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Police search for clues at the Tunapuna public cemetery the scene of a double murder on Saturday. – ROGER JACOB

Two brothers were shot dead in broad daylight at the Tunapuna public cemetery on Saturday while a third man was shot in the leg.

According to reports, the incident took place around 10.30 am, when a man wearing a hoodie got out a car with two other men near the entrance of the cemetery, officially known as the Streatham Lodge Cemetery, and shot Nirmal Rambaran, 18, in the head. The victim’s older brother, Elvis Hernandez, 28, was shot in the back as he tried to run away.

Both men died at the scene taking the murder tally to 501.

A third man, identified only as Max, was shot in the leg and taken for treatment at hospital.

At the scene, the boys father, Lalsingh Rambaran, stood outside the cemetery gate crying and upset as he tried to get a glimpse of the bodies of his two sons.

Reports said the two bothers had just finished cleaning graves and were sitting on a stone sharing the payment before the shooting.

When Sunday Newsday arrived at the scene around noon, an unmarked police vehicle and caution tape blocked the road to the cemetery.

The boys’ parents, Rambaran and Yvette Rambaran, were craning their necks attempting to see through the closed gates, or over the wall. They were also asking the police and crime scene technicians if they could see their children, but were told it would not be possible.

“That’s my two sons they kill. They not no bad boys. This country gone though. They killing families. Look my son lying down there like a dog and they don’t want me see my children,” the father said.

He said he learned of their deaths when a friend came to their home at nearby Prescott Lane, Tunapuna and related the incident.

Rambaran said he worked very hard to take care of his eight children, humbling himself in front of others, yet his sons were killed and there was nothing he could do. He said the police were only “mopping up” after crimes were committed instead of preventing it.

His wife, who seemed to be in shock, said the boys were not ones to “knock about.” She said, Nirmal “grew up by the cemetery” as their father used to clean the graves before he “passed it on” to his sons.

She said Nirmal had just finished secondary school and was waiting to get his national ID so he could sign up for the Military-Led Academic Training Programme. And Hernandez worked with a crew cutting trees and branches obstructing power, cable and phone lines.

“Not one day ever I had to go in school for him (Nirmal). And although he didn’t have the brain for books, he was ambitious and would hustle to make some money and buy things to sell in the market.”

A neighbour, who did not wish to be identified, said the two were “normal boys” who kept busy and, to his knowledge, stayed out of trouble.

“Their father really tried with them. They were pretty well disciplined. They tell their father all their movements.”

He said they and some of their other siblings, would visit his home and ask to pick mangoes or coconut or green fig to sell, and he was happy to share because it was better for them to hustle that to get involved in criminal activity.

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Veteran calypsonian Lord Nelson encourages campus registrar Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill after he was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the UWI at the graduation ceremony for the Facultyr of Humanities and Education at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya on Saturday. – ROGER JACOB

Veteran calypsonian Robert “Lord Nelson” Nelson rocked the Faculty of Humanities and Education graduation ceremony on Saturday morning when, instead of giving the usual speech, he performed two of his hits after being conferred an honorary degree of Doctors of Letters.

Wearing a white suit and red graduation robes, Nelson, 90, stood proudly on stage with his walking cane as Prof Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw read out the citation. She spoke of him growing up in Plymouth, Tobago, his move to the US where he was drafted into the army and deployed to Korea, and him discovering his talent when he sang songs of the most popular calypsonians at the time to the troops on weekends.

Valedictorian Patti-Anne Natalia Amina Ali addresses graduates of the Faculty of Humanities and Education at the graduation ceremony, Centre of Excellence, Macoya on Saturday. – ROGER JACOB

“Nelson is undeniably one of the architects of soca. With his musical genius, he combined the distinct sounds of jazz, rhythm and blues, disco, Latino and afro-Caribbean beats with calypso. His songs have become a part of our soca anthems.

“Nelson’s genius is also to be found in his delivery. Audiences from North and South America, Europe and the Caribbean region have had the opportunity to experience a performance with the iconic jumpsuit, shoes and cap, and the best Caribbean wine, not of the drinking kind, that anyone can offer.”

After receiving his degree from Chancellor Robert Bermudez, he sang part of One Family, and his iconic Meh Lover.

By the time he started Meh Lover, graduates, visitors and professors alike were on their feet clapping and singing along with Nelson. The audience cheered as he invited Bermudez and then campus registrar Dr Dawn-Marie De Four-Gill to dance.

The noise level rose even higher when he started to raise his robes, and finally removed and waved them to give the audience a little wine.

Before all the excitement, Bermudez congratulated the graduates and commended them for “staying the course” through the challenges of the covid19 pandemic. He said they proved themselves to be strong, resilient, and determined.

Professor Brian Copeland, faculty members and graduates dance to Lord Nelson’s performance at the UWI, St Augustine campus graduation ceremony, Centre of Excellence Macoya on Saturday. – ROGER JACOB

He said they had a role to play in the country’s economic recovery and the fostering and nurturing the democratic principles in society, as social issues was important in both.

“This is not to say that you must undertake the role of government. Higher education plays a role in the democratisation of societies by encouraging graduates to be critical thinkers, to be objective in assessing the information available to them, and to be open to other schools of thought, in the hope that the information will be used for the advancement of the societies in which you exist.”

