Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is standing by her warning to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that Trinidad and Tobago is off-limits.
In response to questions from the Express, the Prime Minister said there has been no “compelling evidence” presented by Venezuelan officials to support their claims.
“No information was given to us regarding the supposed captures (of) Trinidadians,” she said.
The Prime Minister also fired back at the Opposition, which criticised her Government’s handling of the matter, saying it failed to engage in diplomacy.
Persad-Bissessar said her Government followed proper diplomatic protocol and that there was no misstep.
“The misstep is being committed by those who support a dictatorship. It’s amazing how some Trinidadians are vehemently supporting dictatorship, election fraud and democratic rights violations in Venezuela but would scream to the heavens if anything like that happened with a government in TT,” she argued.
The Prime Minister said the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs dispatched diplomatic notes to Caracas from the inception of the allegations made by Maduro.
“It’s miraculous how the once vociferously Patriotic PNM have become unpatriotic. What an amazing turnaround. I wonder why?” stated Persad-Bissessar.
At the post-Cabinet news conference on June 5, the Prime Minister sent a message to Maduro, warning him to stay out of Trinidad and Tobago territory, as any unidentified vessel entering T&T’s waters would be met with deadly force.
Persad-Bissessar recalled statements by Maduro and Venezuelan Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello, as she declared that her Government would take any threats seriously and stood in solidarity with the United States.
Maduro claimed that an armed group of men had attempted to enter Venezuela from Trinidad and Tobago with “weapons of war”.
The Prime Minister said she could “categorically” state there was no evidence to validate this at this point.
Persad-Bissessar also noted newspaper reports in which Cabello claimed that a Trinidadian identified as “Kendel Jheron” was supposedly captured in this group. (Cabello identified the man as “Guis Kendell Jerome”).
Persad-Bissessar insisted there was no evidence to support the comments from Venezuelan officials.
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.”
In a response on June 6, the Venezuelan government issued a communiqué stating that Persad-Bissessar’s comments were “irate and unjustified”.
“The Prime Minister’s virulent and high-handed attitude raises serious suspicions of complicity…and undermines the good cooperative relations between our countries in key areas,” the statement said.
The communiqué also claimed Venezuela “captured criminals of Trinidadian origin” who confessed to the alleged incursion.
Caracas said the men’s statements were “duly supported with compelling evidence”.
On Monday, Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Sean Sobers met with Venezuelan Ambassador Álvaro Sánchez Cordero, where they held discussions on the issue.
Sobers also detailed the diplomatic steps his ministry undertook to obtain information from the Venezuelan government since last week, including sending two diplomatic notes. The minister told the Express on Tuesday that the ambassador did not present any evidence to support the allegations made, and he committed to return with information.