Joseph: Plot to keep people away from TT

NATIONAL SECURITY Minister Martin Joseph yesterday declared that a plot to keep visitors from Trinidad and Tobago for Carnival has failed and all praise should go to the protective services for making Carnival 2004 one of the most successful in the nation’s history. Speaking in the House of Representatives on Private Members’ Day, the Minister stated: “It is common knowledge that a substantial amount of foreigners who follow events in TT were given the impression that it was not safe to attend TT’s Carnival festivities.” All security intelligence reports from the US Department of State, British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, US Central Intelligence Agency and other international organisations all described TT as “a safe global destination over the entire Carnival period.” Yesterday’s reports from all those organisations remained unchanged. He disclosed that Carnival 2004 has “the largest number of foreign visitors, currently estimated at some 49,000 persons,” and this was exclusive of returning nationals. One week earlier, Tourism Minister Howard Chin Lee estimated that 46,000 visitors were expected in TT for Carnival.

“It is a credit to the Protective Services and the Defence Force that our Carnival for all intents and purposes was crime free, the minor incidents that had occurred during this period notwithstanding,” Joseph declared. Among the security agencies praised by the Minister was the newly formed Special Anti-Crime Unit of TT. The Minister also had special praise for members of Crime Stoppers, Carnival bandleaders and members of the general public who demonstrated “restraint and responsibility” over the Carnival season. “We want to assure members of the House and by extension the general population, that our law enforcement agencies will continue to be challenged to increase the security and safety of all our citizens. Let me assure them and the national community that this Government will spare no effort to provide them with the required resources (financial, human, material, training etc) to ensure the restoration of acceptable levels of security in TT,” Joseph said.