Category: CANA News

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has outlined a multi-layered strategy for Jamaica’s quick recovery, following the passage of Hurricane Melissa that is expected to move over the country on Monday night and early Tuesday.

The category 5 hurricane, packing sustained maximum winds of 165 miles per hour (mph) is expected to travel across southeastern Cuba Tuesday night and across the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness

The hurricane is located about 145 mils of Kingston and is moving toward the west near three mph.

‘A slow turn toward the northwest and north is expected later today, followed by a turn toward the northeast and a faster forward speed on Tuesday. A northeastward motion is expected on Wednesday and Thursday. On the forecast track, the core of Melissa is expected to move over Jamaica tonight and early Tuesday, across southeastern Cuba Tuesday night,

and across the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday,’ the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest bulleting.

In an address to the nation, Prime Minister Holness said that the government has created a comprehensive multi-layered disaster risk financing framework that will ensure a quick and effective post-disaster response.

‘We have the National Natural Disaster Risk Fund and the Contingency Fund, which we will use to start the relief and recovery process. Beyond these, there are additional layers of insurance protection that are triggered once specific impact thresholds are met, along with contingent credit facilities,’ Holness said.

He said additionally, the National Works Agency (NWA), Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), in collaboration with local government and the island’s utility companies, are prepared to reopen roads, restore access and reinstate service to ensure a quick recovery.

‘The Ministry of Labour and Social Security, supported by the JDF, is fully prepared to lead the humanitarian relief effort and the data gathering for damage assessment. Please play your part in having your identification and other documentation ready if you have to apply or register for relief,’ Holness urged citizens.

He said that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining is ready to offer support to farmers and fishers to ensure that they are back out in the field as soon as possible, and the Ministry of Health and Wellness is making plans for major mosquito- and other vector-control initiatives immediately after the hurricane, to avoid outbreaks of diseases, especially dengue.

Prime Minister Holness in his broadcast recognised front-line workers and healthcare professionals ‘who will be out there risking their lives to protect ours and to serve us’.

He also appealed to the public to maintain peace and observe the laws and the various orders issued but assured that ‘the security forces will ensure there is no break in public order during and after the hurricane’.

While urging citizens to prepare for the worst, Holness encouraged the population to find strength in faith and prayer.

‘While we must prepare for the worst, let us also pray for the best. In every adversity, we have found strength, not only in our resilience but in the power of prayer,’ Holness said, encouraging families to gather and pray for protection, calm and each other, expressing trust that God will carry the nation safely through the storm.

Local Government and Community Development Minister, Desmond McKenzie, Monday reiterated that shelters across Jamaica are safe spaces for people who live in communities vulnerable to severe weather events such as Hurricane Melissa, and is urging them to go to these facilities to see out the impending weather system.

‘I am aware of reports in the media today, which indicate that some people are concerned that they will not be secure if they use the shelters. I want to put everyone at ease where this is concerned. Every one of our over 881 shelters across Jamaica is run by a shelter manager who has a support team, and they are at the facility before, during, and after the Hurricane,’ said McKenzie said in a statement.

He said that men and women are housed separately, except where whole families are being accommodated at the shelter and that the shelters are clean and are provisioned with all necessary supplies to ensure that all hygienic and public health standards are maintained.

‘It is critical that persons, especially in vulnerable areas, use these shelters, which have been selected and prepared to ensure their safety from the hurricane. I urge you not to be crippled by fear, or discouraged by rumours. The only purpose of the shelters is your safety. Your Government is not callous or dismissive of your anxieties about leaving your homes for what could be a few days at least.

‘However, I urge you to remember that personal, community, and national recovery from this historically serious hurricane is only possible if you are alive and well to make it happen. We want every single person in this country to be alive and accounted for when Melissa is over,’ said McKenzie.

‘I therefore call on you to co-operate with the agents of the ODPEM, the disaster co-ordinators and the security forces if you live in a specially vulnerable area. Please lock up your houses, take the things you need and move out temporarily. If you can stay with friends or relatives, please do so.

‘If this is not possible, please take whatever supplies you need, including food, water and any medicines, use the buses being provided, and go to the shelter nearest to you to see out the passage of Hurricane Melissa. These facilities are literally your shelter from the storm, and I call on you to use them,’ McKenzie said in the statement.

Meanwhile, the NHC said that a hurricane watch is in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, while a tropical storm warning remains in effect for Haiti, and the Cuban province of Las Tunas

The NHC said that some fluctuations in intensity are likely before Melissa makes landfall on Jamaica on Tuesday.

