US, Britain: TT security intact for Carnival

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO’S international security status remains intact as Carnival activities in the twin-island republic build toward a climax this weekend. Yesterday’s security intelligence report from the United States Department of State maintains that TT “is considered safe.” The State Department said as far as crime in TT is concerned, visitors should “exercise normal caution and good judgment” and noted that “holiday periods, especially Christmas and Carnival, often see an increase in crime.”

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), in its security update yesterday, also advised its nationals to exercise “sensible precautions” where crime is concerned. Both the American and British governments said current levels of crime in TT provide no need for undue alarm and there is no terrorist presence in TT at this time. Last week, Tourism Minister Howard Chin Lee revealed that some 46,000 tourists were expected to visit TT over the period February 6 to February 24 and several of the country’s hotels have reported “a healthy increase in bookings for the season. The only two nations in the region the US and Britain have expressed security concerns about are Haiti and Venezuela. Both governments have advised their nationals against travelling to Haiti given “the highly volatile security situation that prevails throughout the country at the present time.”