The United States Embassy in Barbados has confirmed that U.S. Peace Corps volunteers have been removed from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The embassy, however, told iWitness News on Tuesday that the development is not linked to crime in SVG.
“They were not relocated because of the perceived ‘crime situation’,” Gaïna Dávila, acting public affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, told iWitness News via email on Tuesday.
“They were relocated because of a potential specific safety concern,” Dávila said.
There have been claims on social media that the Peace Corps volunteers were removed from SVG because of the crime situation.
The Peace Corps is a volunteer programme run by the United States government.
The stated mission of the Peace Corps includes providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand American culture, and helping Americans to understand the cultures of other countries.
The work is generally related to social and economic development. Each programme participant, a Peace Corps Volunteer, is an American citizen, typically with a college degree, who works abroad for a period of two years after three months of training.
DIPLOMATIC RESPONSE – WATCH OUT
Naturally, as host country to the Peace Corp volunteers, diplomacy dictates
that Embassy officials stay clear of domestic issues and concerns.
The nation is not known as a haven for ‘…terrorism or terrorist activities,’
so what is ‘..potential specific safety concern?
Even this ‘…vague statement’ spells trouble for tourism.
Watch out Ministry officials. Look out for advisories.
Ensure that the nation is comparatively safe for all a sundry-
‘…citizens, residents and visitors.’
I share your curiosity. What are these “security concerns”, if not terrorism? We have to hope that the US Government is not planning to stage something and wanted to remove citizens, maybe before a “backlash”? I am very much against the present very bad economic philosophy of economics of this government and possibly the last one, but I think Gonsalves has a very good Foreign Policy Philosophy, when it does not concern economics too much. We have to “wait and see” what the US Government has planned for us. As bad as Obama was, Trump seems to be setting the stage to be worse in Foreign Policy. Yes, the Obama Administration set-off the overthrow in the Ukraine, but that was in the works before his time. Obama destroyed Libya,Yemen and accelerated the conquest of Africa but Trump is escalating these wars and destruction. (The Iran Deal was one of the only good things Obama did, not “The worst deal in history” as Trump states) I think the improvement in the US Economy is only temporary. In the long term Trump is making it worse. Maybe no President in history is as bad as Obama when it concerns economics but maybe (long term) Trump can even trump all the terrible economic destruction of Obama and his predecessors.
I hope that what the US has planned is not some kind of economic devastation, or, even worse, health! Are they going to bring Ebola to our island as they did in Africa? I would not rule-out anything when it concerns the US Government! I used to work in a certain capacity for elements in the US Government and trust me, we have to keep our eyes open!
Those in National Security of the Saint Vincent Government that know more about our relationship with the US should be looking for trends in the recent behavioral relationship of the US towards us. Anything introduced into our country will be done through a proxy nation usually done to confuse matters giving the perception that the US will have “clean hands” afterwards.
The Donald strikes again as punishment for the Comrade’s friendship with Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and other nasty regimes. (LOL).
The real investment in SVG, with Million dollar Villas and Luxury Resorts is from The USA and Some other Euro Countries.This is your tourist base and your investment base.It is what provides jobs. Comrade flirting with the likes of Venezuela….Cuba….Palestine of all absurd places…..is absurd and shows he has no respect for the hand that feeds him.You are a nation of just above 100000 people………with a UN Vote.DO NOT PLAY GAMES RALPH
I really don’t want to say “I told you so”. However, let me repeat that the escalating violence/crimes in St. Vincent will seriously damage our tourism product. Such effects will eventually cascade to other sectors of the economy. Common sense would dictate, that if there have been recent events of kidnapping and attempted kidnapping in SVG, these Peace Corps volunteers could very well be easy targets for ransom. On the other hand, If our own foreign based Vincentians who came home to bury their relatives have been robbed and terrorized, why should other Vincentians take the risk of bringing their families to St Vincent?
Possible solutions: Police/ security officials should conduct random spot checks on vehicles and persons. 2) Set up a toll free tip line where someone can anonymously report someone who has a firearm. Although this system could be abused, if you have nothing to hide and you are concern about the safety and the pride of your country, then there shouldn’t be a problem. 3) All known gangs should be aggressively dealt with, rendering them impotent. 4) For those who believe they can come to our shores to conduct a hit job, they should be made an example of, with the full weight of the law against them and NO extradition until their sentences have been served. 5) Police should be doing more community policing, that way they’ll gather more intelligence. 6) There should be more incentives for the police as they undertake greater risk.
Everyone should work together to stamp out crime and violence in SVG. This should not be for scoring political points as no political party has all the answers. The stupidity of some who are pointing fingers for political gains when SVG is quickly sliding into a failed state.
What is really happening to my “home of the blessed St. Vincent”?
They were probably pulled because of safety concerns they are normally friendly people in the peace corps and make easy targets times are hard in SVG why not put a financial reward out for information on crimes and people wanted by the law and make sure all information gathered be kept Strictly Confidential and see if this makes a difference we have to try something before the advisories then it will be too late we are already in trouble with our tourism act now before it is too late.
speculations
They want to make us look like a rogue state anothing but heep of shenanigans , decrease crime ,increase employemnt and boost tourism should be our mandate right now
They were probably asked to leave like they were in Venezuela and some other ALBA member countries.
Ralph Fing things up as usual…..you want to vote in UN against Israel and suppoert Rogue staes then FU