We did get confirmation that all army personnel have been called out as well as police officers who have also been instructed to return to work- while others have had all their leave suspended.
No apparent reason has been given for the State One Threat Level issued internally by the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force- with Prime Minister Kamla Perdad Bissessar saying that she will have to find out- while her Defence Minister dodged questions in parliament this afternoon about the matter.
00:00As of 6 p.m. this evening, all Army personnel were ordered to report to their respective bases following a high-level meeting with the Commanding Officer of the Regiment, Colonel Duane Edwards, along with nine Staff Sergeants and the four Battalion Commanding Officers.
00:14Following that meeting, all active members were notified of the following with immediate effect as the TTDF has been placed on a State 1 alert level. All members were required at their respective bases by 6 p.m. today and a general muster would have been held by 6.30 p.m. Persons on resettlement, pre-retirement leave and sick leave should remain at the official residence on standby. Persons on regular annual leave are to remain on standby for further instructions.
00:42All are strongly advised to make all necessary arrangements with their families, make all personal arrangements in preparation for confinement.
00:50Status reports are required from all heads of sections by 6.30 p.m. This is not a drill all members are to acknowledge. Be guided accordingly.
00:59The order was signed off by Chief Petty Officer Hostin. Several senior Army intelligence sources told TV6 News that all 4,500 active duty members were called out and while they were not told about a specific threat, it was a posture of readiness they had adopted as a precautionary measure.
01:17At today's setting up Parliament during the urgent questions segment, Opposition MP Marvin Gonzalez asked whether Defence Force soldiers had been instructed to return to work with immediate effect.
01:28Minister of Defence Wainstage invoked the Parliament's standing orders to decline answering the question.
01:34Can the Minister confirm whether Defence Force officers have been instructed to return to base with immediate effect?
01:43Minister of Defence.
01:47Mr. Speaker, in keeping with the tenets of 27G, I respectfully beg to decline, giving an answer.
02:07Standing Order 271G of the Trinidad and Tobago House of Representatives is a procedural rule that permits the Minister to refuse to answer if, in their opinion, providing the information would be contrary to the public interests.
02:24Gonzalez raised objection to the Minister's response.
02:28However, House Speaker Jagdew Singh repeated the rules of the standing order and asked that they move on.
02:33Prime Minister Kamala Prasad-Bissessa told the media outside Parliament she had no information about the matter and she would have to find out.
02:41She said if a situation arises, they will deal with it and urge the population to be calm.
02:46And while the Prime Minister urged calm, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, as well as the Coast Guard, also called out all personnel.
02:53The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service through ACP Administration, Kurt Simon, also informed that all vacation leave for Special Reserve officers had been restricted until further notice.
03:04He also indicated that all SRPs currently on vacation leave are to return to their last place of duty with immediate effect.
03:11This message, he hoped, would redound to all the necessary divisions, sections and units.
03:16DCP, Benjamin also suspended all leave of officers.
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