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The Penal/Debe Regional Corporation Chairman is refuting claims that his criticism of water problems in parts of his region is about race.

Dr. Allan Sammy last weekend got a tongue lashing from Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley who accused him of claiming racial discrimination in the distribution of water.

Yesterday Dr. Sammy said the Prime Minister got it all wrong.

Meanwhile the Minister of Public Utlities Marvin Gonzales insisted Dr. Sammy’s views are rooted in race and admitted to a crisis in water distribution.

Minister Gonzales also told us the mandate given by the Prime Minister last weekend is for him to engage 2 trade union bodies over the next 6 weeks.

He is to get their views and suggestions on fixing the problems at the Water And Sewerage Authority.

There is uncertainty over the kind of bus service commuters will receive between San Fernando and Port of Spain today.

Bus drivers on the route have been staying away from their duties for the past 2 days.

The chairman of the Public Transport Service Corporation is condemning the protests.

The actions have left many commuters in south in limbo.

The workers are protesting what they call a lack of COVID response measures by the company and stalled wage negotiations.

The situation is said to have crippled the San Fernando/Port of Spain route.

Speaking with Newscenter 5 yesterday PTSC Chairman Edwin Gooding said many commuters mainly children and the elderly were severely affected.

Mr. Gooding said the representing transport workers union led protest is focused in the wrong place.

On Monday the workers began their demonstration.

Branch representative Ryan Ramdath told the media an employee had died from the COVID-19 virus and there has not been proper sanitisation at the Golconda offices.

He said workers throughout PTSC’s operations did not have basic safety necessities.

However, Mr. Gooding is not buying this reasoning.

Mr. Gooding said everything has been done to ensure safety for the public and staff.

A promise from the National Security Minister that investigations have been launched into the death of 9-month-old Yealevis Santoyo Sarabia.

He was killed when Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard fired shots at a migrant boat last Saturday night in local waters.

His mother Darielvis Sarabia was also wounded during the incident, which has triggered international condemnation.

The coast guard has said its response was in self-defense.

In a statement, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard says it was forced to open fire on the vessel after the operators attempted to ram one of the interceptors of the TTS Scarborough.

The child was struck when officers fired on the engines of the boat.

In the Senate yesterday, Minister Fitzgerald Hinds described the incident as tragic, but he said the attempted entry was illegal.

And the Caribbean Centre for Human Rights says the report by the coast guard about the circumstances that led to this tragedy raises a number of questions about how the events unfolded.

Executive Director Denise Pitcher is calling on the government to conduct a thorough investigation into the shooting.

The CCHR says the decision by the TT Coast Guard to fire at a vessel full of vulnerable people must be closely scrutinised.

Ms. Pitcher says while the government is entitled to exercise its sovereignty to protect national security and secure borders, this must be done in accordance with obligations under international law.

The body says the militarization of the borders is not the solution and places vulnerable persons at further risk.

The country once again records double digit COVID deaths, as 19 persons die from the virus.

The Ministry of Health says the persons were 6 elderly males, 8 elderly females, 4 middle-aged males and 1 middle-aged female.

This brings the total number of deaths due to the virus in the country to 3,486.

The number of infections daily has also seen a sharp increase, with the country recording 926 new positive cases.

This takes the active caseload to 20,915.

Overnight murder in San Fernando.

The victim is identified as Paul Eccles.

Mr. Eccles was 26-year-old.

He was shot and killed at his Cocoyea home shortly before 11 o’clock last evening.

Reports say Mr. Eccles was inside his home when gunmen stormed the premises and opened fire.

Mr. Eccles died at the scene.

Investigations are continuing.

The devastating fire, which has left dozens of people jobless in Bamboo #2, is said to have cost over 40 million dollars in damages.

The fire destroyed at least 10 auto parts and vehicle businesses on Monday evening.

Assistant Fire Chief Marlon Smith says it was a challenging fight to contain the blaze, which quickly spread.

Eyewitness and businessman in the area, Inshan Ishmael told us yesterday some of the buildings could have been saved, if there were fire hydrants available.

Councilor for the area Seema Ramsaran Augustine said yesterday the losses are significant.

The cause of the blaze is not yet known.

Three men are now in police custody as investigations continue into the deadly robbery of a jewelry store in San Fernando.

Security Officer Andy Alberto Mercias was killed during that incident at Ketan Jewellers on High Street last Saturday.

In a statement police say, acting on information, 3 suspects were held by officers of the Southern Division.

The men range in ages 23, 28 and 31, and they all live at Kings Wharf, San Fernando.

The TTPS says during the operation, police officers seized a firearm and 5.56 kilograms of marijuana, 304 grams of cocaine and an assortment of jewelry.

The suspects are now in police custody and are being interrogated by Homicide Bureau of Investigations detectives.

Last Saturday, 4 armed men entered a jewelry store along High Street, San Fernando where security guard, Mr. Mercias, 33, was killed.

Enquiries are ongoing.

The body of a man is found 500 feet in the sea off Macqueripe.

Reports say officers of the Air Support Unit of the TTPS and the Air Guard made the find at around 8.30 last Saturday morning.

Newscenter 5 understands the officers, led by Insp. Rampallard, used drones to canvas the area and they spotted the body in the waters and with the assistance of a nearby fishing vessel, they were able to bring the body to shore.

It was said to be in a severe state of decomposition.

Once it is identified, a post mortem will be performed.

WPC Muller of the Homicide Bureau and Cpl. Johnson of the Carenage Police are continuing enquiries.

The death of a nine-month-old Venezuelan baby boy has triggered a response from this country’s Prime Minister.

The unidentified baby died during a high-speed chase involving the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard.

The child was on board a migrant boat on Saturday night when he was shot.

His mother was also wounded during the exercise carried out by the coast guard.

Reports say seamen fired shots at the vessel off the south east coast of Trinidad.

The coast guard says its personnel fired shots at the engines of the migrant boat because it attempted to ram the TTS Scarborough and it acted in self-defense.

The migrant boat was intercepted and those on board were captured.

The boat was brought along side the TTS Scarborough and the injured woman was stabilised and transferred to a health facility.

The baby died before he could have been sent to a hospital.

The incident is reported to have occurred just before midnight on Saturday.

The coast guard vessel involved was the TTS Scarborough, 1 of 2 Cape Class patrol vessels commissioned 2 months ago.

And Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley is saddened by the death of the baby.

He says the child was killed during security operations involving TT Coast Guard and traffickers transporting illicit entrants.

In a statement he says he has spoken with the Vice President of Venezuela and conveyed this country’s deepest sympathy to the family and wider Venezuelan community.

He says she promised to fast track the presentation of credentials for Ambassador to Venezuela retired Major General Edmund Dillon to facilitate an early meeting between the coast guard and officers of the Guardia Nacionale.