THE United States Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago is condemning the Opposition United National Congress for trying to politicise and a travel advisory from the US State Department.
In a release on Friday the embassy stated that it was aware of the UNC’s response to the Department of State’s travel advisory to US citizens.
It stated that the Travel Advisory for T&T was now Level 4, do not travel, due to restricted travel options put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The release stated, “The department’s travel advisories are apolitical in nature, and in no way reflect our relationship with any country or with any specific political party within a country.
“We recently adjusted our travel advisory system to give more weight to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Following this update, approximately 80% of countries worldwide have a Travel Advisory Level of 4: Do Not Travel.”
It stated that the naming of specific neighborhoods in the travel advisory came from a specific provision of US law that provides there can be no double standard for US citizens versus employees of the Department of State.
The release stated, “Safety information we make available to our Embassy staff, by law must also be given to the greater US public.
“Since the Embassy is located in Port-of-Spain, we warn our employees only about the areas in or around Port-of-Spain. There are other areas of the country that are dangerous for non-residents to visit as well, including beaches around T&T, based on police reports of criminal activity.
“We strongly disagree with any attempt to politicise the Department of State’s travel advisory system. “
The US downgraded T&T Travel Status from Level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”) to Level 4 (“Do Not Travel”), the UNC stated in its release on Friday.
The UNC stated that he instructions from the US Government to its citizens are: “Do not travel to Trinidad and Tobago due to restricted travel options put in place to prevent Covid-19. Exercise increased caution in T&T due to crime, terrorism, and kidnapping. Some areas have increased risk.
“Violence and shootings occur regularly in some areas of Port of Spain.”
The UNC stated, “Specifically, the US Government has advised its citizens DO NOT TRAVEL to Laventille (MPs Fitzgerald Hinds and Adrian Leonce), Beetham (MP Fitzgerald Hinds), Sea Lots (MP Keith Scotland), Cocorite (MP Symon de Nobriga), and the interior of Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain (MP Stuart Young) due to crime.
“US government personnel are prohibited from travelling to those areas at all, and also to downtown Port-of-Spain (MP Keith Scotland) and Fort George overlook (MP Symon de Nobriga) after dark.
“These are all areas ruled by the PNM continuously since 1956 up to today — 65 years of dereliction of duty and abuse of trust. They include seats held by the current Minister of National Security and the (recently) former Minister of National Security.
Yet the US Government has declared these very seats the most dangerous areas in all of T&T.”
The UNC stated, “We need to connect these dots, and correct our actions to save our country. If Keith Rowley, Fitzgerald Hinds, and Stuart Young have failed so spectacularly to provide security for the people of Port of Spain and Cocorite after 65 years of rule, then it is impossible for them to now provide safety and security for T&T as a whole.”
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