Latest news with #Persad-Bissessar
France 24
4 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Tensions spiral between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago
The small English-speaking archipelago of Trinidad and Tobago lies about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Venezuelan coast. Venezuela's foreign ministry made its accusation days after announcing the arrest of a Trinidadian "mercenary" who allegedly entered the country as part of a group carrying "weapons of war." Trinidad and Tobago reacted angrily to the accusations which marked a sharp deterioration in usually cordial relations between the Caribbean neighbors. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar warned of the risk of an incursion from the Venezuelan side and said she would consider using "deadly force" against unidentified Venezuelan vessels entering Trinidadian waters. Venezuela's foreign ministry responded Friday by saying that her "virulent" rhetoric "raises serious suspicions of complicity" in the alleged mercenary plot. Ties between two countries have until now weathered Venezuela's fallout with much of the international community, with the two countries collaborating on offshore oil exploration projects. Persad-Bissessar has vowed to align her position on Venezuela with that of US President Donald Trump, who has partially banned travel to the United States from the South American country. Venezuela's foreign ministry warned that her attitude "compromises the good relations" with Caracas. Venezuelan migrants told to leave The dispute began on Tuesday when Venezuela's left-wing authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro said a group had entered Venezuela from Trinidad and Tobago carrying weapons. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello later announced the arrest of a Trinidadian "mercenary," whom he accused of being part of a group of "terrorists." The Venezuelan government regularly denounces imaginary or real plots to overthrow Maduro, whose re-election last year in polls marred by fraud has been widely discredited. Persad-Bissessar rejected any Trinidadian involvement in the latest purported plot. On Thursday, the former lawyer, who returned to power last month a decade after her first term as leader, called on Venezuelan migrants to leave her country. The twin-island nation of 1.4 million people is battling a surge in violence, linked partly to the presence of gangs such as Venezuela's infamous Tren de Aragua, which Washington has designated a terrorist group. A total of 623 murders were recorded last year -- up from 577 in 2023. The US State Department ranks Trinidad and Tobago the sixth most dangerous nation in the world last year. Persad-Bissessar has accused Venezuelan migrants of worsening insecurity.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tensions spiral between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago
Venezuela on Friday suggested Trinidad and Tobago could be behind an alleged incursion of mercenaries onto its territory, ratcheting up a row with its neighbor, which has threatened "deadly force" against Venezuelan vessels. The small English-speaking archipelago of Trinidad and Tobago lies about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Venezuelan coast. Venezuela's foreign ministry made its accusation days after announcing the arrest of a Trinidadian "mercenary" who allegedly entered the country as part of a group carrying "weapons of war." Trinidad and Tobago reacted angrily to the accusations which marked a sharp deterioration in usually cordial relations between the Caribbean neighbors. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar warned of the risk of an incursion from the Venezuelan side and said she would consider using "deadly force" against unidentified Venezuelan vessels entering Trinidadian waters. Venezuela's foreign ministry responded Friday by saying that her "virulent" rhetoric "raises serious suspicions of complicity" in the alleged mercenary plot. Ties between two countries have until now weathered Venezuela's fallout with much of the international community, with the two countries collaborating on offshore oil exploration projects. Persad-Bissessar has vowed to align her position on Venezuela with that of US President Donald Trump, who has partially banned travel to the United States from the South American country. Venezuela's foreign ministry warned that her attitude "compromises the good relations" with Caracas. - Venezuelan migrants told to leave - The dispute began on Tuesday when Venezuela's left-wing authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro said a group had entered Venezuela from Trinidad and Tobago carrying weapons. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello later announced the arrest of a Trinidadian "mercenary," whom he accused of being part of a group of "terrorists." The Venezuelan government regularly denounces imaginary or real plots to overthrow Maduro, whose re-election last year in polls marred by fraud has been widely discredited. Persad-Bissessar rejected any Trinidadian involvement in the latest purported plot. On Thursday, the former lawyer, who returned to power last month a decade after her first term as leader, called on Venezuelan migrants to leave her country. The twin-island nation of 1.4 million people is battling a surge in violence, linked partly to the presence of gangs such as Venezuela's infamous Tren de Aragua, which Washington has designated a terrorist group. A total of 623 murders were recorded last year -- up from 577 in 2023. The US State Department ranks Trinidad and Tobago the sixth most dangerous nation in the world last year. Persad-Bissessar has accused Venezuelan migrants of worsening insecurity. "Crime involving Venezuelans continues to increase," she said on Thursday. pb-pgf/cb/bgs
