than the message clearly vocalised by the speaker. Case in point is the Prime Minister telling women that they are responsible for their bad choices in male companionship, with the inevitable violent abuse that follows, inter alia.

What therefore was his silent message to the men committing abuse-please continue to abuse women to your heart's content safe in the knowledge that the authorities are highly unlikely to uncover your crime, far less prosecute and punish you.

Maybe, the Prime Minister's message to the women of Maloney should have been as follows: My Government is greatly saddened by the out-of-control epidemic of female domestic abuse and we are taking proactive measures in the Parliament and on the street to track down, apprehend, and severely punish any man who abuses our womenfolk.

This PNM Government will not rest until every last male abuser or even potential abuser gets his comeuppance. Now, in this regard, I would be most grateful if you ladies out there would help this programme to succeed in the shortest possible time frame by demanding the highest standards of behaviour of any male who seeks your company.

Gregory Wight

Maraval

The public meetings with the Prime Minister is a necessary reaffirmation to reconnect with the people in a meaningful way. It is the honourable Prime Minister's responsibility to be subject to the "agreement" that binds him to the people, this becomes the base in which we will collectively find reason.

This agreement is signed in decency, enforced with the courage of conviction, and can only be truly litigated exclusively in the public court by the public.

Here in a society which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion but hastily relates to appeals to emotion or personal beliefs and so well fed by unbridled social media, only sadly demonstrates the new era of post truth politics and what it can bear; this was evident in the American presidential election and the Brexit confusion.

The opportunity presented here must not be trivialized or use to vilify or for dissent, the intention is to allow the average politically agnostic person, who may be perplexed to be edified, and should most definitely challenge the Government and summon us to work together, so we may rise above the many difficulties that all the 1.4 million or so inhabitants of these isles face.

Colin Fortune

Arima

The flier for the event stated that showtime was 9 pm.

However, I was strongly advised to be there at least an hour before. I heeded that advice.

When I walked into the Kaiso Blues Café, Woodford Stree,t in Port-of-Spain, around 7.50 pm on Thursday, the cosy jazz lounge was already half-filled.

At 9.30 pm, the five-member band that had been setting up their instruments on the small stage began to play.

Then, David Michael Rudder, the man everyone came to see, started slowing strutting through the crowd with his regular gait.

"Welcome to Trinidad," Rudder sang as he officially released his latest song.

Rudder captivated the packed room for an hour and a half singing most of his mega hits including the "national anthem"-"Trini to the Bone."

But even after a high-energy performance including an encore, 63-year-old Rudder still found time to sit down with the Sunday Guardian for an interview.

Q: What motivated you to release your songs in such a cosy setting? Do you prefer the intimate environment as opposed to a big crowd?

A: Well, Carl (Jacobs) and I are best friends and we always had a dream about this place. So whenever I am here (in T&T) I do a show here. I like the intimate setting because it is more close to the audience and sometimes the big shows are a little impersonal, so this was fun for me because people are right there and communication was very strong and nice.

One of the things that always stood out for me with David Rudder music is that there are one-liners that become immortalised, such as "this is not a fete in here this is madness;""this thing like a police boots on meh corn;""how we vote is not how we party," to name a few. Is there any one-liner that stands out for you?

No, it happens in every song I write. There is something that pops out, so for example, in "Welcome to Trinidad" there is a line "shyness and rum is friend". These things happen when you are composing, it is part of the magic.

We know David Rudder as a performer, an entertainer, but one of the things I read is that you really enjoy painting. Is that so?

I used to paint. I still try to do a little bit every now and then but because of the music, I am travelling up and down and I am in an airport almost every week travelling some place to do some show or something. So it is kind of crazy, but when things settle down-my children are almost ready to go to university, the last three-so soon I will be able to relax and go back to the painting. I was trained by Ken Morris the great copper artist, so I want to go back and do things like that

One of the things people also know David Rudder for of late is your social media presence. How did that come about?

The calypso tent was always the place where people would go and tell their stories. So if you see 20 singers you would get 20 opinions, but because the tent was dying I decided to put a calypso tent on the Internet. So my (Facebook) page is really an online calypso tent. So you will find all kind of weird subjects. So if you go to a tent a guy will sing a serious song, a next one would come with humour, so sometimes I would drop a little humour and if a serious issue comes up I would drop that, so that is the reason for that

Your latest song "Welcome to Trinidad" gives the element of all the critical issues facing the country yet still at the side we, as Trinidadians, don't really focus on the issues. Is that a fair interpretation?

It basically tells the people this is where we are right now and what they want to do with it is the other part. We have the goods and we have the bards, the calypsonians who relate our stories, so we relate good stories and we relate bad stories. Whatever we do as a society, that is the job of the bards and that is what we will do, so it is very multi-layered. That song is very, very multi-layered. It is one of the the best compositions because of the way it was structured. It is nothing I created myself, it just took over.

