Attorneys assess options to close new Tobago prison

Residents of Glen Road in Scarborough are considering their legal options after a government decision to open the Tobago Correctional Facility in their area. But they remain open to discussions with the authorities over their concerns. Last Friday, they staged a protest at the site threatening legal action if the authorities do not reverse the decision. On Monday, a representative group met in videoconference with attorneys Janelle Ramsaroop and Martin George. In a video media release afterwards, Ramsaroop said residents voiced their concerns and the basis for their dissatisfaction, along with their fears and insecurities going forward. She said issues were also raised as...

19 November

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Online petition launched for doctor’s licence to be revoked

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The African Student Union at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine, has launched an online petition for Dr Avinash Sawh, whose racist comments were shared online, to have his medical licence revoked. In the petition (available online here: https://bit.ly/3nyisyW) said Dr Sawh’s comments, in which he referred to Afro-Trinidadians as ‘monkeys’ and called members of the police service as ‘dunce n***ers’, revealed a prejudicial bias as per the Equal Opportunity Act: ‘The Equal Opportunity Act No. 69 of 2000 prohibits the "discrimination of persons on grounds of sex, race, ethnicity, origin, marital status, religion or disability."’ ‘Dr Avinash Sawh's recently documented...

18 November

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Tobago residents seek legal advice over jail location

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Glen Road, Scarborough residents are pursuing legal advice on the State’s decision to relocate Tobago’s prison to their village. This is according to a statement on Monday, November 16, from Martin George and Company- the villager’s attorney. In the statement, the company’s attorney Janelle Ramroop said residents are exploring their options to determine the legality of the State’s move. However, she noted that residents remain open to dialogue with the authorities. “In the interim, these residents are open to the consultation to conversations with Mr Ancil Dennis- the Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly(THA), Mr Dennis Pulchan- the Commissioner of Prisons, and...

18 November

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[Update] Sawh asks Medical Board for more time to respond to complaints

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DESPITE Dr Avinash Sawh publicly apologising and owning up to making racist remarks, his attorney, Martin George, has asked the Medical Board to give them until mid-December to respond to complaints. Sawh was recently heard making racist, obscene and discriminatory comments in voice messages that went viral on social media. He boasted about being a “multi-millionaire,” calling the police “dunce, uneducated and poor.” He also asked for anyone who applied to be a nurse at his office to send a photo ID, since his patients prefer nurses of a specific race. The San Fernando-based doctor has since apologised. He said at a press...

18 November

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Kambon: Sawh’s apology doesn’t hold water

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Emancipation Support Committee director Khafra Kambon said he is not convinced by the apology of Dr Avinash Sawh. Sawh apologised for his racially-charged rant which surfaced on social media over the weekend. Speaking with Newsday on Wednesday, Kambon said while he hoped Sawh received professional, psychiatric help, he was also concerned for the well-being of patients under his care. "In a situation like this where a man is a doctor and he has these feelings, is cause for concern. "If I myself went to him for treatment, I wouldn't feel very comfortable knowing he felt that way about me." Kambon also said a more practical...

18 November

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Dr Lall Sawh: Avinash is no relation

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CONSULTANT urological surgeon Dr Lall Sawh said he has fallen victim to the racist rant of another doctor with the same surname, and wants to make it clear that he is separate and distinct from the junior Sawh. He declared, "I regret I have to share the same surname with him, although we are not related." Sawh, 69, who has had a long career introducing revolutionary treatment in his field, said people are mistaking him for Dr Avinash Sawh. The latter who was caught making racist, obscene and discriminatory comments in voice meassages that were circulated on social media. Avinash Sawh has since apologised...

12 November

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TOBAGO TEACHERS WIN IN HIGH COURT MATTER AGAINST THE THA

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THE HIGH COURT HAS ORDERED OUTSTANDING MONIES OWED TO TEACHERS BE PAID. Martin George and Company got the Official Order from the Court today and are calling upon the THA to pay all Tobago Teachers ALL their outstanding monies and gratuities plus interest, in accordance with the Order of the High Court made in this Constitutional Motion. ...

12 November

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Doctor apologises for racist rant, pledges to promote equality

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Less than a week after he became the centre of controversy for making racially insensitive remarks towards an employee, Dr Avinash Sawh has issued a formal apology to his family, his employees, colleagues, the police and the nation. Sawh's remarks surfaced in a recorded telephone conversation over the weekend in which he was heard making racist comments about people of African descent and members of the police. At a media conference on Wednesday morning at his attorney Martin George’s office in Port of Spain, Sawh read a prepared statement in which he apologised to his employee Ariel Figaro and "unreservedly apologised" to...

08 November

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