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Even Tobago getting bad to... lard !!!
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Sam:
New travel advisory from UK.
By Darryl Heeralal.
Tuesday, May 24th 2005
Britons in Tobago are in danger of being raped, robbed and beaten, and the United Kingdom has warned their nationals about travel to the island.
The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which updated its travel advisory to Tobago last Friday, has also advised that their nationals hire private security guards for their protection "night and day".
The updated advisory on the Foreign Office's website states: "This advice has been reviewed and reissued with an amendment to the Tobago Crime section".
The travel warning to Trinidad, which was last updated in January and which spoke of the increase in murders and kidnappings, remains in effect.
Last week, Tourism Minister Howard Chin Lee said he was concerned about the effect that crime could have on tourist arrivals.
The majority of arrivals in Tobago are from Europe, and mainly from Britain and Germany.
The updated warning states: "Crime against tourists in Tobago is a concern. There was a spate of serious robberies against tourists in Tobago in 2004. Some of these incidents have been accompanied by violence, including rape, against foreign nationals."
The travel advisory warns of recent "attacks" targeted at privately-owned villas in the south west of the island around the Mt Irvine area.
The British Government is asking its nationals to ensure that "security officers are present at such villas, to provide protection day and night".
The advisory speaks of the shooting of an Italian national on May 18 and the rape of British nationals at Englishman's Bay.
The Foreign Office has warned British nationals to "exercise extreme caution when visiting remote beach areas without organised tour groups and appropriate security measures being in place".JAMAAT IN HEROIN TRADE
US agent drops bombshell in Lance Small gun-running case.
By Mark Bassant Fort Lauderdale.
Tuesday, May 24th 2005
A top United States undercover agent has told a Florida court that the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen was involved in trafficking heroin from Afghanistan to Trinidad and then to the United States.
The Jamaat's covert operations of drug-running and a cell-operating out of South Florida came to light yesterday for the first time as ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) undercover agent Steve McKean continued his testimony in the Lance Small trial in Fort Lauderdale.
Small, also known as Olive Enyahooma-El, faces a 2002 indictment of conspiring to possess and possession of machine guns and firearm silencers and is before Judge William Dimitrouleas in the 2nd US District Court.
The charges arose after an alleged 2001 plot to import 60 AK-47 assault rifles and 10 Mac-10 machine guns with silencers from the United States to Trinidad and Tobago.
Under cross-examination by defence attorney Joseph Gibson, McKean told the court that the FBI,ATF and the DEA had been investigating the Jamaat since the 1990 coup attempt.
"We knew based on information that they were trafficking heroin from Afghanistan to Trinidad and then to the United States," McKean said.
Questioned about the 1990 coup attempt, McKean told the court that they had obtained intelligence information that 108 of the 134 guns were purchased in south Florida for the attempted coup and they knew the Jamaat had a cell operating in south Florida.
McKean said he was involved in the 1991 investigation after he received orders from the US government in conjunction with the Trinidad and Tobago government to trace the shipment of guns used in the 1990 coup purchased by Louis Haneef.
Gibson quizzed McKean about his knowledge of Yasin Abu Bakr and he (McKean) told him that Bakr, who was the founder of the Jamaat, was indicted in 1991 in relation to firearms in the 1990 coup, but McKean said up to this time he was not certain about the status of the case involving Bakr.
"Reid (state witness) told me that Bakr was the leader of the organisation and Small was a high ranking member of the organisation," said McKean. A frail looking Small smiled, shaking his head from side to side.
"Sounds like a pretty good case for Mr Bakr," shot back Gibson.
Arguing his point, Gibson said at this time his client Lance Small never had any guns in 1990 and had not committed any acts of violence between July 1990 and February 2000.
But the State produced a photo of Small coming out of a media house in the 1990 coup with a rifle on his head.
Making mention of Bakr again, Gibson asked McKean if he was aware that Bakr helped Prime Minister Patrick Manning to get elected-with the Jamaat now having a voice in government." I don't know anything about that," he responded.
Gibson said the only corroborated evidence that McKean had was of state witness Neville Reid, an informant for the ATF and DEA.
"There is no indication for ten years that Small was involved in drugs or guns, was there? asked Gibson. McKean replied in the negative. The State wrapped up its case yesterday calling Keith Glaude, Alfred Houde-firearms expert, Maurice Walker of the ATF and Trinidad and Tobago police officer Raul Hercules.
Gibson made a no-case submission but it was turned down by the judge who said there was a prima facie case.
Judge Dimitrouleas reminded Small that he had the right to testify or not testify if he wanted to.Small replied:"I do not want to testify." The matter resumes today at 9 a.m. when the defence is expected to address the jury followed by the State.
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