For the period January 15 to May 15 next year, CARICOM countries hosting Cricket World Cup 2007 will operate as a single domestic space for the seamless movement of both CARICOM nationals and extra-regional visitors.
On the final day of the 27th Regular Meeting of the Heads of government in St. Kitts and Nevis, yesterday (July 6), leaders also agreed to the implementation of an extensive and sophisticated security plan for the event, that should not exceed US$13 million.
Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica will contribute US$2.5 million each; Barbados, US$2 million and the other six countries participating in the World Cup will each provide US$1 million.
Chairman of the Security Sub Committee and Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley explained that CARICOM nationals travelling intra-regionally among the 10 participating host countries, "will not have their passports stamped upon entry".
These countries include Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica. However, she advised that nationals would still be required to present an Entry/Departure card, "largely because there is other information on it which ministries of tourism and others (agencies) would need".
She said CARICOM nationals would also be subject to an "electronic vetting in relation to the passenger manifesto submitted by airlines or cruise ships prior to departure".
The vetting process would be conducted in collaboration with the United States government, which would allow access to its "advance passenger information system", Miss Mottley disclosed. To this end, representatives from the US government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CARICOM during the annual summit on Thursday (July 6).
Miss Mottley explained that the advance passenger information system "will allow us to determine who should not be allowed entry, even before the cruise ship arrives at the point of destination".
For persons coming from outside of the 10 CARICOM countries, a visa regime is being implemented, which will come on stream by August 15. "Their passports will be stamped at the first port of entry that they land, so if you are coming from London and your first port of entry is St. Lucia, it is stamped there. If you then move on to move to Barbados, Antigua or Jamaica, then it would not be stamped," she pointed out. Visitors coming from a list of 46 non CARICOM countries will be required to show visa upon entry.
Meanwhile, in a historic move, CARICOM Heads have agreed to the establishment of a regional law enforcement operation team to buttress security arrangements for the cricket event. The team will consist of 400 police and military personnel. Jamaica will play a lead role among four CARICOM countries where security centres will be stationed.
"We will have a regional operation centre in Barbados with a northern one in Antigua, southern in Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica will provide the command for that regional operations law enforcement team," Miss Mottley revealed.
Members of the team will be pulled from the extended CARICOM community in order not to diminish the spread of security personnel across the region, "because you would appreciate that games are not played every day but the population who are visiting or the population that are resident are in the particular territories every day," she explained.
Domestic and regional watch lists will also be generated to include persons who have been deported to prevent their entry into the community. The security plan will also feature the setting up of a CARICOM Intelligence Sharing Network (CISNET), which is being financed by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.
Jamaica's National Security Minister, Dr. Peter Phillips who has responsibility for resource mobilization on CARICOM's security sub committee, indicated that the security plan would benefit the region even after the World Cup has ended.
He said that, "by the end of this tournament a more secure regional environment" would be in place. "Caribbean people will, in addition to the greater level of security, have greater freedom of movement following the end of the tournament," Dr. Phillips added. |