Between now with "Welcome to Trinidad" and the anthem "Trini to the Bone" how have you seen the country change since then?

Well "Welcome to Trinidad" is "Trini to the Bone" 13 years on, so if you listen to what "Trini to the Bone" says and what "Welcome to Trinidad" says you can judge where we are from what is out there. Because the songs are there for you to compare.

What do you think can be done to deal with the major issues affecting the country such as the crime and corruption?

We have to come and start to face our problems and watch and see what our issues are. There are so many issues it will take some time...this has been happening for about 40 or 50 years now. It is not now it is happening, it is just that the dark underbelly is now surfacing more, so it will be a hell of a ride, but we have to start now to address things in a serious way. I try to talk to young men in society because a lot of the problems come from there, the family structure is broken down, the place is angry, the people are...there is a lot of selfishness, so there are a lot of things to work on, so that 20 years from now we will start to see the changes going on. But if we don't start now, we will just prolong it.

Stuart Broad was giving little away when asked on Friday if he wants to replace Alastair Cook as England Test captain.

England director of cricket Andrew Strauss has spoken with Broad, clear favourite Joe Root and Ben Stokes about the role.

Questioned if he had thrown his hat into the ring for the captaincy, Broad told reporters while at Buckingham Palace to receive his MBE : "No, not specifically.

"I've played for England a long time now, I think over 10 years. As a senior player you're always going to share views to coaches and talk to hierarchies about how the team should move forward.

"I think it's always important when you make a big decision about the team moving forward that players who've been involved and who you see leading the team forward in the next few years are consulted.

"Look, Andrew Strauss is probably one of the best decision makers I've ever played with, when he was captain, and now he's moved into the top of English cricket I'm sure he will consider all options and make a very sensible and good decision."

Root remains the favourite to replace Cook, who announced his resignation on Monday after four-and-a-half years in charge.

But Strauss indicated talks would be held with multiple candidates and discussions took place with Root, Stokes and Broad on Thursday.

The meetings, however, were informal in their nature, with Strauss looking to gauge views on who should succeed Cook, as well as the trio's own interest in taking on the captaincy.

It is expected that formal interviews will take place next week.

The new captain will be announced before England's one-day squad fly out to the Caribbean on February 22 for three matches against the West Indies.

His first Test fixture in charge will come against South Africa at Lord's in July, which will be the first leg of a four-match series.

There will then be a three-match home series against West Indies in August before England's greatest challenge, an away Ashes series, begins in Brisbane in November.

Broad, England Twenty20 skipper from 2011 to 2014, was evasive on the subject of who he wants to be the next Test captain.

"That's a decision that obviously Andrew Strauss and James Whitaker and the [other] selectors will consider quite a lot over the next few weeks," he said.

At least 70,000 people in the Greek city of Thessaloniki are being evacuated so that a 500lb World War Two bomb can be defused.

It is thought to be one of the largest wartime bombs to be found in urban Greece in addition to being one of the largest mass evacuations.

The bomb was discovered during road works last week and is due to be disposed of today.

Officials say it is too degraded to tell if it is German or an Allied bomb.

Residents within a radius of about 2km (1.2 miles) of the bomb will be compelled to evacuate the area between yesterday and this morning, security officials have said.

The operation has been described by one blog as the biggest evacuation of Greek civilians in peacetime. However, it is not possible to verify such a claim.

BBC

Shakib Al Hasan scored 82 from 103 deliveries to kick-start a late fightback for the Tigers and was aptly aided by captain Mushfiqur Rahim (81 not out) and Mehedi Hasan, who brought up his maiden Test half-century with an unbeaten 51 at stumps.

Bangladesh managed to nudge their way to 322 for six at the close of play in reply to India's mammoth declaration of 687 for six, but they looked in deep trouble at the start of their innings.

Starting the day on 41 for one, opening batsman Tamim Iqbal was first to be dismissed when he was run-out for a score of 24 in just the third over of the day by his partner Mominul Haque following a mix-up in search of a second run.

Next man in, Mahmudullah was given a reprieve from a review decision four overs later but Haque was back in the pavilion shortly afterwards as he became Umesh Yadav's second wicket of the match when he was trapped plumb in front for 12.

Shakib came to the crease and was going along nicely with Mahmudullah until the latter was dismissed on 28 by an inswinging delivery from Ishant Sharma which rattled his pads to leave Bangladesh reeling on 109 for four.

Mushfiqur came in and steadied the ship alongside Shakib, who brought up his 21st Test half-century in 69 balls to offer some resistance for the Tigers.

The duo sustained the India bowling pressure to bring up a fifth-wicket stand of 107 before aggressor Shakib played a shot too many as he looked to lift Ravi Ashwin over long-off but hit straight into the hands of Yadav to gift the hosts the breakthrough.