He also pointed out that traditional careers had transformed, many of the professions today did not exist ten years ago, and in ten years, some of today’s jobs may no longer exist.

“I ask that whatever you do in the future must be impactful, done at a high quality, with commitment to advancing not only your personal interests but the interests of the wider community.”

Valedictorian Patti-Anne Natalia Amina Ali, congratulated her fellow graduates on their ability to adapt to online learning and thriving – refusing to take the easy way out, figuring out logistics, developing the ability to prioritise, to discern, to adjust, to self-discipline and to trust themselves.

“How to focus on Caribbean civilisation when all of civilisation was crumbling before our eyes? How could this degree in the humanities assist humanity with its urgent wrestle for survival right now?

“Because humanity has never needed the humanities more. We have never needed the upliftment and enlightenment of the arts, sports, education and culture more. The world has never needed your critical understanding of Caribbean civilisation more, of how to face the terror and brutality of fear and still triumphantly claim your identity and agency.”

She added that their training gave them the opportunity to critically analyse things for themselves, including who they are and what matters most to them. As a result, their value should not depend on society or peer approval, or the perspective of social media.

“Should you ever feel different, should you ever feel “othered” because of your age, size, ethnicity, nationality, income level, gender, sexual orientation – please know that these are your unique assets and not your liabilities.

“Claim them fully because they make you richer, rarer and invaluable. Look at both sides of a story and know that your own story is your own. It is unique and worthy and only you can tell it. Your glorious and original journey does not need to resemble anyone else’s.”

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The Association of Christian Communicators and Media (ACCM) has cautioned the Ministry of Education and Youth against the imposition of protocols for devotional sessions in public schools.

The caution comes after the Ministry on Wednesday said it had launched an investigation to help determine the protocols for school devotional exercises.

This followed the incident at Oberlin High School on Wednesday morning that forced the early closure of the West Rural St Andrew-based institution after a number of students began “acting abnormally” during devotion.

“While we encourage devotion in school, our school leaders have a responsibility to exercise caution as to content and likely impact on students as evidenced by the reaction of students at Oberlin High School …” said Education Minister Fayval Williams in a statement Wednesday evening.

But, ACCM with its own statement on Friday said it has taken note of the declared intention of the Minister of Education to move towards a possible implementation of protocols for devotions in public schools.

“Any such move must take into account the fact that the public school system, for the most part, was established on moral and legal foundation, grounded in the Christian faith.

“It is on this solid foundation that the majority of the traditional institutions of learning were built,” said ACCM.

The association argued that the Christian worldview provides a sound moral footing for students, especially at this time when Jamaicans have been witnessing worrying levels of anger, strife, physical and even fatal altercations within the student population, and even against teachers.

“The extraordinarily high rates of crime and violence in the wider society are clearly spilling onto school compounds and the nation is becoming a dangerous place for all. Jamaica has had the advantage of watching other countries dismantle the moral and Christian floorboards and observing the negative impacts on children and families,” ACCM noted.

It asserted that “The role of the Church as a moral and spiritual guide, Godly presence and peacekeeper must not be dismantled, diminished or dismissed”.

It added that “despite our penchant for violence and disorder, Jamaicans, at the heart, are a God-fearing and peace-loving people and the Church must be at the forefront of this battle for the soul of our country”.

The association noted further that “It is to our credit that culturally we remain committed to the continuation of Christian worship in our educational institutions and while there may need to bring some amount of order to this, it must be in the direction of affirming the greater need for devotion and ensuring that worship remains a fixed item on the curriculum”.

It said the importance of worship in the life of a child is well documented in our Constitution.

“The Children (Guardianship and Custody) Act sets out the principles on how questions relating to custody, upbringing, etc. of children are to be decided. The statute, as well as common-law, recognize the welfare of the child as the first and paramount consideration,” it said.

Of note is that the education minister did not speak to a ban on devotional exercises in the nation’s schools. Rather, she said the review was based on the fact that classes were dismissed early at Oberlin High after a series of events led to a disruption of normal activities.

The minister said the school administration reported that during the devotional exercise, a teacher who was leading the worship had an experience that included an extended period of “speaking in tongues” which triggered a chain reaction of similar expression among some students.

“Some students reportedly became overwhelmed, some falling to the ground. Other students and teachers attempted to bring calm to the situation including praying with the affected children. Some were taken to the school nurse’s office,” said Willaims..

The minister shared that after the devotions students were sent to classes.

However, the heightened agitated environment led to some students to express being afraid and others showed what was described as “abnormal behavior”.

The administration said that given the circumstances school was dismissed at 10:00 a.m. and students were allowed to leave except for those on PATH who were allowed to stay on the compound to collect their lunches.

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At least 149 people were killed and 150 others were hurt in an apparent crowd surge at packed Halloween festivities in the South Korean capital of Seoul, local officials say.

Authorities have shared little about the official cause of deaths and injuries, but Yonhap News Agency reported people were suffering from cardiac arrest and trouble breathing.

South Korea’s president urged officials to quickly identify victims for the sake of worried families, as many revelers are still unaccounted for.

Video and photos show a chaotic scene in Seoul’s popular nightclub district, with people lying in the streets and on stretchers as emergency workers helped victims.

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SOURCE: CNN

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