VZCZCXYZ0006
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWN #0035/01 0551718
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 241718Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0551
INFO EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RHMCSUU/CDR USSOCOM MACDILL AFB FL

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