Sabbir Rahman's stay at the crease was short-lived as he became another lbw casualty for 16, this time to the spin of Ravi Jadeja for his first wicket of the match to leave the visitors on 235 for six.

Mushfiqur put on a patient half-century off 133 balls with Mehedi also reaching the landmark in a quicker rate of 102 deliveries as the duo held firm with an unbeaten stand of 87 at the close.

Kalifa Clyne

kalifa.clyne@guardian.co.tt

A Guyanese mother's hope of seeing her three daughters again is pinned to the Ministry of National Security pardoning her breach of this country's immigration laws and overstaying in T&T.

The mother, Shaneza Angela has not seen her children-Mikayla, seven; Attia, five; or two-year-old Shania since June 2015, when the youngest was pulled out of her arms at the Piarco International Airport and Angela was sent back to Guyana.

Angela first came to Trinidad when she was 18, intending to go to school and hopefully find work.

Angela took a flight to Trinidad and stayed with a relative in Charlieville, Chaguanas.

"When I came I tried to rewrite maths and English but couldn't afford it because it was more expensive in Trinidad than at home."

Instead, Angela got job at a supermarket near where she lived in Charlieville, packing shelves.

In 2008, Angela met a man and six months later, got pregnant with her first daughter, who she gave birth to on October 31.

She said after the birth of her daughter she started experiencing problems with her husband's relatives. She said by that time she had already overstayed in T&T and she and her boyfriend decided to get married.

Things did not go as planned because Angela was now living illegally in T&T.

She said she called her parents and told them she wanted to return home and her mother purchased two one-way tickets for Angela and her daughter.

In January, Angela found out she was pregnant with her second child and told her boyfriend, who flew to Guyana in mid-January.

"We talked and he said he wasn't ready for another child, but my parents in Guyana said no to an abortion. After two weeks, he went back to Trinidad. In March I tried to re-enter Trinidad, but because I overstayed, they said they could not allow me entry to the country. I said I would stay in Guyana and raise the two children."

Angela's boyfriend at the time flew back to Guyana and the two got married so she could return.

On returning, they started the process to gain permanent residency for Angela so the family could stay together.

She gave birth to her second daughter in July 2011.

"We were going through the process for permanent residency but in 2012 I had problems with his mother, we moved out and went to live on our own. At first things were a little tough. I started working and it got easier.

"In earlier 2013, problems started again and by November 2013 I found out he withdrew himself from my residency process."

It was around this time that Angela found out she was pregnant with her third child.

She said after the birth of her third child her husband told her he wanted her to move out. He kept the two older girls and she kept the baby.

"I went to a relative's house first and after that a family friend decided to give me a room. I stayed there and kept thinking about my two girls.

It was not long before Angela started experiencing financial troubles. In October 2014, she had problems paying rent and had to move.

One weekend, she said, her husband took the two older children and did not bring them back.

The matter ended up in court and Angela and her husband eventually signed a mediation agreement with 47 points, including permission for Angela to take the youngest child to Guyana for two weeks.

It was when returning from this trip she was met with immigration officers who took her and baby Shania to the detention centre on Henry Street.

She said her husband came to the centre, took Shania from her arms and left, while she was put on a plane to Guyana.

"How can you take my daughter away from me?"

Her husband, who preferred to remain anonymous, said while he remembered her crying, he had had no choice but to take the baby after being contacted by Immigration Division.

In a telephone interview, he said he had no problem with her returning to the country or seeing her children as he was prepared to adhere to the mediation agreement.

"I don't want any part in her returning though. She has to do that on her own."

In a telephone interview, Director of Corporate Communications at the Ministry of National Security Marcia Hope said whether a parent had offspring who were T&T citizens or not, they were not entitled to residency or citizenship.

"We understand the UN convention on Rights of the Child but we still have to enforce our laws."

Access to family is one of the rights outlined in the convention.

Hope said citizens in cases like Angela's had the option to write to the Minister of National Security seeking pardon for overstaying and seek his intervention to look at their case. Once the case is investigated and document comes back without any criminal record, they may be given a letter to return.

We are monitoring them-Dillon

Concerns are being raised about the monitoring of deportees to this country with potentially dangerous skills.

There is the fear among citizens that these deportees may be corrupted to turn their training towards criminal activities such as robberies and murders.

Founder of Vision on Mission (VOM) Wayne Chance confirmed that some of them have military training in firearms, weapons, and come with other high-tech skills and techniques useful in crimes.

Chance said there were challenges for the deportees-one of them being adapting to the new environment and culture of T&T when many of them grew up in the US, Canada, and the UK. He admitted that some of them who may return with criminal tendencies may become hopeless with the little opportunities available to them and may turn to crime.

Chance said within the last ten years, the Caribbean had received over 72,000 deportees-T&T received some 6,000 of those deportees.

