SIPDIS
STATE FOR INL - TERRY JOHNS
STATE FOR WHA/CAR - KAREN MCISAAC
STATE FOR NEA/MAG - HEATHER KALMBACH
AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN PASS TO AMEMBASSY GRENADA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/24
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON MASS SNAR XL
SUBJECT: PM King: Rising Crime Threatens St. Lucia's Expanding
Tourism Sector
CLASSIFIED BY: D. Brent Hardt, Charge; REASON: 1.4(B), (D)
------------
Summary
------------
¶1. (C) St. Lucia Prime Minister Stephenson King told the Charge in
a February 10 meeting that his government is struggling to stem the
tide of violent crime that has begun to adversely affect the
country's vital but vulnerable tourism sector. He is hiring more
police, weeding out corruption in the ranks, and looking to partner
with U.S. local and federal law enforcement agencies in his effort
to reverse the trends. He was very pleased that St. Lucia will be
the first country in the Eastern Caribbean to receive vessels and
communication equipment through SOUTHCOM's Enduring Friendship
program. He welcomes the emerging U.S. focus on at-risk youth and
entrepreneurship programs, and would like to see them expanded
through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI). St.
Lucia's, Minister of Tourism Chastanet outlined his ambitious plans
for tourism expansion in St. Lucia and challenges he faces in
convincing the government that it needs to do more to support the
industry. He proposed an agreement in services between the U.S.
and Caribbean to make the Caribbean part of U.S. airspace for
travel purposes, with both sides agreeing to reduce air travel
taxes, which now account for a sizeable portion of air travel costs
in both directions. End Summary.
------------------------------------------
Struggling to Get a Grip on Crime
------------------------------------------
¶2. (C) In a February 10 meeting at his official residence in St.
Lucia, Prime Minister King lamented to the Charge that the current
rise in violent crime on the island that had resulted in 7
fatalities already this year -- on target for a murder record if it
continues. Moreover, crime had begun to affect the vulnerable
tourist sector as cruise tourists on bus tours to scenic sights had
been attacked and robbed in broad daylight. Gang violence had
entrenched itself within the capital, Castries, resulting in a
"proliferation of small arms, muggings, and robberies." Drug
trafficking remained a constant concern, as much of the violence
related to interruptions in shipments and struggle for drug turf.
To reverse these alarming trends, King said he had already hired 58
new officers, with an additional 65 to be brought on board as soon
as the first class graduated. (Comment: This would represent a 15
percent increase in the strength of the force. End Comment).
Police Commissioner Regis separately told the Charge that his force
is staffed for the demands of St. Lucia's 160,000 citizens, but not
for the additional 500,000 visitors the island hosts every year.
This point had helped sell the PM on the need to increase the
Force's strength, he added.
--------------------------------------------- ---------
Corruption, Lack of Leadership in the Ranks
--------------------------------------------- ---------
¶3. (C) Prime Minister King was open and direct in addressing
problems of corruption within the police ranks, telling the Charge
that the country would welcome U.S. assistance in this area. He
said the Force is already expanding its vetting efforts, but much
more is need. He acknowledged the importance of ensuring that the
Coast Guard would be vetted as it takes possession of the new
U.S.-provided vessels. The Charge conveyed the U.S. willingness to
explore how we might support his vetting efforts. King also
acknowledged his government had made a mistake in elevating a
British national as commissioner -- part of a UK-funded effort to
professionalize the force through an influx of senior level British
officers. The displacement of the current commissioner, Ausbert
Regis, who had been on extended leave, may have left a bad taste in
his mouth that could affect his level of performance, the PM
indicated.
-----------------------------
New Strategies Needed
-----------------------------
¶4. (C) According to King, new strategies are needed, including
better surveillance and intelligence and a more creative way to
target the at-risk youth who are failed by the educational system.
King supports an expansion of vocational education that can better
meet the needs of those students that are not well served by the
current academic system. He enthusiastically welcomed the U.S.
focus on programs for at-risk youth and appreciated that the
Caribbean Basin Security Initiative would seek to address both the
cause and consequences of the region's crime. King indicated that
his government had decided to launch two major reviews, one on
social reform and a second on education. A Council on Social
Reform had been established, that would look at some of the factors
pulling young people into the capital, and exploring how to create
new communities through resettlement or to strengthen existing
communities outside the main city. The Education Council would
take a hard look at the country's education system, which is not
serving a large segment of its population well, according to King.
He believed it was time to move past the inherited British academic
model and ensure the system was flexible enough to accommodate
diverse interests and capabilities.
-----------------------------------
Libyan Diplomatic Presence
-----------------------------------
¶5. (C) The Charge asked PM King about reports that Libya had
decided to establish a diplomatic presence in St. Lucia, and King
responded that the government had discovered this almost by chance.
He noted that Libya has been in discussion with members of the OECS
for some time (led by St. Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves,
whose ties to Libya date back decades), and had apparently settled
on St. Lucia because it was home to the OECS secretariat.
