Loading ...“I believe its time for St Lucians to take responsibility for our actions. We cannot continue to invite people to our shores and not know it’s a safe place.”
That was Tourism Minister Allen Chastanet following an attack on cruise ship visitors and tour guides at a waterfall in Soufriere. Reports were that two masked men held up the group and at least one of the tour guides were injured in the process. Chastanet called on persons who operate places where they invite visitors to ensure that they have proper security. But were his warnings heeded? Not so, judging by what happened this week.
Police reported yesterday that Anse-La-Raye police are currently investigating a robbery, which occurred at the River Rock Waterfall in Anse-La-Raye. On Wednesday, police say, at about 11am, 14 tourists who had gone to the waterfall, were in the process of boarding a Safari Jeep, in preparation to return to Castries, when four masked men who were reportedly armed with firearms and cutlasses, approached them. Reports are the visitors were allegedly robbed of their jewelry and cash but no one got hurt.
Police have made no arrests and are still gathering information but are calling on the public for help. Anyone who may have information is asked to contact the Anse-La-Raye Police Station at telephone number: 4563600.
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You guys spend millions inviting them in and forget about the ghetto youths that put yoou’ll in power ghetto youths need to eat to.Give them jobs not promises like you did on election day.
I saw the news and one of the victims said she was told that there is no crime here. Is this island still being promoted as crime-free? We all know that crime is everywhere.
All visitors should be encouraged to leave their valuables in safekeeping on the ship or in the hotel when they go on sightseeing tours.
As for the vulnerable locations, they should all be heavily guarded, not in a manner that would be obtrusive to the visitors but covertly.
We have to face reality and do the necessary to protect the industry. Are we going to be so laid back and let St. Lucia be branded an unsafe destination?.
It looks like when white people who call themselves tourists are wronged, every effort is made to put it right— How about when black folks are abused and killed in these white peoples countries the same isn’t being done?
It looks like the life of a white tourist is far more precious than that of a black or caribbean man. These tourists are use to things like this happening in their respective countries. Who knows some of them may have even done things like these hence the saying wot goes round cumms round. They should stop trying to behave like victims as they are most certainly not. They are not victims.I am not trying to justify the actions of these masked men –Never.
Lucians and other black folks go thru hell before they are given entry into Europe especially Britain. We need to address the reasons why these masked men do what they do— maybe providing them with gainful employment may go towards a little way in helping them sort themselves out— and thereby avoiding scenes like these as no doubt this hopeless Minister of tourism with his irritating American accent will start the blame game.
it is easy to pass the buck by this wealthy man who has little interest in what goes on in StLucia. His concern is only for the White folks like him who visit StLucia. StLucia can do so much better.
Arise StLucia and Big Up Yourself.
Peter Wall
peter wall you are the very reason stlucia is so sick….our lack of respect for people s private property and life can be attributed to your way of not thinking…no body owes us a thing we are a bunch of lazy red eyed drunken youth willing to kill so we can buy a car and chill by the lime…its so sad…..one of these days we will rob the wrong person and i hope no body cries foul… one would think that its the first time that is happening…….again i will say we like it so……toof
I am a little ashamed of myself for saying this, but I used to be quite a marksman years ago, and if the government were to give me a quality rifle with a good scope, I wouldn’t mind spending a few random days picnicking in a good vantage point……you know…. just to give those people something to think about.
Well said Peti Mo. Why do the youth accept things as they are and then blame the system? Do something about it. I come from a poor family but managed to make it to a foreign country and University without the help of the Government; no breaks, just pure hard graft. Stop pointing fingers and get off your arse and get what’s yours - the right way, not by destroying peoples’ lives.
Peti Mo— Don’t you have anything better do do other than picking on me? You need to get a life you plonker. How dare you refer to Lucians as lazy? Is it a case of pot calling kettle black? StLucians are a hard-working lot and far from what you refer to them as Peti MO.
I am only trying to balance the situation here as I feel the spotlight is always on the Tourist(white Folks) and not on the causes of crime. Caribbean Tourists including Lucians are being ill-treated in the respective countries where these tour-rist hail from. they treat you like dirt. I am not trying to justify the actions of the wrong-doers. Not at all.
I am merely saying that the only time when there is a big hooray is only when white folks are wronged. How about when Lucians are ill-treated by these same Tour-rists in their own countries? StLucia has one nutter and that is Peti Mo— Get a Life Peti Mo.
Big Up StLucia
Peter Wall
peter wall you talking mageeeee,simple solution ,put more polce on the beat ,put mobile police station at the holday days out tours.we need proper train security service to aseort the taurist on our island.in england they give millions of tourist proper protection black or white.in london the black commiunity,black radio stations,is working with the white police to get rid of those so call gangsters in our neighbourhood..stop listenning to gangster ,ragga
music it only a making money for the record companies.st.lucia men are country bookies,with no education,they want everything free,they like freeness.ssu get those usless giving us bad name in a credit crunch. conie london.
