Joseph: No guns for Moruga fishermen

NATIONAL SECURITY Minister Martin Joseph declared that under no circumstances will local fishermen be given guns to protect themselves from pirates on the high seas.

However, he gave the assurance that they will receive a greater measure of protection from the Coast Guard. On Monday, six Moruga fishermen were robbed of their boats by Spanish-speaking pirates in the Gulf of Paria. Last Friday, 26-year-old Ricardo Dookie of Icacos Village was murdered during a trip to neighbouring Venezuela to deliver clothes and food items to a native Amerindian tribe. Speaking with Newsday during the tea break in the Senate, Joseph said he would be meeting today with TT Defence Force Chief of Staff, Brigadier Ancil Antoine and Coast Guard Commander, Captain Garnet Best, to discuss the current capability of the armed forces. He stated that in light of Monday’s events, particular focus will be placed on the Coast Guard’s capability to deal with such incidents. On Dookie’s murder, Joseph disclosed that joint TT-Venezuelan investigations have been launched. He explained that because the murder happened “on foreign soil” the Foreign Affairs ministries of both countries are also assisting. 

The Minister added that at this stage the motive for Dookie’s slaying was “not clear.” One theory advanced by police sources is that Dookie accidentally crossed paths with Venezuelan drug smugglers who killed him. On levels of crime in TT, Joseph said a heightened police-army presence will soon be seen in several parts of the country and as Minister, he will demand greater accountability of those individuals charged with the responsibility of crime-fighting, crime detection and crime solving. Joseph said it was not the National Security Minister’s job to be “the spokesperson” for anti-crime initiatives but rather to ensure that the security forces have all the resources necessary to do their job effectively. He added that there would be no public announcement of crime plans on his part and criminals will be caught unawares of where and when the long arm of the law will strike at them.