Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves believes that the newly passed “Advanced Passenger Information Act”, will help to combat human trafficking here.
PM Gonsalves who is also Minister of National Security said while the act aims to deal with terrorism it will also ensure that other serious crimes such as human trafficking is tackled.
The Prime Minister said the act is spin off of the “Immigration Restriction Act” which was implemented as a regional initiative in 2007 for the cricket world cup.
The Prime Minister described the act as “sensible” noting that it also ensures that persons who are involved in human trafficking are detected.
PM Gonsalves expressed gratitude to immigration and custom officers who carry out their duties efficiently. He however expressed the need for them to “exercise good judgment” when dealing with matters such as suspected human trafficking.
Opposition Senator Kay Bacchus-Baptiste on the other hand has described the “Advanced Passenger Information Act” as very intrusive and could breach security.
In response to the presentation made by the Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves on the act, Bacchus-Baptiste said while the act has good intentions, caution must however be exercised to ensure that security information particularly pertaining to financial documents are not leaked.
