PM King: Rising Crime Threatens St. Lucia's Expanding

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000035 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