Kamla condemns assassination of former Japanese PM

OPPOSITION Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has condemned the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.

Abe, 67, was shot at twice by a gunman while he was giving a campaign speech on a street in the city of Nara on Friday. He was the first Japanese prime minister to visit Trinidad and Tobago.

Abe was in TT between July 27-28, 2014 for a Caricom-Japan summit. Persad-Bissessar was prime minister at the time.

At that summit, Abe pledged Japan's solidarity with Caricom. He committed Japan to collaborate with Caricom on a wide range of issues of mutual interest.

These issues included climate change, energy, fisheries and disaster risk management

In a statement, Persad-Bissessar declared, "The United National Congress strongly condemns all forms of political violence and stresses that violence is never the answer."

Persad-Bissessar extended her condolences to Abe's family and to the people of Japan.