He was speaking to the Sunday Guardian last week at VOM's headquarters in San Juan, on whether the Ministry of National Security or the police documented, kept tabs on, or monitored these particular deportees' arrival into the country and their whereabouts.

He said, "The T&T Police Service's Special Branch does some level of surveillance, but there's much to be desired. If they state that they do, I am not aware.

"I recall early in 2004-2005, members of the Special Branch Unit used to come and check on certain types of deportees. There are those that come back with certain types of military training and expert in certain areas of weaponry and arms.

"Special Branch officers would come, monitor and check on them, and call us periodically to find out how they were going, but we haven't seen that in the last seven or eight years."

Citizens' fear is also coupled with concerns that US President Donald Trump will be deporting people with criminal records to their homeland.

US Channel, Fox4 announcer Shaun Rabb reported that while on the campaign trail, Trump, as part of his immigration enforcement policy, said there were two to three million people who were committing crimes and should not be in America.

Rabb said as the president of the US, Trump had now empowered federal agents to work with US law enforcement to round up and deport people who committed certain crimes even though they were in the US legally. This includes people from T&T.

While acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams did not return calls on the matter Friday, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon yesterday said the Special Branch has been monitoring the deportees. (SEE BOX)

Incidents involving deportees

A deportee who received military training in the US Army attacked and robbed a licenced firearm dealer in the East-West corridor a few years ago.

The deportee who was in top physical condition scaled the burglar proofing with ease like a US Armed Forces obstacle course tower climb. Both men were armed, but the deportee overpowered the businessman, stole his money and escaped.

In another incident, a police officer attached to the Port-of-Spain City Corporation pursued a deportee into an HDC apartment on Duncan Street. He said when he wrestled the deportee to the ground, he was sprayed with pepper spray, one of the sophisticated "tricks" the deportee had learned while living in America.

$26,000 a year to reintegrate a deportee

Chance said VOM-a non-governmental organisation (NGO) set up since 1995-was responsible for the surveillance and monitoring of these individuals as well as their reintegration and resettlement into society.

He said they receive an annual subvention from the Ministry of National Security of $1 million and he had to stretch it out to work with over 600 clients a year and to help meet overhead expenses, administrative, programme expenses, and operations as well.

He said it cost approximately $26,000 annually to reintegrate a deportee or a local ex-inmate.

He said when deportees were scheduled to be sent back to T&T, only inter-Government agencies were initially involved such as Immigration, The Foreign Affairs Ministry, The Ministry of Social Development, Interpol, and Special Branch.

Chance said sometimes VOM was contacted via email by the prisons where the deportees scheduled for deportation are incarcerated.

He said not every deportee came to VOM. Once a deportee arrived at the airport and he did not have a family or relative to receive him, a police officer or official from the Ministry of Social Development contacted the organisation to arrange a pick up, but many end up at VOM because of the challenges their families have with them.

Speaking to the Sunday Guardian in 2013, Chance had said there were ten deportees at VOM at the time. More than 100 had returned to T&T and 65 of them had been integrated, however, the other 35 could not be located.

T&T not ready for influx of deportees

Chance said under Trump's administration and the perception of an anti-immigration policy the rate of deportees will increase and the country was not prepared for this influx.

He said the situation had brought a lot of attention and concerns to the organisation as it was severely challenged resource-wise to meet the demand.

He said on January 31, he picked up another deportee-they come in sometimes three times for the month, and recently, at least twice for the month in different numbers.

Chance said some of the clients VOM received their offences were serious ranging from murder, larceny, drug trafficking, possession of arms and ammunition, shootings, armed robberies, wounding to assault.

He said, however, most of them would have spent time in prison and became involved with many rehabilitative programmes conducted in US prisons. Chance said upon their arrival in T&T the breakdown occurs when they do not enter into an organised or structured programme to help them to reintegrate. He said there were families that received these individuals that were not prepared for them.

Chance said because of some their behaviour and sometimes addictions conflict arose at the homes and some deportees ended up involved in crime.

He said those that came to the organisation he was proud to say that most were able to reintegrate based on how the group conducted its programmes.

NEXT WEEK: Deportees plant the land in Wallerfield

RADHICA DE SILVA

Responding to the Sunday Guardian yesterday, Dillon denied that high-risk deportees with military training in explosive, firearms and other types of weaponry were no longer under watch by the Special Branch.

Saying the United States always notifies T&T about the arrival of deportees, Dillon said based on their criminal record, law enforcement officers then take a decision on whether monitoring should be done.

"Based on the information we get from the deportees, we put them in different categories because not all of them are criminal deportees who have committed a serious offence," Dillon explained.

Saying T&T will continue to keep potentially dangerous deportees under watch, Dillon added, "If the United States sends someone who is involved in gang warfare or someone who has committed murder, we will definitely monitor those individuals. There is no question about that."

He noted, however, that Government had a duty to provide rehabilitation to the deportees so that they will not fall into a life of crime.

