Speeches

Handover of Five Boats to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago

April 22, 2005

Dr. Roy L. Austin
United States Ambassador
Chaguaramas Heliport

Good afternoon! It gives me great pleasure to represent the United States in today’s handover of five boats to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. These boats are intended to help to improve the maritime interdiction operations of the Customs and the Coast Guard. The former will receive the three shallow draft patrol boats while the latter will receive the two interceptor boats.

The alarmingly high rate of crime in Trinidad and Tobago is well known to all of the people of this country. Illegal drugs and guns smuggled onto the shores of this country are directly implicated in the murders, robberies and other crimes that occur here. The profits from these illegal activities often finance corruption and contribute to the degradation of law enforcement and criminal justice. The victims are the citizens of our countries. Therefore, when we contribute to crime control by limiting maritime smuggling into Trinidad and Tobago, we are also reducing the likelihood that our citizens in this country will be murdered, robbed, and criminally victimized in other ways.

Furthermore, the government of the United States recognizes that a substantial portion of illegal drugs landing on Trinidad’s shores reach the streets of New York City, Washington, DC and other American locations. Thus, the people of both the United States and Trinidad and Tobago benefit from successful interdiction efforts in the waters around this country.

The donation of these boats represents one of the largest single contributions to T&T’s counter-drug efforts by the United States during our many years of cooperation. The International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program of the U.S. Embassy, using money provided by the U.S. Congress, has brought these boats here at a cost of over one million U.S. dollars (6.2 million TT dollars). However, the boats represent just one part of our ongoing commitment to assist the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in its crime-fighting efforts. Over the past three years, through the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, we have provided the Government of Trinidad and Tobago with vehicles, computers and other equipment as well as training for its security forces.

I appreciate the varied ways in which the Ministries of National Security and Finance, Ministers Martin Joseph and Conrad Enill, and members of the staffs of these Ministries have cooperated with our Embassy and associated units such as Customs and Border Protection, IRS and MLO. We also thank Trinidad’s Coast Guard and Customs for their cooperation. The United States Government looks forward to continuing its long partnership with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. We wish you the greatest success in your efforts to make your communities safer.