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Trinidad PM says mulling 'deadly force' against Venezuelan ships
PORT OF SPAIN: Trinidad and Tobago's prime minister said Thursday she was considering using "deadly force" against any Venezuelan vessel in her country's waters, a day after Venezuela announced the arrest of a Trinidadian "mercenary. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now " "We have to take all threats against any incursion into our 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 T&T waters from Venezuela," Kamla Persad-Bissessar told reporters. The leader of the small English-speaking archipelago off the coast of Venezuela also urged migrants from that country to leave. On Wednesday, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced the arrest of a Trinidadian "mercenary," whom he accused of being part of a group of "terrorists" seeking to enter Venezuela. He did not provide further details. That came after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday said the group had entered Venezuela from Trinidad and Tobago with a load of "weapons of war." The Venezuelan government regularly denounces imaginary or real plots. Persad-Bissessar rejected any Trinidadian involvement, decrying Cabello's comments as "threats." At the same time, Persad-Bissessar, who was sworn in as prime minister last month on a promise to prioritize security, stressed the need to address rising crime in Trinidad and Tobago. A total of 623 murders were recorded last year - up from 577 in 2023 - some of them blamed on Latin America-based criminal gangs like Tren de Aragua from Venezuela. "I warned you all before the elections... yet crime involving Venezuelans continues to increase." "I am advising Venezuelan migrants who are here to please begin returning to your country," she said.
Int'l Business Times
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Opposition Leader Confirmed Winner Of Trinidad Elections
Trinidad and Tobago's centrist former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will return as leader of the Caribbean nation after her party's victory in Monday's parliamentary election, the electoral commission confirmed Tuesday. Persad-Bissessar's United National Congress party won 26 of the 41 seats up for grabs in the House of Representatives, ahead of outgoing prime minister Stuart Young's center-left People's National Movement (PNM), which took 13 seats, according to the preliminary results. Turnout in the twin-island nation of 1.4 million people, best known for its carnival and sandy beaches, stood at 54 percent. The final seat tally could change slightly. Several parties, including the UNC, which had been hoping to secure an outright majority, have demanded recounts, but Young, crucially, did not challenge his rival's victory. Once the recounts have been completed President Christine Kangaloo will ask Persad-Bissessar, 73, to form a new government. Claiming victory on Monday, the country's prime minister from 2010 to 2015 told supporters: "We have a lot of work ahead of us." Former energy minister Young took over as prime minister in March when party colleague Keith Rowley stepped down after 10 years in the job to make way for new blood. Rowley on Monday conceded defeat on behalf of the PNM. "Tonight is not a good night for the PNM, but it might be a good night for Trinidad and Tobago," he told local media, lauding the organization of the election and the turnout. Persad-Bissessar's uppermost challenges will be to bring down violent crime rates and revive the sputtering economy. A total of 623 murders were recorded last year -- up from 577 in 2023 -- some of them blamed on Latin America-based criminal gangs like Tren de Aragua from nearby Venezuela. According to a US Department of State report from March, the murder rate of 37 per 100,000 people made Trinidad and Tobago the sixth most dangerous nation in the world last year. The Caribbean's second-largest producer of natural gas has also been battling an economic downturn due partly to a decline in gas production. It had been banking on developing the Dragon gas field in Venezuelan waters, but had its licence revoked by the administration of US President Donald Trump as part of its sanctions on Venezuela.