"The Ministry of National Security will continue to support Vision on Mission and other social groups. We have to look at how we can rehabilitate and prevent them from continuing on a path of crime. We have to see how we can we reintegrate them in society."

He also said those deportees who are no longer of questionable interest to law enforcement officials will be removed from the radar.

"We are also working closely with the minister of Social Development and VOM which comes under National Security to support their initiatives. We want to strengthen VOM and offer our assistance to their existing programmes because some deportees come here with no attachment whatsoever and we have to catch them as early as possible so they don't enter into a life of crime," Dillon added.

RACHAEL KING

T&T's Lalonde Gordon and Zakiya Dennon did not attain the results they had hoped for at the New York Road Runners (NYRR) Millrose Games in New York, USA, yesterday, failing to finish among the top three in their respective races as they had done at their most recent meets.

Gordon crossed the finish-line fifth in a time of one minute and 05.89 seconds (1:05.89) in the men's 500 metres final. He trailed a quartet of Americans Vernon Norwood (1:00.01), Bycen Spratling (1:00.90), Bershawn Jackson (1:01.17) and Chris Giestling (1:05.89), respectively.

The local sprinter did not have the greatest of starts and on reaching the 300m mark at 37.60 seconds, was fifth, remaining in this position at the line.

Last weekend, Gordon broke his own T&T and Central American and Caribbean (CAC) indoor 300 metres records at the Armory Track Invitational, in New York. He won the men's invitational 300m event with a fast 32.37 seconds run, taking one-tenth of a second off the 32.47 T&T/CAC standard he had established in 2014.

His time moved the 2012 Olympic Games double bronze medallist from ninth to eighth on the world all-time performance list. Gordon took the lead from Czech Republic's Pavel Maslak (32.61). American Wallace Spearmon is the world record holder at 31.88.

Denoon placed eighth in the women's 60m in 7.56. Winning was American Dezerea Bryant of Nike in a brisk 7.12.

Entering the meet, Denoon, a Monroe College sophomore, had some impressive times in copping a gold medal at the New York City (NYC) Gotham Cup and silver at the Towson Invitational to start the season.

The local sprinter clocked 7.50 seconds to easily win the dash as her closest challenger was some 0.19 seconds behind at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, some three weeks ago.

Denoon of Belle Garden, Tobago had opened up the indoor season on January 14 with a second-place finish at the Towson Invitational at the Armory in New York in 7.45 in the 60m. She had won her preliminary heat prior to her podium finish.

FLASHBACK

GAIL ALEXANDER

The Finance Ministry is currently studying whether the law should be changed to allow the Central Bank to regulate all fees charged by commercial banks.

This was confirmed yesterday by Finance Minister Colm Imbert.

He spoke in response to Sunday Guardian queries following RBC Royal Bank's recent decision to increase fees and charges on services across the board for general and business clients.

The bank's announcement did not go down well with customers, with some threatening to shift business.

Yesterday, the bank's senior manager, corporate communications, Nicole Duke-Westfield explained that while most charges pertain to people coming in to do business at branches, RBC's ATM withdrawals and deposits remain free of charge.

Deposits and withdrawals on all age-based accounts for seniors and youths are also free.

On Friday, Imbert was asked about statements he had made during the 2017 budget debate about looking into high bank fees.

At the time, Imbert was responding to concerns about bank fees raised by independent senators Dr Dhanayshar Mahabir and David Small.

Asked about rising bank fees and whether he had talked to banks and how citizens, amid the negative economic climate would cope with added financial squeeze, Imbert replied via email:

"The Central Bank Act gives the Central Bank the power to fix the fees and charges to be charged on loans, advances or other credit facilities, by a financial institution.

"Note that these are just fees related to loans. The law does not speak to fees and charges on withdrawals, overdraft, credit and debit card fees, ATM fees, monthly fees on accounts etc.

"These other fees and charges are not regulated by law at this time and in other countries these fees are subject to fair trading and unfair contract terms legislation and disclosure provisions.

"This is what I spoke about in the Senate-ie, whether we should change the law to allow the Central Bank to regulate all fees charged by commercial banks. It is a matter that is being carefully studied at this time."

What Imbert said

In the 2017 budget debate, after independent senators complained about high bank charges and fees, Imbert had said the Government was in discussions with the banks.

He had added then, "But you know when people have become accustomed to a certain way of doing things, when you try to get them to come out of their comfort zone, it's not so easy.

"So we're having dialogue with the banks first about interest rates, about bank charges and so on and if dialogue doesn't work, then we'll see if we need to legislate. But we're starting with discussion first."

Imbert added, "We've had at least three meetings with them already, the Central Bank is speaking to them about interest rates and charges."

He had also said Government would have sought to persuade banks to allocate a certain amount of foreign exchange for people with medical, tuition, and travel expenses.

