UK High Commissioner: Get real on terrorism

UNITED Kingdom’s High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago Tim Stew yesterday said that if anyone still doubts the terrorist threat to this country during Carnival were true, that person needs to get real.

Stew spoke with reporters yesterday after the launch of Transparency International’s 2017 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business in Mt Hope. “I’ve followed some of the local media debate on the threats to Carnival. To those who question whether that threat was real, I have one message — it’s time for you to get real,” Stew said in his address at the launch.

On terrorist financing in TT, he said, “Terrorist financing, whether small of large, brings new threats to our shores, as we have seen, to my regret, most recently here in Trinidad.” Asked if the recent terror threat to disrupt Carnival prompted a meeting between Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and several Heads of Missions on Wednesday, Stew replied, “It was a specific initiative by the four nations that we wanted to have further engagement right at the very top of government.” On the threat itself, Stew said, “We saw the threat that was made against Carnival this year, just a few weeks ago. Those sorts of threats are international in their nature and we have to stand together.” He said during the course of the threat, the British High Commission was in contact with some government ministers to find out what support, “we could bring to help the Government.”

Stew supported Rowley’s position that the security operation to thwart the threat was, “government led.” He added the British government was prepared to put its resources and expertise at TT Government’s disposal if necessary.

On Wednesday, Rowley met with Stew, Australian High Commissioner John Pilbeam, Canadian High Commissioner Carla Hogan Rufelds and United States Embassy Chargé d’Affaires John McIntyre at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) in St Clair.