Peter Wall without the WHITE folk where do you think Fair Helen would be? they work hard & save there money, so they can have the holiday of what they think is a life time, then some jack arse puts a gun in there face & you think they are hard done by. get a life
Peter Wall, I cannot condone nor condemn all that was stated but two wrongs cannot make a right. St. Lucia depends on tourism heavily. If we threaten our main income, how would our country be able to survive and support ourselves. If the tourism Minister is playing the race card, he is in the wrong counrty, since there isn’t too many of them around. Remember when we see a few like him, trust me they are all imports (lol). If the Anse-La-Raye Waterfall is a tourist attraction, then it needs armed security, because the tourist needs to know that they are being protected. With this thing call internet, the bad publicity will be available for everyone to see. St. Lucia will sooner or later lose its livelihood if something isn’t done.
WITH OUR ECONOMY BEING SO DEPENDANT ON THE TOURIST DOLLAR IT IS HARD TO FATHOM YOUR CONCLUSION MR PETER WALL.SURE WE NEED TO FIND CONSTRUCTIVE PROJECTS TO ENGAGE OUR YOUTH BUT BY NO MEANS SHOULD WE TRY TO JUSTIFY THEIR ACTIONS.WE HAVE A REGIME THAT HAVE BEEN TRYING TO PUT M & M IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER SINCE THEIR INAUGURATION YET WE FAIL TO HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR INCOMPITENCY.MR PW - MUST I REMIND YOU THAT THESE COUNTRIES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE DIVERSE THAN WE ARE? - AND UNLIKE US THEY MAY BE ABLE TO SUBSIDISE IF TOURISM FAILS?.TRUST ME MY FRIEND - AT THIS RATE , EVEN YOU WILL SOON BE AN ADVOCATE OF DRACONIAN MEASURES BEING IMPLORED AGAINST THESE BANDITS.
You want people to come to your island…Then you let them be robbed…Please take a lesson from Jamaca / Aruba / the D&R / the Bahamas …Do not let this happen to St.Lucia…When the tourisim is gone ..Then what will you do ?..
Wake up ! …
Well when the cruise ships stop going to St Lucia, and they will stop …..NCL will likely be the first to go…..then what are the locals going to do?
Tourists and cruise line have choices…..If the people of St Lucia want tourism they bette step up to the plate and rid the island of the criminal element or they will all suffer
As a tourist I find it reprehensible that someone like Peter Wall can say those things. So I guess you do not need the tourism industry and I hope that the cruise lines will stop calling on all the ports where people think it’s right for it to happen. I realize that crime is everywhere but that does not mean I think it’s right or that someone is ‘entitled’ to do it because they are black, green or purple. Absolutely Rediculous.
Yes…Peter Wall..the Tourism Minister is fully Americanized. When his first stint at the Tourism Board did not work out he took a hiatus in Fort Lauderdale and so began the transformation.
Let’s face it. Un-employment in St. Lucia is above 35%…simply put there are no jobs. Those who are employed, even by the government, aren’t sure if they are going to get their next pay check. Christmas is just around the corner and unlike in the USA there are no ‘Stimulus projects.” What is a poor unemployed person to do.
Unlike what PETI MO says that the persons committing the crimes “are lazy red eyed drunken youths.” I see them as victims of the economic situation in St. Lucia. Now I certainly don’t condone this practice…it’s wrong and gives the country a “bad rap.” But crimes against tourists are committed in every country, and so it’s not just in St. Lucia. And it’s at a minimal. To really arrist the situation security personnel should be places at every tourist attraction on the island. That would generate some new jobs and hopefull it will pleas PETI MO.
Peter Wall big up Breggren, I can feel the I stress. It is what it is; they are some who are not going to like what you are saying, some would ratehr that you sugar coat it and don’t be so “RAW ” but at the end of the day the truth always hurt. Make no mistake about it crime does not pay and when it happen against tourist (them kind of people) everybody piles on because some believe they are our saviors and our bread and butter to boot. If that was locals that had happen to there would have been little or no fanfare. Pal, we need them and we don’t need them. The tourism business in the islands have become a vertual monopoy and the heads of this cartel, the Chastanets , Uncle Butch Stewart and the other kingpins are the big benefactors. Our goverments are willing to sell everything but the kitchen sink or implement the use of Eminent Domain in the name of foregin investments to bring more tourist to our shores (case and point the plight of Majorie Lambert ) but how much of the trickle down tourist dollars are spent on social intervention programs or education for our youths. If there is to be a proper home for abondon youths or a decent pyschiatric center for the mentaly challenge it’s another country that have to step in and build it; one hardley ever hear of the goverment building anything for it citizens except jails or revamping new methods of collecting new taxes on it’s citizens. The glitter and glamour of festivals and Trans Atlantic Rallys is all good , but how much if any of the recieved monetary funds goes into ONE SINGLE AVENUE of improving the day to day lives or security of the average citizen, ZERO. So my friend, things will get worse before they get better, crimes like what happen at Anse-La-Raye will continue to happen as the divide between the have and the have- nots becomes greater.