In April 2016, Imbert also promised to examine the issue of deposit and saving rates charged by banks, following concerns by Independent Senator David Small.

Imbert said then he had authority to act on the issue by law. He said no previous finance minister ever examined the fact that Central Bank and the finance minister can regulate the spread between deposit rates and lending rates, and the fees and charges charged.

Imbert said he had asked Central Bank to initiate discussions with banks on this.

Have a heart!-Small

Yesterday, Small called for the regulator of banks-Central Bank-to urgently examine the fee issue.

"The regulator isn't providing for citizens' interest as banks seem to be able to issue any type of fees without consultation. I'm not against anyone in business trying to make a profit. But I'd want Central Bank calling in banks, so we citizens can be comforted some action is being taken to protect us.

"There must be a threshold beyond which the regulator can say a fee is too exorbitant."

Small said in the event there might have been private talks between regulator and banks, "This (recent fee hike) is an opportune time for an update on what discussions the minister might have had with banks (as he promised).

"Government was cognisant that Uber's operations could be illegal and potentially put people at risk, and acted quickly. Now, many people on the breadline trying to save are being subjected to higher fees. In these hard economic times...have a heart! Please examine it."

Opposition MP Dr Suruj Rambachan, who had also warned in the 2017 budget debate about bank rates, said he was writing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on RBC's move.

"It isn't consistent with Canadian human resource practices and culture. RBC seems to be streamlining products to exclude certain poorer classes and do business with elites.

"Government can't do anything about this. It's customers' decisions to withhold support or not.

"People should use credit unions which Government should strengthen, as well Unit Trust plans and FCB."

There have been calls for banks to receive deeper scrutiny not only from finance, but the wider Parliament.

More options offered-RBC

RBC's Duke-Westfield said the bank was offering more channels for banking.

"We've instituted an e-statements option where clients can access statements online for free as well as online, mobile, ATMs and in-branch services. Clients don't always have to come in. There are alternatives."

She said RBC's cyber framework was geared to handle the situation including curbing ATM fraud.

Duke-Westfield said RBC's recent adjustments to some products and services "reflect the increasing cost of doing business in the market but we work hard to ensure changes are aligned to economic and competitive realities in the market".

Yesterday, Republic Bank CEO Nigel Baptiste said Republic "wasn't considering any increase in fees at this time".

There was no response from Scotiabank and FCB heads.

May 2015- Small said, "...The public is being mugged by the banks, insurance companies, supermarkets and dispensers of public services."

January 2016-Opposition Senator Wayne Sturge called for Government to tax every charge banks place on customers. He said four to five banks post billions of dollars in after-tax profits and banks charge customers for every transaction, "...and you ain't touch them yet. But yuh touching the poor".

April 2016 -Small said Government could assist the public's belt-tightening and saving efforts by asking banks to rectify certain issues. Noting Central Bank's economic bulletin stated the gap between deposit and savings rates is about eight per cent, Small added: "Tell banks: this spread, eight per cent, is too high. You're robbing people."

October 2016-Mahabir said banks weren't for poor people since some charge $25 monthly for savings accounts less than $50,000. He deemed fees "onerous and exploitative".

October 2016-Independent Senator David Small said the "banditry continues" with banking charges since the space between deposit and interest rates is atrocious. I feel every bank has a group of people whose job it is to work out how to get fees from people-real schemers!"

October 2016-Rambachan warned bank rates would increase due to 2017 budget stipulation of the 30 per cent tax on people earning $1m annually. He claimed banks may attempt to recover losses from this.

RBC PERSONAL BANKING FEES AND SERVICE CHARGES

RBC Accounts Cost

RBC Leo Young Savers-All Deposits and Withdrawals and Point of Sale-FREE

RBC Student Banking-In-Branch transactions-$8.00

RBC Student Banking-ATM and Online Deposits and Withdrawals, and Point of Sale-FREE

RBC Sixty Plus-In-branch transactions and ATM-FREE

RBC VIP Banking-In-Branch transactions, Standing Orders, Point of Sale, ATM Transactions-FREE

RBC No-Limit Banking-In-Branch, Standing Orders, Point of Sale, ATM Transactions-FREE

RBC Day to Day Banking-In-Branch transactions-$8.00

RBC Day to Day Banking-ATM deposits and withdrawals, Mobile and Online Banking transactions-FREE

All RBC Online Statements (E-Statements)-FREE

RBC Debit Card transactions at RBC ATMs-FREE

RBC Mobile Banking-FREE

New T&T football head coach Dennis "Tallest" Lawrence has finally named his staff for the country's two coming World Cup Qualifiers against Panama and Mexico in March here at home.

His coaching staff comprises former T&T players Stern John and Ross Russell and former national coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier.

A TTFA press release yesterday revealed that Lawrence appointed the local trio that will all join Sol Campbell, the former England international defender, as another assistant to Lawrence.