‘However, Melissa is expected to reach Jamaica and southeastern Cuba as an extremely powerful major hurricane, and will still be at hurricane strength when it moves across the southeastern Bahamas.

Tropical storm conditions are occurring in Jamaica, and catastrophic and life-threatening hurricane-force wind conditions are expected to begin tonight and continue into early Tuesday.

Within the eyewall, total structural failure is likely, especially in higher elevation areas where wind speeds atop and on the windward sides of hills and mountains could be up to 30 per cent stronger.

Melissa is expected to bring rainfall of 15 to 30 inches to portions of Jamaica and additional rainfall of eight to 16 inches for southern Hispaniola through Wednesday.

Swells generated by Melissa are expected to affect portions of Hispaniola, Jamaica, eastern Cuba, and the Cayman Islands during the next several days, and the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Bermuda later this week.

The Jamaican senior women’s national team has been forced into a significant squad reshuffle just days before their international friendly against Trinidad and Tobago, with four players ruled out due to injury.

Jamaica’s Reggae Girls.

The Reggae Girlz technical staff confirmed the news on Sunday, revealing that first-choice goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer, midfielder Atlanta Primus, and defenders Vyan Sampson and Shania Hayles will all miss Tuesday’s encounter.

In their place, Head Coach Hubert Busby has called upon a quartet of players who have been training with the squad at their camp in Trinidad.

The incoming players are defender Mia Mitchell, midfielders Lola Nesbeth and Ricshya Walker, and defender Serena Mensa.

The absence of Spencer, the experienced Tottenham Hotspur keeper, is a particular setback for the Girlz, who will now likely turn to Sydney Schneider or Liya Brooks to start between the posts.

Primus and Sampson, both mainstays in the midfield and defence respectively, also leave notable gaps in the team’s core, while Hayles’ absence reduces attacking options from the wing.

Despite the setbacks, the coaching staff is projecting some amount of confidence. The promoted quartet of Mitchell, Nesbeth, Mensa, and Walker have been fully integrated into the camp, ensuring they are familiar with the team’s tactical plans.

The friendly match, scheduled for Tuesday evening at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, serves as a crucial preparation fixture for both teams as they continue their campaigns in various international competitions.

The high hopes of a nation were dashed on Sunday, as Trinidad and Tobago’s cycling sensation, Nicholas Paul, suffered a gut-wrenching defeat, finishing just outside the medals in the Men’s Sprint event at the 2025 Tissot UCI Track World Championships.

The 27-year-old Paul saw his campaign for a medal end in the bitterest of fashions, a fourth-place finish after losing the bronze medal race to Australia’s Leigh Hoffman.

The evening began with immense promise for Paul, who qualified strongly and powered through the earlier rounds.

His quest for gold, however, was halted by the seemingly unstoppable Dutch dynamo, Harrie Lavreysen.

The reigning champion proved his class, dispatching Paul in two straight races in their semi-final showdown.

Lavreysen first won by a margin of 0.056 seconds, and then sealed the deal with a 0.050-second victory, ending Paul’s dream of a world title.

This set up a final chance for redemption in the bronze medal race against Hoffman. In a brutal twist of fate, Paul was again defeated in two consecutive races.

Hoffman took the first race by a significant +0.356 seconds, and despite a fierce effort from the T and T star, the Australian sealed the bronze by an even larger margin of +0.721 in the second race.

Meanwhile, 19-time world champion Lavreysen reaffirmed his status as the king of track sprinting, claiming the gold medal and another title by defeating Great Britain’s Matthew Richardson in the final.

Lavreysen had earlier won the men’s keirin and 1K time trial individual titles.

The Royal Virgin Islands Police Force (RVIPF) is investigating a series of robberies believed to be linked to a coordinated criminal group operating across multiple districts in the territory.

According to a recent statement, investigators have made progress in identifying connections between several incidents.

‘Our detectives are working around the clock to bring those responsible to justice,’ Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Dariel Robinson stated. ‘We are confident that the evidence being gathered will lead to key breakthroughs. These incidents have our highest priority,’ he concluded.

The RVIPF’s Armed Response Unit (ARU) has also increased its patrols across the territory, maintaining a visible policing presence through operational checks and community engagement. Officers have also conducted school-based safety exercises to enhance public confidence and preparedness.

