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Now UN puts staff on terror alert in TT

Guardian TT

On the heels of Britain's warning of a terror alert in Trinidad and Tobago, the United Nations is now warning its staff on new security measures for visits to Trinidad. The warning has gone out to all UN-related missions in Port-of-Spain.

UN resident co-ordinator, Dr Inyang Ebong-Harstrup, said yesterday the move was taken in the wake of rising crime levels.

She said: "We have to be honest in the post September 11 world. But this spoke more to the crime situation in the country than anything to do with terrorism."

Ebong-Harstrup said the decision was taken in December and implemented in the first week of January.

"Our field security coordinator was really focussed on the level of crime which at that point in time was pretty high and continued to escalate. We'd reached the peak of kidnappings."

Ebong-Harstrup said it is a "precautionary" measure that is in keeping with a five-phase UN security plan.

Reading from a prepared statement, Ebong-Harstrup said:

"This declaration of phase one, is temporary and can be lifted once the security situation in the national environment changes.

"The UN system in T&T remains committed to its local programming, and is confident that the global and national circumstances which gave rise to this position will be well managed by the government of Trinidad and Tobago and the international community as a whole."

The UN alert comes in the wake of a warning from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office of possible terrorist attacks on British nationals in T&T.

The warning caused two cruise ship companies to stop planned visits to Port-of-Spain.

Trinidad and Tobago News

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