Lawrence choices have raised concerns since neither of appoinments - Campbell, John or Russell has coached at a national level prior.

Only Charles-Fevrier, the coach at W Connection has had a stint in charge of T&T at that level, and could be the key strategist among the staff despite being refused the head coach position by the Board of the T&T Football Association a few weeks ago.

Lawrence was assistant coach at Wigan Athletic in the English Premiership in 2010 as well as first team assistant coach between 2013 and 2016 at Everton under Roberto Martinez.

He also served as the Belgian first team scout last year. Campbell was a central defender for Tottenham Spurs and Arsenal during his professional career and captained the England team at the age of 23. He currently holds a UEFA Pro Licence badge, but his appointment by the TTFA will be his first time in charge of a national team.

John, an assistant at reigning T&T Pro League champion team Central FC, on the other hand, is T&T's all-time leading goalscorer (70 goals), played a vital role in Central FC's historic triumph in which the club recorded a third consecutive lien on the title, while Russell, the present T&T Under-20 assistant coach will be doubling up as goalkeeping coach for Lawrence.

Russell has coached at Defence Force, Central FC and Ma Pau Stars in the T&T Pro League as well as the country's under-17 Men's and Women's teams, but is yet to make his debut as a headcoach at the senior level.

Charles-Fevrier is a multiple times winner of the T&T Pro League for W Connection who had a decent stint in charge of the 'Soca Warriors' in 2003/2004.

A local coach close to the national team, questioned the selection of Fevrier as assistant when he was a contender for the top job which Lawrence eventually prevailed in. He also pointed to the selection of John as Lawrence's assistant while Central FC's head coach Dale Saunders has been overlooked.

Also included in the staff is Israel Dowlat, who comes in as a replacement for Dr Terrance Babwah, who had resigned under former national Stephen Hart following claims the coach ignored expert medical advice regarding goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams.

However, Dave Isaac who had also called it quits from the staff for the same reason while serving as therapist, has been kept his place, along with South African Riedoh Berdien, the fitness/conditioning coach.

Saron Joseph (Massage Therapist), Stephen Bradley (Evaluation Science GPRS), Matthew Hawkes (Match Analyst), Shaun Fuentes (Media Officer) and Michael Williams (Equipment Manager) make up the rest of the staff.

Lawrence was delighted to finalise his task of naming his extended backroom staff and will be working on his plans for the matches against Panama and Mexico at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo where he will need to get maximum points.

The team is currently second from bottom on the six-team standing in the hex without a point, following losses to Costa Rica 1-2 and Honduras 1-3

The National Team Staff

Head Coach-

Nigel Simon

Holders Defence Force and three-time reigning league champions Central FC will start as firm favourites to reach next Sunday's Digicel Pro Bowl winner-take-all $100,000 final when semi-final matches take place today at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva.

In the opener from 4pm, Central FC which captured a historic third straight league title, a week ago at the same venue and hammered St Ann's Rangers 8-0 in the quarterfinal, comes up against Club Sando, which blanked much fancied Ma Pau Stars 2-0 in their last-eight meeting.

While based on current form the Dale Saunders-coached Central FC will be heavy favorites, the Angus Eve-coached Club Sando is not to be taken lightly as they were one of the few clubs to take a point off the "Couva Sharks" in a 1-1 second round league draw, after losing the first encounter, 2-1.

The Marvin Gordon-coached "Teteron Men", winners of W Connection in last year's final registered a come-from-behind 2-1 win over San Juan Jabloteh in their quarterfinal, and will now need to get a first win over the Lawmen this season to get to within a win of a successful title defense and add to their First Citizens Cup triumph from last November.

However, the Lawmen, have been in ominous form in recent matches, and followed up their 9-0 drubbing of Pt Fortin Civic in one of two qualifiers, with a 3-2 penalty-kicks defeat of four-time winners, W Connection to advance to the semifinals.

And with two victories over Defence Force during the league season, 2-0 and 3-1, coach Richard Hood and his charges will be quietly confident of a place in the final on Sunday February 19.

Today's Semifinals

Central FC vs Club Sando, ABS, 4pm

Police FC vs Defence Force, ABS, 6pm

Final

On February 19, ABS, 4 pm

RADHICA DE SILVA

While T&T citizens wait on the Government to bring better policies to deter criminals, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon was marching against crime in Point Fortin yesterday.

Wearing a white T-shirt with the words "War on Crime," Dillon joined the PNM Youth League, councillors, and community activists as they walked through the streets of Techier. Dillon said he was invited by the youth league to take a stand against criminality.

Asked to identify specific strategies being used to stem the crime wave, Dillon said he planned to meet with Faith-Based Organisations (FBO) and other groups in a bid to have a collaborative approach to tackling crime. He revealed that he had a meeting with Muslim groups yesterday, which did not include leader of the Jamaat al Muslimeen, Yasin Abu Bakr. Asked whether Bakr was invited, Dillon said he had not arranged the meeting but had conceded to a meeting arranged by a few Muslim groups.

