00:00Speaking on the TV6 Morning Edition, Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander acknowledged ongoing tension between residents of Maloney and Pinto.
00:11He says law enforcement officers will intervene, engage with community members and work to prevent further bloodshed.
00:19The minister stresses that this state of emergency differs from previous ones as it does not restrict freedom of movement.
00:27However, he notes that the work is far from over.
00:31You cannot build something that was destroyed in nine and ten years.
00:37You cannot build it in a couple of months.
00:39If you want it to be strong and sturdy, you have to build it from scratch.
00:45So, Mr. Hopkinson, having said that, we continue to rebuild national security and the protection of our nation and our citizens because it was left to rot.
01:00Alexander explains that the call for external assistance stems from years of neglect, saying the nation's security infrastructure was left to chance by previous administrations.
01:13You think if we had a proper border security system, that we would have had to probably obtain help from persons on the outside?
01:24If we had a proper structure whereby police, the police service was equipped to the right strategies and equipment, technology and otherwise, you think that all this would have been happening now?
01:45So, now you have to go and rebuild it.
01:47It's like you're starting from scratch.
01:50Addressing recent U.S. military strikes on vessels departing Venezuela, operations described by the U.S. as part of its campaign against narco-trafficking.
02:01The minister says that such actions do not extend or apply within the jurisdiction of Trinidad and Tobago.
02:09These things are not happening in our territorial waters.
02:13So, that law, it does not apply to us.
02:19If the Americans are looking at, they have a war against terrorists and drug dealers, that's what they have.
02:30They need to treat with that.
02:33You cannot tell us that, what about judicial killings?
02:38The minister was also asked about reports that two TNT nationals were among those killed in a recent U.S. airstrike on a vessel and whether the police or the government should launch an investigation.
02:52He responded as follows.
02:54Yes, the police would see things from time to time, but, Mr. Hopkinson, that is not the focus.
03:01The focus is that a family should come and say, listen, my son's name is Don Bonetti and he is missing.
03:09I understand that he would have gone to so-and-so and on his way back so-and-so, so-so, so-so happened.
03:15Does that make logical sense to you coming from a family member?
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