Although no weapons were recovered during these operations, police said the ARU’s continued presence has helped foster safer communities.

‘The Force remains fully engaged in both enforcement and prevention. We are addressing a wide spectrum of issues and our officers continue to demonstrate professionalism and dedication in every division. We thank the public for their cooperation and encourage continued vigilance and partnership with the RVIPF,’ Robinson stated.

The police also reassured the business community that the territory remains a safe environment for commerce, with increased patrols and intelligence-sharing among their ongoing measures.

The Trinidad and Tobago government Sunday night denied that the presence of the USS Gravely in Port-of-Spain constitutes a ‘hostile provocation’ of Venezuela.

‘The government of Trinidad and Tobago has repeatedly made it clear that it values this country’s relationship with the people of Venezuela given our shared history and close fraternal relations,’ the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs said in a statement.

Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez condemned the arrival here of the USS Gravely on Sunday that the government said will involve in a joint military training exercise with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) and engage in other social activities.

‘Venezuela denounces the military provocation of Trinidad and Tobago, in coordination with the CIA, aimed at provoking a war in the Caribbean,’ Caracas said in a statement.

Rodríguez described the presence of the US guided missile destroyer so close to Venezuela t as an act of ‘military provocation’ and accused Trinidad and Tobago of coordinating with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to ‘provoke a war in the Caribbean.’

Hours after the USS Gravely docked on the island of Trinidad, Caracas added that it had arrested ‘a group of mercenaries’ whom it accused of mounting a ‘false flag attack’ that could escalate into ‘a full-blown military confrontation’.

‘This planned action perfectly evokes the provocations of the Battleship Maine and the Gulf of Tonkin, which gave rise to the war against Spain to seize Cuba in 1898, and which allowed the US Congress to authorize involvement in an eternal war against Vietnam in 1964, respectively, from which they emerged defeated by the Vietnamese people after facing incalculable destruction and regrettable human losses,’ Rodriguez said, adding that Venezuela will always defend its sovereignty, its territorial integrity, and its right to live in peace against foreign enemies and its vassals’.

But Port of Spain said that it has taken ‘note’ of the statement issued by Venezuela regarding the presence of the US warship, insisting that both Port of Spain and Washington ‘have been clear about the specific purpose of this visit’.

‘The visit of the USS Gravely aims to bolster the fight against transnational crime and build resilience through training, humanitarian activities and security cooperation.

‘it will also strengthen the longstanding partnership between both countries which has provided enhanced medical care and disaster preparedness, improved lives and strengthened communities in Trinidad and Tobago’.

The government also sought to reassure the wider CARICOM saying ‘it once more reiterates the commitment to the people of the Caribbean for the creation of a safer, stronger and more prosperous region’.

Last month, President Donald Trump ramped up US military presence in the Caribbean Sea ordering an amphibious squadron to the southern Caribbean as part of his effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels.

A nuclear-powered attack submarine, additional P8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser have also being allocated to US Southern Command as part of the mission.

The United States military has carried out four deadly air strikes in Caribbean waters over the past few weeks against what Washington alleges are Caracas-backed drug traffickers. The Venezuelan government denies the charge, accusing the administration of being a threat to the peace and security of the whole region.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar has said that she is ‘happy that the US naval deployment is having success in their mission,’ and that ‘the pain and suffering the cartels have inflicted on our nation is immense. I have no sympathy for traffickers; the US military should kill them all violently’.

The path of Hurricane Melissa has forced a significant reshuffling of the 2025 Concacaf Caribbean Cup schedule, impacting two key playoff series.

Concacaf announced that the decisive second leg between Jamaica’s Mount Pleasant FA and Trinidad and Tobago’s Defence Force FC has been postponed due to the severe weather expected to impact Jamaica.

The match, originally set for this Thursday, October 30, at the National Stadium, will now be played on Wednesday, November 5, with a 6 p.m. ET kickoff.

The governing body stated the decision was made ‘to ensure the safety of all parties’ following consultation with local authorities and in close coordination with the involved clubs.

This marks the second schedule change for the Caribbean Cup playoffs in as many days. The announcement follows the rescheduling of the entire two-legged series between O and M FC and Cibao FC.

Their matches will now be played on the vacated date of Thursday, October 30, and a week later on Thursday, November 6.

Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit Sunday reiterated the need for the Caribbean to be a zone of peace, warning that any military action now will have severe consequences for the entire region.