We are whitefolks that refuse to play the race games. We cancelled our vacation to St.Lucia this year and will be going instead again to the Bahamas.We canrstay home and be robbed by gangbanger black youths and save a few thousand dollars. I know it is hard for young black men. In our area the unemployment rate tops 56% for this group. Fortunately the overwhelmng majority of youung black men here are men of character and have chosen to make do with less and not go out and rob people. i am willing to bet it is that way where these folks live too. Our vacation is sacred to us though. It is a chance for us to save all year to get away for a few days. It is not like because we are white that we are royalty. It is hard all over. We wioll not come where this many people get robbed at once. If you do noot get a grip on this very few will travel there. Word travels quickly nowadays.
education is not wisdom however wisdom is education……bro george warned us ……an idiot in a rolls is still an idiot…….stlucia has too many …..no wonder we killing each other……mental slavery blinding us to death…..ummmm look they jus kill another one…….toof
I am a writer specializing in the beautiful Caribbean. Thousands of people from all walks of life and from many countries read my articles. I love this region of the world and moved here after marrying a wonderful St :Lucian man. It greatly saddens me to continue to hear this “plantation talk” about white men and black men. We are all God’s children and must learn to treat each other with respect. That’s all men and women of any race want , isn’t it? You be nice, I’ll be nice. It’s a win/win for everyone. St Lucians, like you Mr Wall, should truly lay down your arms and just try to be kind and respectful to the world, the world will in turn be respectful to you.
I can’t begin to stress how important this is to your exquisite country. One of the first questions I am asked is “how is the crime?” I try never to directly answer this question so that tourists don’t abandon this island. I do remind them of the dangers that lurk throughout the world and strongly advise them to leave all jewelry, credit cards and passports in their hotel safe. For the sake of your children and their children, leave a legacy that this is a safe, friendly island or you will leave them with no jobs, money or future.
WHAT ! Crime is unacceptable in any shape form or size, what nonsense am I reading here, Peter Wall you are taking bread from people’s mouths !!!! Are you crazy ????? Not only are you crazy, you are ignorant and irresponsible. St.Lucia depends on tourism FULL STOP. We need to take our responsibilities seriously, tourists are WHITE, BLACK, CHINEY, INDIAN ETC, ETC, wake up it’s almost 2010, stop being ridiculous ! Tourists save their hard earned money to take an annual vacation, they make sacrifices, scrimp and save and they CAN CHOOSE anywhere in the WORLD. Stop all the nonsense and EDUCATE YOURSELF !!
dWAYNE STANLEY, I wonder where you live that there is no crime and a 56% unemployment rate??? Oh and by the way there is crime in the Bahamas. Here is just one recent report. http://www.thenassauguardian.com/more/295951512307110.php
I believe they refer to it as a record year of crime in the Bahamas. Have a great trip. I will be spending my hard earned money in St Lucia and will not let the actions of a few outway, the good of the many people of St Lucia. Just as I hope the people of St Lucia won’t judge me based on people like you.
I was booked on a cruise for Mar 2011 that is stopping in St. Lucia. After reading all the nonsense from the looney bin St. Lucians who see nothing wrong with the robbery of tourists, I hve cancelled this cruise. You wacko caribbean islanders need to realize that without tourists, you won’t have the lousy economy you do have. Good riddance. Don’t ever need to see your island.
My dear Lucians. Just to let you know, it has already started. People questioning if it is safe to come to Lucia. Its on all the travel talk forums. Tourists who have come for years are scared. Better clean it up friends. Its very bad publicity. Anyone who is travelling to Lucia checks out all these sites for info before coming. Don’t beleive me check out trip advisor talk forums.
Best of luck
A Canadian Friend.
I don’t understand how any of this is black or white…it’s right or wrong. White people from America elected a Black President, yet white tourists in St. Lucia being robbed are the problem?? It’s a matter of swallowing your pride and taking responsibility for your own actions, and asking yourself how can I better my country? White Americans travel to St. Lucia for the positive aspects, beautiful beaches, great culture ect…Lucians can make a profit by looking down on the few that do wrong, and take back the opportunities they have to benefit from the so called “white” tourists.