Kamla Persad-Bissessar sparks debate after rejecting Colombia’s request on dead drug runners

Trinidad and Tobago: Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar has declined Colombia's President Gustavo Petro's request for assistance in handling the bodies of alleged drug traffickers killed in a US airstrike at sea.

PM Persad-Bissessar emphasized that the priority of the government of the country is to protect the nation’s borders and citizens from the harm caused by drug trafficking. Further the prime minister stated that "No. We will not look for those bodies... Better drug traffickers blown to pieces than our citizens murdered."

In a further statement, Persad has stated that “they are in a war which is against drug and trafficking and there will always be consequences of this.” She further added that "I will prefer to see drug and gun traffickers blown down into pieces rather than seeing hundreds of our people murdered each year because of drug-fuelled gang violence.”

She also took a stand for the citizens of the country by protesting against the drug traffickers and also emphasised that ‘they were not civilians or civilian vessels. She also added that the drugs on that boat bring so much destruction here as the drug killed so many people, destroyed so many families, destroyed the career of the youth by making them drug addicts.”

“Those drugs bring more death and despair than conventional weapons” she concluded.

According to the Prime Minister’s post on Facebook, she made it clear that the Coast Guard resources of the nation will only be utilized for the protection of the border and not for searching any dead drug trafficker’s bodies. Along with that she mentioned that “if any carcass washes up on our shores, we will recover it”.

“Two bodies have washed up on Trinidad's northeastern coastline of Cumana and Blandra, with police suspecting that they might be the victims of the strike as the bodies showed signs of burns and missing limbs, consistent with an explosion."

Further the Persad-Bissessar's government has taken a tough stance on drug trafficking, while prioritizing the safety and security of the citizens of the country. Also some people are praising her strict stance but on the other hand some are criticizing her and her government.

Critics also said that the ‘unwillingness to provide humanitarian aid to the deceased in the aftermath of the US-led operation is just not done’.

As we can see from the social media posts, this incident has sparked debate and tension between Trinidad and Tobago and Colombia. But the US is praising the Prime Minister for her actions against narco war.