Addressing the 86th annual conference of the ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP), Skerrit echoed a similar call made by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley for an end eo the United States military build up of the coast of Venezuela, allegedly to fight the illegal drugs trade.

‘We have to be counted, we cannot cower under fear, we have to stand for principle and stand on the shoulders of the sacrifices of our foreparents who fought for our freedom and who fought for our independence,’ Skerrit said, adding that he had extracted parts of Prime Minister Mottley’s speech and placed in the social media page of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM leaders.

‘We must always speak truth to power and your speech yesterday was absolutely truth to power, representing what .this great country stands for and what our foreparents had fought for so many generations.

‘And so we stand with you on this and this Caribbean must continue to be a zone of peace. We do not want any war in our region. We solve problems by discussions, dialogue, diplomacy and we sometimes have to agree to disagree.

‘But we must do so peacefully and respect for each other,’ Skerrit said, warning ‘if a war breaks out in the Caribbean we will have some serious challenges in our respective countries’.

Skerrit said there is an opportunity to ‘prevent this from happening by adding our voices that reason prevail and common sense come to our being and let us work out our problems together.

‘We in Barbados and Dominica and indeed the wider Caribbean offer ourselves as intermediators so that we can bring the two forces together and let us understand that there can be common sense and agreement and disagreement.

‘But we have to ensure that we do not have a situation of our region descending into turmoil ,’ he said, adding ‘we have to speak to this’.

On the first day of the conference, the Barbados Prime Minister said that the region is now facing ‘an extremely dangerous and an untenable situation in the southern Caribbean and as a people with a tragic history of being subjected to centuries of big power orchestrated genocide, terrorism and warfare and as a small state, we have invested tremendous time and energy.in establishing and maintaining our region as a zone of peace.

‘Peace is critical to all that we do in this region and now that peace is being threatened we have to speak up,’ she said, thanking the former prime minister for their ‘very strong statement issued by them for the fundamental principle that was agreed upon the formation of the Caribbean Community.

‘I want to thank them because without their statement we are possibly going to have others think that those who now lead governments are speaking in vain without reflecting on the fact that this has been a core principle of the Caribbean Community from its very inception.

‘Thank you, thank you, thank you, prime ministers,’ Mottley said, adding that she believes the time has come for the region not to accept any entity ‘has the right to engage in extrajudicial killings of persons they suspect of being involved in criminal activities’.

Mottley, who is also an attorney, said ‘as I said we stand for the rule of law, and we believe if there is other intelligence available that would cause you to take action that is an immediate threat to you as a nation then you have a duty to share it with us.

‘But on the face of it, conflating law enforcement with military action is a dangerous step,’ Mottley said, adding ‘we equally do not accept that any nation in our region or the greater Caribbean should be the subject of an imposition upon them of any unilateral expression of force and violence by any third party or nation’.

Last week, the Donald Trump administration announced that it is intensifying its military build-up in the Caribbean with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ordering the deployment of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and its carrier air wing, to the Caribbean in aid of what the administration says is its counter-drug initiative.

Washington said the enhanced US force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster US capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and its security in the Western Hemisphere.

In recent times, the Trump administration has deployed several warships and over 10,000 troops to the Caribbean in what pundits claim is a pretext for an eventual land invasion of Venezuela.

At least two Trinidad and Tobago nationals have been killed as the US military bombs vessels it claim are transporting illegal drugs on the international seas. It has provided no proof to substantiate the allegations and Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar has said that the US should kill all those engaged in the illegal drugs trade ‘violently’.

Earlier this month, Trump confirmed that he had permitted the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to spy on Venezuela.

On Sunday, the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer docked in Port-of-Spain, until October 30.

The Trinidad and Tobago government, which has been very vocal about its support for the United States military action, said that the 22nd US Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) will conduct joint training exercises.

‘The visit strengthens US-Trinidad and Tobago military-to-military cooperation through expert exchanges focused on core infantry tactics, maintenance procedures, and advanced medical capabilities, leveraging the TTDF’s facilities to enhance tactical proficiency and enhance mutual trust,’ the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs said in a statement.

Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a Category 4 storm as it churned northwest through the Caribbean Sea on Sunday.

According to the Miami based National Hurricane Centre, a hurricane warning is now in effect for Jamaica. This means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

A warning is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.

Melissa is moving toward the west near five miles per hour and a slow westward motion is expected on Sunday, followed by a turn to the north and northeast on Monday and Tuesday.