"We plan to reach out to other FBOs because we believe there is a role for every entity to play a part in fighting crime," Dillon said.

"Crime is too much even if there is one murder. Once there is crime there is work for us to do. We will continue to pursue criminals vigorously as well as treat with crime through the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Social Development."

Dillon said law enforcement bodies must make the lives of criminals miserable.

Concerned about Tobago

Expressing concerns for the tourism industry following the horrific murder of national youth footballer Abiela Adams, Dillon yesterday vowed to leave no stone unturned to curb crime.

Extending condolences to her family, Dillon said, "The T&T Police Service is investigating that matter vigorously as we speak. Four murders in Tobago is of concern to me. Even one murder in Tobago or in Trinidad concerns me."

He said all agencies of national security will be on board to fight crime in T&T.

Kelvin 'N'

The John O'Brien trained Trini Navigator eased down at the line to easily take yesterday's feature event at Santa Rosa Park in Arima.

Trini Navigator got out well on his return to the turf track and had the early lead with The Tactician close behind and Takeonforjoey, Dark Treasure and Sea of Gdansk, trailing in the race for horses rated 80-60 over 1,500 metres.

It turned out to be one of his easiest assignment for the year thus far despite being challenged by Takeonforjoey, who had moved into second, with The Tactician dropping to third with less than 1,200m to go.

Black Onyx showed some fight and made a move at the 1,000m mark, rolling up on the outside. Black Onyx managed to stick his head in front of Takeoneforjoey as Nobel Abrego had taken Trini Navigator a length off the pace.

There, The Tactician began moving ahead towards the outside with Sea of Gdansk slipping back into fifth.

Heading toward the far turn, Takeoneforjoey took over from Black Onyx with Dark Treasure running along on the outside in third.

Coming off the turn and into the stretch, Takeoneforjoey remained in front but Trini Navigator began to give chase, running on the outside as well to gradually increase his lead by some three lengths.

The Baskaran Bassawh-owned horse eased down at the line to win by two and 3/4 lengths in a time of 1:37.00.

It was a tight finish for second place but it was Sea of Gdansk crossing ahead of The Tactician, who had to settle for third place. Trini Navigator's stablemate Takeoneforjoey stayed on for fourth.

Prayven Badrie and Kerron Khelawan were the leading riders of the day with two wins each. The training award was also shared between Rohit A Dube and Moses Boxie, who each saddled two winners.

Racing takes a break next weekend and returns on February 22.

R1: HANDICAP 3 YO & OVER HORSES RATED 50-35 1,200M - $36,400

1 (5) Why Kapalua H Emamalie 56

2 (2) With Anticipation R Ali 57

3 (4) Precise Moment D Blackman 53.5

4 (1) Blind Date B Boodramsing 54.5

1 (3) Precocious D Khelawan 57

2 (9) Best Defence B Boodramsing 56

3 (8) Rio Grande P Badrie 57

4 (2) Helena's Pride J Boodramsing 56

1 (9) Fleet Admiral P Badrie 55.5

2 (4) Theradioannouncers H Emamalie 57

3 (6) Kentucky Woman Y Serrano 55.5

4 (8) Luminary D Khelawan 56

5 (2) Poppy Love A Poon 54

PLEASE NOTE: There Was A Dead Heat For Second Place.

1 (5) I'Missinghighbury Y Serrano 56

2 (2) Hung Jury K Khelawan 57

3 (4) Princes Grace J Reyes 54

4 (9) Work Of Art L Keizer 56

1 (12) State Of Grace B Boodramsing 53.5

2 (9) She Izza Lady P Badrie 53

3 (5) Fortune Teller J Boodramsing 52.5

5 (18) Prince Zachary Y Serrano 56

1 (7) The King's Gift P Badrie 50.5

2 (6) Sian's Legacy D Khelawan 54

3 (2) Golden Bid W Galviz 57

4 (10) Doc Holiday L A Seecharan 47

1 (5) Red Cloud K Khelawan 55

2 (8) Electrify N Mohammed 54

3 (6) Red River N Patrick 55.5

4 (9 Tiger's Eye K Razack 52

5 (3) Wild Shuffle P Badrie 54.5

1 (1) Trini Navigator N Abrego 56.5

2 (8) Sea Of Gdansk P Badrie 50.5

3 (2) The Tactician R Ali 50.5

4 (3) Takeoneforjoey K Khelawan 56.5

5 (4) Dark Treasure W Galviz 57

1 (3) A Great Moment K Khelawan 56

2 (10) Serengeti J Stephen 55.5

3 (2) Drogbar N Mohammed 56.5

4 (6) Al Kahina B Boodramsing 55.5

5 (8) Chelsi Magic Y Serrano 53