Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, speaking during Thursday night’s post Cabinet news conference (CMC Photo)
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – The Trinidad and Tobago government Thursday night said that it takes “very seriously” threats being made by Venezuela to track down any person outside of the South American country involved in attempts to overthrow the Nicolas Maduro government.
The country’s prime minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, speaking at the post-Cabinet news conference, told reporters that she is also aware of statements made by Venezuelan Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello, that a Trinidad and Tobago national was involved in “terrorist activities” aimed at destabilising Venezuela earlier this week.
Cabello has since identified the Trinidadian national as “Gis Kendel Jheron,” and repeated accusations made by President Nicolas Maduro that “terrorists”, including Colombians, had used Trinidad and Tobago as a launching pad in the bid to destabilise the Venezuelan government.
Cabello has vowed to pursue anyone attempting to destabilise Venezuela, saying, “There must be justice.
“We are going after the gangs, wherever they are and wherever they are. Together, we will guarantee peace in this country,” he said.
But Prime Minister Persad Bissessar told reporters that there was no evidence to support the comments made by Cabello, adding, “Today I want to make it very clear to the Venezuelan government and officials that they can do whatever they want on Venezuelan territory, but they cannot come here.
“TNT territory is off-limits to them. If Mr Cabello’s comments are a veil threat to enter TNT territory, they should reconsider any such intention,” Persad Bissessar said, adding “the fact is, as a responsible government, we have to take all threats against any incursion into or territory seriously”.
She said she would be speaking with her Minister of Defence, Wayne Sturge, and the Attorney General, John Jeremie, to seek advice and protection for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard “to use deadly force on any unidentified vessel entering TT waters from Venezuela, smuggling military able-bodied men and women.
“TNT is off limits to them (and) following comments from Maduro and Cabello, we now have to take seriously the threat by that government sending their agents into our country to commit acts that can be adverse to our own welfare.
“We also have to take a look as to how we go forward with Venezuelan migrants here, who are military-aged, able-bodied men and women. We have to take this threat seriously now,” she said, adding that Venezuela has done this before.
“They made similar propaganda comments about Guyana and Colombia whenever they had interior political problems or elections, and then they engage in border skirmishes,” she said, adding, “We will take these threats very seriously”.
Prime Minister Persad Bissessar said that she was also warning drug and human traffickers from Trinidad and Tobago, who are masquerading as fishermen, “if you enter Venezuelan waters to do your illegal acts and you are caught by the authorities, you are on your own.
“No amount of family crying…will cause us to intervene,” she said, adding that Cabello had also alleged United States involvement in the attempt to overthrow the Maduro government this week.
The new Trinidad and Tobago government, which, while in opposition, had never hidden its dislike for the Maduro administration, said Caracas was “throwing out the tired old bogey of blaming the Yankees…
‘Now they have started with TNT. Mr Cabello should ask himself why Venezuelans are fleeing Venezuela in the first place? Is it because of the behaviour of their own government? 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 us leave it at that, “Persad Bissessar told reporters.
The defence minister acknowledged that no official contact had been made with the Venezuelan authorities regarding the claim that Port of Spain had been used by the “hitmen” to destabilise the administration in Caracas.
“When we received the reports yesterday, I spoke with the Chief of Defence Staff, Vice Marshall Darryl Daniel, and he gave me the assurance that the radars did not pick up any activity…and quite apart from the radars, there was no evidence to substantiate the claim made by the Venezuelan government.”
Sturge said while efforts will continue for Port of Spain to either substantiate the claim “or be in a position to refute them with certainty, as of now we understand that they have provided a name, who they claim is a Trinidadian …but not yet able to provide any sort of pictures or evidence to substantiate their claim.
‘We await that and when that information comes we will treat with it in the appropriate way,” Sturge said, adding “it is a threat that has to be taken very serious given the dynamics, the geopolitics we find ourselves, particularly given our proximity to Venezuela and who Venezuela has chosen to align themselves with”.
He said that the Venezuelans 18 years and over residing here will have to be monitored, noting that of the many Venezuelans who have arrived here, “we are not certain of their background as to whether they were in gangs or things like that”.
He said once the authorities provide the necessary information indicating that they are a threat to the country, they will be returned.
The defence minister said that the government will have to discuss going forward the future of the legal migration policy, which has been in place since 2019, noting that the laws as they now exist provide for anyone who runs afoul of them to be deported in keeping with the law.