On the forecast track, the center of Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica through Tuesday and the across southeastern Cuba.

The storm is expected to move over the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday.

The storms maximum sustained winds are near 140 miles per hour and further rapid intensification is expected through Sunday , followed by fluctuations in intensity. Melissa is expected to be a major hurricane when making landfall in Jamaica

Elsewhere in the region, a Hurricane Watch is in effect for the Southwestern peninsula of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-Au-Prince.

Meanwhile, the government of Jamaica, has announced that Sangster International Airport will close at midday Sunday, as the country braces for Hurricane Melissa.

Transport Minister Daryl Vaz cautioned passengers to stay in close contact with their airlines, as flight times may be adjusted to accommodate the closure.

Travellers are urged to monitor official updates and make any necessary changes to travel plans.

The airport’s closure follows the announcement that the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston closed late Sunday.

The United States warship, ‘USS Gravely’ arrived here on Sunday even as Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar sought to down play threats of military aggression in the region and the Bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) saying that ‘we stand in solidarity with all the peoples of the Caribbean, especially those most directly affected by this situation’.

In addition, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, addressing the 86th annual conference of her ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP) on Saturday night, expressed concern at the ‘menacing military’ US vessels across the Caribbean Sea, urging dialogue to prevent war from starting.

Mottley said if ever there is a need to remind how unstable and dangerous the world is ‘and how vulnerable our Caribbean region is, it is now with us facing a multiplicity of threats’ including the passage of Hurricane Melissa that is likely to strike Jamaica and Haiti in the coming days.

‘We don’t have to look any further than the menacing military vessels from the United States across the Caribbean Sea, including what is reputed to be the world’s largest warship. These are not times of pirates anymore, this is 2025 and we have cause to be duly concerned,’ she said.

Last week, the Donald Trump administration announced that it is intensifying its military build-up in the Caribbean with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ordering the deployment of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and its carrier air wing, to the Caribbean in aid of what the administration says is its counter-drug initiative.

Washington said the enhanced US force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster US capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and its security in the Western Hemisphere.

In recent times, the Trump administration has deployed several warships and over 10,000 troops to the Caribbean in what pundits claim is a pretext for an eventual land invasion of Venezuela.

At least two Trinidad and Tobago nationals are among several people killed as the US military bombs vessels it claim are transporting illegal drugs on the international seas. It has provided no proof to substantiate the allegations and Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar has said that the US should kill all those engaged in the illegal d rugs trade ‘violently’.

Earlier this month, Trump confirmed that he had permitted the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to spy on Venezuela.

The Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs said in a statement that the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, will be docked in Port-of-Spain, until October 30. It said that the 22nd US Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) will conduct joint training exercises.

‘The visit strengthens US-Trinidad and Tobago military-to-military cooperation through expert exchanges focused on core infantry tactics, maintenance procedures, and advanced medical capabilities, leveraging the TTDF’s facilities to enhance tactical proficiency and enhance mutual trust,’ the statement said.

Speaking to reporters as she emerged from the Parliament building late Saturday, Prime Minister Persad- Bissessar, a strong supporter of the US initiative, dismissed a statement that had been issued late last week by former Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders who have reiterated the need for the Caribbean to remain a ‘zone of peace’.

The former leaders, including Jamaica’s PJ Patterson and Bruce Golding, said that they are impelled to urge a pull back from military build up to avoid ‘any dimunition of peace, stability and development within our regional space that has the potential to pull the region into conflicts which are not of our making’.

But Persad-Bissessar again sought to indicate that she was first and foremost putting the safety of her citizens at the forefront of the war on drugs.

‘We have had over 600 murders last year and almost every year counting. They have not had that experience. So, I think they have a different reality. In Trinidad and Tobago, the reality is we are crime-ridden, we are drug-ridden

‘They are entitled to their view on the whole issue of a zone of peace, but in Trinidad and Tobago there is clearly no zone of peace. There is none. Therefore, as I say, Trinidad and Tobago first; we have to take care of our people first. I do not have the same view as they do because I think we are the worst impacted by this issue.’

She said historically and geographically, her country is the closest to where the drugs are coming from, the narcotrafficking, the human trafficking and the gun running.

Regarding the presence of the USS Gravely, the Trinidad and Tobago prime minister said ‘safety is priority number one to help keep the narcotraffickers, drug traffickers, and human traffickers out. Information technology assistance and some humanitarian work in using their marines and their navy members to help us with schools or maybe some of our bases to upgrade.