Apparently, however, the Libyan representatives arrived without
informing the government of St. Lucia, and only after the
government found this out and approached the Libyans about the need
to follow protocol, did they begin procedures for establishing
their presence. King said St. Lucia did not have any strong
feelings about this presence, but said it had been guided by our
recent approach to relations with Libya. PM King noted that he
understood Libya had also established a bank in St. Kitts/Nevis and
another entity relating it investment in Antigua as part of its
expanding presence in the region.
-----------------------------------
Ambitious Plans for Tourism
-----------------------------------
¶6. (C) In a separate meeting with the Charge, The energetic
Minister of Tourism, Allen Chastanet, outlined his ambitious plans
for St. Lucia's tourism sector. He believes St. Lucia is poised to
be one of the top destinations for U.S. tourists in the Caribbean.
Already, it has surpassed Barbados for number of long stay U.S.
visitors, and he sees the potential for 250,000 long stay U.S.
visitors within the next three years. He attributed St. Lucia's
success in the U.S. market to the expansion in direct U.S. flights,
particularly the entry of JetBlue into the market last October and
increased flights by Delta, American, and USAir. The increased
competition also resulted in a dramatic reduction in the cost of
E
roundtrip fares from the U.S. to $500, from almost $1100 last year
-- which makes St. Lucia a much more affordable destination.
Chastanet reiterated his interest in establishing a U.S. Customs
and Border Protection pre-clearance facility at the International
Airport, as in Aruba, Nassau and Freeport. He wondered whether
there was a minimum number travelers required to secure such a
facility, and noted that their airport had been designed to allow
for the possibility of a secure U.S. area.
¶7. (C) Chastanet then raised an idea he had been developing to
expand air travel between the U.S. and the Caribbean. The goal, he
said, would be to reduce airport departure and security taxes both
from the U.S. and the Caribbean. He wondered whether the Caribbean
could be designated part of U.S. airspace for purposes of air
travel. He noted that this would stand in direct contrast with
current British actions, as they are in the final steps of
increasing dramatically the tax burden for flights to the
Caribbean, which will likely result in a reduction in U.K. tourism.
Chastanet pointed out that U.S. programs such as the Caribbean
Basin Initiative now had a limited influence on the local economy,
due to the region's miniscule exports in tangible goods. A
reduction in airport taxes would amount to a reduction in a tariff
barrier in the services sector that would have much more effect on
the region's economies. In cruise tourism, Chastanet said the
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative was restricting the potential
market of U.S. travelers. Nevertheless, St. Lucia is pushing
ahead with plans to open a new pier in Soufriere, the town at the
foot of the Pitons, St. Lucia's UNESCO World Heritage Site and top
tourist draw. (Note: Chastanet is an unelected Senator, and has
selected Soufriere as the constituency he hopes to capture in the
next election.)
¶8. (C) Charge asked Chastanet and Minister of National Security Guy
Mayers about the recent attacks on cruise ship visitors in the
country's interior that resulted in Norwegian Cruise Line's
cancellation of port calls in St. Lucia. Chastanet assured the
Charge that the government intended to be proactive in heading off
such occurrences. He explained that there had been a proliferation
of tourist sites in recent years -- remote waterfalls and hiking
sites -- and this is where recent problems had taken place. The
government had already undertaken an effort to assess and register
all these sites with a view to security, and planned to shut down
any site that could not guarantee security for visitors. He
understood the critical importance of ensuring visitor safety for
the future of the country's tourism sector and broader economic
viability, and was urging the cabinet to increase police capacity
and visibility.
--------------------------------------------
OECS Open to Closer Collaboration
--------------------------------------------
¶9. (C) Charge also met with the Director of the Organisation of
Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Len Ishmael, to explore areas of
potential U.S. cooperation with the generally effective regional
organization. Ishmael noted that the organization's focus has
shifted considerably in recent years, with an expanded role in
regional diplomatic representation for OECS states, bulk purchasing
of medicines, environmental protection, and expansion of its
efforts in education and youth entrepreneurship. While the OECS
has worked effectively with USAID, she believes there is potential
for expanded cooperation. On Libya, she noted that the OECS has
encouraged the relationship with Libya as a potential source of
investment in the region and is now exploring an OECS mission in
Tripoli as has been established in Canada and Brussels.
------------
Comment
------------
¶10. (C) Under Prime Minister King, St. Lucia remains our closest
ally in the region, willing to break with CARICOM on UN votes, and
still keeping a healthy distance from ALBA despite enticements from
Hugo Chavez. King is grateful that St. Lucia was identified as the
first recipient in the region of Enduring Friendship assets to
combat drug trafficking, and also expressed gratitude for our pier
construction projects, which will give the Cost Guard greater range
in protecting St. Lucia's extensive shoreline. St. Lucia's economy
seems to have survived the worst of the economic downturn, and
although a number of projects came to a standstill, others
continued and some new investments are about to be launched. The
challenge, as Chastanet explained, was to convince the bureaucracy
and other members of the cabinet that tourism really was
everybody's business, and to orient the government to making this a
reality.
HARDT
No comments:
Post a Comment