The Grenada Coastguard on Sunday turned back a boat from St. Vincent bringing supplies of food and cooking gas to the people of Petite Martinique.
Informed sources told THE NEW TODAY that the small coast guard vessel from Grenada was dispatched to the sister isle of Carriacou in recent days by Acting Commissioner of Police, Edvin Martin to protect the island’s borders in the Grenadines.
A source who is familiar with the incident said that the Vincentian boat was stopped short of landing in Petite Martinique.
There are no reports of warning shots being fired by local coastguard personnel to block the Vincentian boat.
According to a source, the Grenada coastguard vessel had been making regular trips to Petite Martinique since its arrival on Carriacou.
Petite Martinique is separated from Carriacou by a narrow stretch of water.
Sunday’s incident came days after a clash between the Prime Ministers of the two neighbouring islands on a statement made by St. Vincent Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves that his island was willing to provide food and cooking gas in “a structured way” to the people of Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
An angry Dr. Mitchell accused his Vincentian counterpart of encouraging citizens of another island to break the law because Grenada had closed its borders to the outside world in the wake of the deadly coronavirus.
Several of the inhabitants on Petite Martinique are known to work and earn their livelihood on Petite St. Vincent (PSV), a small Grenadine island that belongs to Mainland St. Vincent.
There has been no official statement made by the Mitchell government in St. George’s or the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) on the incident involving the Vincentian boat.
The Police High Command has scheduled a press briefing at 7.00 a.m Monday, 90 minutes earlier than the usual time in which the issue involving the local Coastguard and the Vincentian boat might be one of the agenda items.