Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar sent a message to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro yesterday: stay out of Trinidad and Tobago territory as any unidentified vessel entering T&T’s waters will be met with deadly force.
She also warned T&T citizens—drug and human smugglers who are “masquerading as fishermen”—that if they are caught by Venezuelans, they are on their own.
Speaking at yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Red House, Port of Spain, Persad-Bissessar recalled statements by Maduro and Venezuelan Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello as she declared that her Government will take any threats seriously, and it stood in solidarity with the United States.
On Wednesday, Maduro claimed an armed group of men had attempted to enter Venezuela from Trinidad and Tobago.
He made the comments during the swearing-in ceremony of Jhoanna Carrillo, the new governor of Venezuela’s north-eastern Sucre state.
The allegations were published in an article by Prensa Latina, the official news agency of the Cuban state.
According to the article, Maduro said that a group of armed men, carrying “weapons of war”, were intercepted while trying to breach Venezuelan borders via Trinidad and Tobago.
The Prime Minister said she could “categorically” say there was no evidence to validate this at this point.
Persad-Bissessar noted newspaper reports where Cabello claimed that a Trinidadian she identified as “Kendel Jheron” was supposedly captured in this group. (Cabello identified the man as “Guis Kendell Jerome”.)
Persad-Bissessar insisted there was also no evidence to support the comments from Venezuelan officials.
She pointed out that Cabello was reported as vowing to pursue anyone attempting to destabilise Venezuela, with the words, “There must be justice. We are going after the gangs, wherever they are.”
Said Persad-Bissessar: “Today, I want to make it clear to the Venezuelan government and officials, that they can do whatever they want on Venezuela territory, but they cannot come here. T&T territory is off-limits to them.
“If Mr Cabello’s comments are a veiled threat to enter T&T territory, they should reconsider any such intention,” she added.
The Prime Minister said as a responsible Government, they had to take all threats against any incursion into T&T’s territory seriously.
“I will speak to the Minister of Defence and the Attorney General to seek advice on protections for our Coast Guard to use deadly force on any unidentified vessel entering Trinidadian waters from Venezuela, smuggling military-age, able-bodied men and women. T&T is off-limits to them,” she said.
“Following comments from Maduro and Cabello, we have to now take seriously the threat by that government sending their agents into our country to commit acts that can be adverse to our welfare. We will also have to take a look at how we go forward with the Venezuelan migrants here who are military aged and able-bodied men and women. We have to take this threat seriously now,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar said threats from Venezuela were not new, as she recalled they had made similar propaganda comments about Guyana and Colombia whenever they had internal political problems or elections, and then engaged in “border skirmishes and violence”.
“We will take these threats very seriously,” she emphasised.
No help for fishermen
The Prime Minister also cautioned T&T’s citizens engaged in crime.
“I want to tell the Trinidadian drug and human smugglers who are masquerading as fishermen—if you enter Venezuelan waters to do your illegal acts and are caught by Venezuelan authorities, you are on your own,” she said. “No amount of family crying on Ian (Alleyne’s) programmes will cause us to intervene.”
She said Cabello also alleged US involvement, “again throwing out the tired old bogey of blame the Yankees”, and he also condemned the treatment of Venezuelans abroad who have fled their homeland.
She said Cabello should ask himself why Venezuelans were fleeing Venezuela and whether it was because of the behaviour of his own government and leader.
“I say further, no amount of rhetoric from the Maduro government will drive any wedge between this UNC-led Government and the US government. We stand solidly with the American government on the issues concerning Venezuela. That will not change. We want no part of the Venezuelan government’s interior political gimmickry. We are peaceful neighbours, let’s leave it at that,” she said.
Defence Minister responds
Minister of Defence Wayne Sturge said reports were received about Maduro’s claim.
He spoke to Chief of Defence Staff Darryl Daniel, who gave the assurance that the country’s radar equipment did not pick up any such activity, and there was no evidence to support Maduro’s statement.
However, he said all threats are taken seriously and further investigations will continue.
Asked by the Express if he was sure the radar was working—given the thousands of Venezuelan migrants who were not detected when they came to T&T—Sturge assured it was working.
He said he did an audit and “we know where there are blind spots, not many, and there is a back-up system where we get assistance from other countries”.
The minister said there was evidence that Venezuelan “Tren de Aragua” gang members were in T&T.
Sturge said Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers had reached out to T&T officials in Venezuela to obtain information.
Asked if the T&T Government will be requesting military assistance from the United States, Sturge said: “That is premature and that may never happen.”
Asked if there will be beefed-up security on T&T’s coast, Sturge said there was sufficient security with the help of partners.
