By Stabroek News
Copyright stabroeknews
(Trinidad Express) The Venezuelan government yesterday claimed a tuna fishing vessel within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) was ‘illegally’ and ‘hostilely’ assaulted by a US Navy Destroyer- the USS Jason Dunham.
This follows a ramped US military presence in the southern Caribbean in the past few weeks and the lethal strike which killed 11 departing from Venezuela on an alleged ‘drug carrying’ vessel two weeks ago.
A communique released by the Venezuelan Government yesterday condemned the alleged US action which it said occurred on Friday.
It stated that the ‘Carmen Rosa’, a Venezuelan vessel manned by nine tuna fishermen was sailing 48 nautical miles northeast of La Blanquilla Island- a small island off Venezuela’s northern coast- when it was stopped by the Jason Dunham. 18 troops with ‘long weapons’ it said boarded and occupied the small boat for eight hours. Communication and normal activities were prevented, the release said.
The fishermen, the government said, had been authorized to engage in tuna fishing. The operation, it said, lacked any strategic proportionality that constituted provocation through excessive force.
“Those who order these provocations are looking for an incident that will justify an escalation of war in the Caribbean. By placing their soldiers and officers as cannon fodder and exposing their lives once again, they repeat the history of other events that led to endless wars, such as Vietnam.”
“This incident reflects the shameful behavior of political groups in Washington that, irresponsibly, commit extremely costly military resources and trained soldiers as tools to fabricate pretexts for military adventures, also undermining their own prestige and military honour by executing such a grotesque and excessive maneuver,” the statement read.
The Venezuelan government said it was demanding that the US cease these actions, which it said jeopardized the security and peace of the Caribbean. It said that it was also calling on the American people to reject the use of their soldiers to sustain the desires of the elite.
“Our country reaffirms its commitment to peace and will continue to defend its sovereignty and the security of its waters in the face of any provocation,” it said.
The Jason Dunham is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer which conducts counter-narcotics patrols, maritime surveillance, and escort missions. Its advanced radar and missile systems provide both defensive and offensive capabilities for the broader U.S. naval presence.
A map of the last estimated locations of the US deployments compiled by American magazine, Newsweek, showed that as of last week, the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, was located closest to Trinidad and Tobago.
The USS Lake Eerie, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser and the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, a Freedom-class littoral combat ship were close behind, just off the coast of Maracaibo- a Venezuelan city.
The USS Iwo Jima, the lead command vessel of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, which includes the San Antonio and Fort Lauderdale San Antonio-class transport and logistical support ships, as well as the USS Fort Lauderdale and the Jason Dunham were at that time all in the waters off Puerto Rico.