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kamla Persad-Bissessar returns to power in ‘decisive victory' in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago's United National Congress has ended its nearly 10-year-political drought and returned to the helm of governance after party leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar staged the biggest political comeback in the country's history. Persad-Bissessar, who served as prime minister between 2010-15 and had long lived under the shadow of late party leader Basdeo Panday, led the UNC to a sweeping victory on Monday night. The Indo-Trinidadian-dominated party won 25 seats out of 41. The Peoples National Movement party, which had led the Caribbean nation through two consecutive terms, won just 14 seats. Among the eight seats the party PNM lost were its a nearly 40-year stronghold in the area of La Brea, and two in Tobago. The two seats went to the Tobago People's Party. 'The decisive victory is a clear mandate from the people of Trinidad and Tobago,' the 15-member Caribbean Community regional bloc, CARICOM, said in a statement Tuesday. Ahead of the parliamentary elections, CARICOM deployed an eight-member team headed by Antigua and Barbuda Supervisor of Elections Ian Hughes to observe the vote. There were a total of 161 candidates representing 17 political parties, the regional bod said. 'We look forward to welcoming Prime Minister-elect Persad-Bissessar to the Conference of Heads of Government, and to her participation, as we continue to tackle emerging geopolitical issues, and seek to further improve the welfare and well-being of the people of the region,' the CARICOM statement said. Congratulatory notes also poured in from regional leaders, including Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, who said his eastern Caribbean nation looks forward to 'working closely to strengthen our existing ties for the mutual benefit of our peoples and for the advancement of our Caribbean Community.' Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who also serves as chairwoman of CARICOM and presently the only other woman leading a government in the region, welcomed Persad-Bissessar and congratulated 'the people of Trinidad and Tobago on the peaceful exercise of their democratic rights.' 'In a world where democracy is often tested, Trinidad and Tobago has shown that true strength lies in the commitment of its people to participation, fairness, and free expression,' Mottley said. In a speech late Monday, Persad-Bissessar, flanked by supporters in yellow, thanked her coalition partners and rank-and-file members of the UNC. 'You are the real heroes in this story of Trinidad and Tobago,' she said about the nation of 1.3 million residents. 'This victory is for the senior citizens to keep their pensions. This victory is for public servants to get their rightful salaries. This victory is to reopen the children's hospital. This victory... is to once again give laptops to our children. This victory is to create over 50,000 jobs.' Persad-Bissessar's return after a decade is the longest stretch for a leader in the twin-island republic that faces a litany of challenges, including rising violent crime, migration from neighboring Venezuela and tariffs on its imports from its largest trading partner, the United States. PNM leader Keith Rowley, who stepped down as prime minister in March and passed the baton to his protégé and energy minister Stuart Young, conceded the elections even before the official tally was in. At around 10:15 p.m., he acknowledged that it 'was not a good night' for the Afro-Trinidadian-dominated party. As the votes rolled in, Rowley said, 'it is clear at this time that we have lost the election.' Rowley had been elected to two consecutive five-year terms, but in a historic transition opted to have Young finish his term as party leader after announcing he would retire from politics. A day after assuming the prime minister's job, Young called for new parliamentary elections in a bid to get his own mandate. He now enters the history books as the shortest-serving prime minister in Trinidad history with just 43 days in office, as the PNM decides who will be the leader of the opposition On the campaign trail, Persad-Bissessar, 73, was dogged by questions about her age, in comparison to Young, 50. Some political observers see the UNC's return as a rejection of Rowley and his succession maneuver in tapping Young without voters' approval. As she unveiled her slate of candidates two days before the general election, Persad-Bissessar announced that she had 'purged the politics of caste, class, nepotism, family connections, segregation, discrimination and dynasty from the UNC.' Martin G. Daly, a lawyer who writes a weekly column in the Sunday edition of the Trinidad Express, said that Persad-Bissessar has her work cut out. On the campaign trail, both the UNC and PNM failed to articulate their positions on a number of key issues, including how they plan to confront violent crime and drastic revenue shortfalls. The UNC also didn't say how the party, once in government, plans to pay for the array of promises Persad-Bissessar reiterated in her victory speech Monday night. Citizens were being asked to make choices 'without knowing sufficient about the true nature of intentions of the party' they were choosing, Daly wrote in a column he shared with the Miami Herald. 'To a large extent, we will be buying cat in bag when we vote,' he said.
