PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The Trinidad and Tobago government on Friday said it has taken note “of the current heightened sense of anxiety and concern” in the country based on what it described as “false news reports suggesting that there will be an imminent change in the status of the national and regional security environment”.
All military personnel ordered to report to their respective bases by 6.00 pm (local time)In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs said that the United States has denied reports that the US military and that “any announcement regarding Venezuela policy would come directly from” President Donald Trump.
The statement said that Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister Sean Sobers “is in active contact with the Embassy of the United States of America in Port of Spain” and that “based on the information received there is no need for the population to be concerned.
“All citizens are therefore urged to remain calm. The United States of America through its Southern Command is in fact focused on assisting in the disaster recovery efforts for Jamaica,” the statement said.
“The Government of Trinidad and Tobago gives the assurance that it will inform the population of any changes which would warrant a change in the security environment in the country,” the ministry added.
The statement comes as legislators are debating a three month extension of the existing state of emergency (SoE) with the Defence Minister Wayne Sturge using an invocation of the public interest to confirm or deny whether or not members of the army had been put on high alert as of Friday.
“Mr Speaker, in keeping with the tenets of 27 (g), I respectfully beg to decline to giving an answer,” Sturge said in response to a question asked by Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales.
According to Standing Order 27 (g), a minister may decline to answer a question if, in his opinion, the publication of the answer would be contrary to the public interest.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, speaking to reporters as she entered Parliament on Friday, said she is unaware of the situation, saying “no one has requested anything from me.
“So when it comes on my desk or from this phone, I have not seen anything and I get a lot of messages. If there is a situation that arises we will deal with it,” she said, acknowledging that she has seen the media reports.
“I have also seen where President Trump is saying something different. Sometimes it is a lot of speculation, not just here, locally, everywhere. I mean it is a situation that really demands everybody’s attention, we will keep our eyes and ears peeled and act when we see it is appropriate.
“We are not sitting ducks…in the rain, we are receiving intelligence report and thus far I have none that there is an imminent strike anywhere in the region,” Persad Bissessar said.
Media reports Friday said that detachments of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) had been put on a heightened alert amid international media reports of an imminent land strike by United States military against Venezuelan targets.
“News of the immediate call out of all active soldiers, sailors, air guard officers to report to their encampments has triggered a new wave of anxiety and an avalanche of rumours,” according to the local media reports adding that an internal message calls on all military personnel to report to their respective bases by 6.00 pm (local time)on October 31.
Officers who are on pre-retirement leave or sick leave were also instructed to confine themselves to their homes and remain on standby. Other officers on vacation leave were also instructed to be on standby and await further instructions.
“All are strongly advised to make all necessary arrangements with your families, make all personal arrangements in preparation for confinement,” according to the internal message, making it clear “this is not a drill” and that “all members are to acknowledge, be guided accordingly.”
The Donald Trump administration has been building up a military presence off the coast of Venezuela allegedly as part of its fight against the illegal shipment of drugs to the United States.
The Venezuelan government denies the charge, accusing the US administration of being a threat to the peace and security of the whole region. On Monday, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto told the United Nations General Assembly that the US has an “illegal and completely immoral military threat hanging over our heads”.
Earlier this month, the Guyana-based CARICOM Secretariat said that Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders had met earlier this month to discuss several issues on the regional agenda, including the security build-up in parts of the Caribbean and its potential impact on member states.
It said that the position at that meeting was not endorsed by the government of Trinidad and Tobago.