‘Our infrastructure has been so run down, so they have offered that as well. In addition to the safety, security and the training, they are also going to give us some training here in Trinidad and Tobago.’

She said that she is also likely to meet with the National Security Council to determine the way forward for Trinidad and Tobago which has been under a state of emergency (SoE) since December last year and due to expire on October 28 after several extensions.

‘Over this weekend, we intend to meet the National Security Council, some of us, together with the Commissioner of Police, to get their views on what their suggestions or recommendations may be. We will act on the recommendations of the security forces,’ Persad-Bissessar told reporters.

But the Barbados Prime Minister said that the region is now facing ‘an extremely dangerous and an untenable situation in the southern Caribbean and as a people with a tragic history of being subjected to centuries of big power orchestrated genocide, terrorism and warfare and as a small state, we have invested tremendous time and energy.in establishing and maintaining our region as a zone of peace.

‘Peace is critical to all that we do in this region and now that peace is being threatened we have to speak up,’ she said, thanking the former prime minister for their ‘very strong statement issued by them for the fundamental principle that was agreed upon the formation of the Caribbean Community.

‘I want to thank them because without their statement we are possibly going to have others think that those who now lead governments are speaking in vain without reflecting on the fact that this has been a core principle of the Caribbean Community from its very inception.

‘Thank you, thank you, thank you, prime ministers,’ Mottley said, adding that she believes the time has come for the region not to accept any entity ‘has the right to engage in extrajudicial killings of persons they suspect of being involved in criminal activities’.

Mottley, who is also an attorney, said ‘as I said we stand for the rule of law, and we believe if there is other intelligence available that would cause you to take action that is an immediate threat to you as a nation then you have a duty to share it with us.

‘But on the face of it, conflating law enforcement with military action is a dangerous step,’ Mottley said, adding ‘we equally do not accept that any nation in our region or the greater Caribbean should be the subject of an imposition upon them of any unilateral expression of force and violence by any third party or nation.

‘If there are conflicts and disputes that are in need of resolution, then the place they need to be taken for such resolution is the United nations organization and the methodology that should be deployed for the resolution is one of negotiation nd peaceful actions taken in order to ensure that we can settle disputes,’ she said.

She said Barbados has always made itself available also, noting that the island was the venue for talks between the Venezuelan government and the opposition a few years ago ‘because we are friends of all and satellites of none’.

In its statement, the Bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) said they ‘view with grave concern’ the build-up of naval and other military assets in the Southern Caribbean, and ‘the potential implications this poses for the socio-economic, political, and humanitarian well-being of our region and its people’.

They said in a few weeks, the world will commemorate the 59th World Day of Peace, and reflecting on the words of the late Pope Paul VI, said ‘dialogue and cooperation are urgently needed to ease mounting geopolitical tensions and to foster lasting peace.

‘At the same time, we must speak clearly to the moral challenges facing our region. The narcotics trade continues to devastate Caribbean societies – eroding lives, futures, and the very moral fabric of our communities.

‘This is a grave crisis for the Church and for families everywhere, and one we are duty-bound to confront. Yet, the arbitrary and unwarranted taking of life cannot be justified as a means of resolution. Such acts violate the sacredness of human life.’

They said also that the ‘disregard for the sovereignty of independent nations cannot be accepted as a reasonable measure in the name of border security.

‘War or the threat of war is never the right solution,’ the AEC said , adding that the ‘presence of warships and the disruption of marine livelihoods within our Caribbean waters represent real and immediate threats to regional stability and to the welfare of our nations.

‘ As peoples united by a shared heritage and collective identity, we must continue to reject aggression and intimidation as means of resolving conflict or ideological differences. Our history has shown that discourse and negotiation have served us well as independent nations united in community and cooperation.’

The Bishops say that the Church remains steadfast in the need to protect all in society an that ‘the objectives of securing our borders and the elimination of the narcotics trade must be pursued with the respect for law, the dignity of human life and with a tacit understanding of our region’s deep commitment to peace

‘To those entrusted with leadership, we appeal for a de-escalation of militarisation and a renewed commitment to dialogue and regional unity. To the faithful, we call for renewed focus on faith and trust in the Lord, resisting the discouragement and cynicism that threaten to overwhelm us.

‘Acts of reconciliation, the faithful observance of the sacraments, and the family rosary remain powerful expressions of hope – expressions that move heaven and can change the hearts of humankind,’ the AEC added.

The Trinidad and Tobago government Sunday reiterated that it has no concrete evidence that two of its nationals were killed when the United States military bombed a small vessel in international waters near the coast of Venezuela as part of its war on the illegal drugs trade in the region.

Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister, Sean Sobers, speaking at a news conference here, referred to the nationals as ‘missing’ telling reporters ‘as far as we know these persons may very well be missing, we don’t know them to be dead.

‘We don’t know that they were actual persons on any boats that may have been destroyed by the US,’ he said, adding ‘the relatives conducted funerals, I think one of them did, my heart goes out to them.and we wish them all the best.

‘What we did say is that in lieu of any evidence that these persons have actually died that the best course of action would be to go to the police and file a missing person report,’ he added.

Homeland Security Minister, Roger Alexander, a former senior police officer, had soon after the ‘incident, also cast doubt on the ‘innocence’ of the two men, Richie Samaroo and Chad ‘Charpo’ Joseph, not being involved in criminal activities.

‘All I can say is that what the Homeland Ministry is treating with is really newspaper reports, because we would want to get as much information as we can to assist in any way that we can in terms of identifying persons and all of that,’ Alexander said then.

The secretary of the non-governmental organization, Fishermen and Friends of the Sea, Gary Aboud, had confirmed that two Trinidad and Tobago nationals were among the six people killed following one of United States military strikes .

‘We would like to offer our condolences to the families, friends, children, wives of the deceased. Very, very sorry that they were murdered like this. I am very very sorry,’ Aboud said on a radio broadcast with regards to the killings of Samaroo and Joseph.

Aboud said as a result of the killings, local fisherfolk are now afraid of going out to sea.

‘People are terrified at the risk of being killed at sea. Personally I am very upset with our national position of bringing American warships and allowing them to by pass the judicial process.’

Sobers, who called the news conference to respond to allegations that the Trinidad and Tobago government has left students stranded in Jamaica, where Hurricane Melissa is due to strike on Monday as a powerful storm, said the acting Police Commissioner Junior Benjamin had said he had made officers available to go to the families of the ‘missing’ men in order to conduct an investigation.

‘But to say that these persons are dead and that they were on a boat and they were subject to some strike and the strike came from the (USS) Gravely, all of that is conjecture, which is misinformation,’ Sobers said.

The USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, Sunday docked in Port-of-Spain until October 30 and Sobers reiterated an earlier government statement that it will be involved in a joint military training exercise with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF).

Sobers said that the visit of the US military vessel is a follow up to the recently held Exercise Tradewinds a multinational, U.S. Southern Command-sponsored military exercise focused on Caribbean security, aiming to improve interoperability and readiness for maritime security, disaster response, and other threats.

‘In this case, one of the things coming out of Tradewinds is that our TTDF naval capability may not have been at optimum operating capacity and so a request would have been made for assistance in that regard,’ he said, adding that the US military officials will also be engaged in other activities, including providing ‘goodies’ to pupils of a school here.

Sobers insisted that Trinidad and Tobago has no problems with Venezuela and that he has been in constant contact with the Venezuelan diplomat based here, Álvaro Sánchez Cordero, even as Port of Spain has not yet appointed an ambassador to the South American country following the April 28 general elections.

‘Nobody has moved, nobody has gone and run anywhere. We don’t have an ambassador in Venezuela just yet,’ he said, noting that the country also does not have an ambassador in various other countries including Panama, Brazil, China, Nigeria and South Africa.

‘Our compliment of staff in Caracas, they have a very good working relationship with all arms of the government in Caracas,’ he said, adding ‘but there is no issue, nobody has gone and run anywhere.everybody is in place, work is operating as per normal and there are no issues’.

Last month, President Donald Trump ramped up US military presence in the Caribbean Sea ordering an amphibious squadron to the southern Caribbean as part of his effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels.

A nuclear-powered attack submarine, additional P8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser have also being allocated to US Southern Command as part of the mission.

The United States military has carried out deadly air strikes in Caribbean waters over the past few weeks against what Washington alleges are Caracas-backed drug traffickers. The Venezuelan government denies the charge, accusing the administration of being a threat to the peace and security of the whole region.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar has said that she is ‘happy that the US naval deployment is having success in their mission,’ and that ‘the pain and suffering the cartels have inflicted on our nation is immense. I have no sympathy for traffickers; the US military should kill them all violently’.