Gov’t calms fears on tourists’ safety

The government has taken steps to protect tourists and visitors to the Northern Marianas following the issuance of a travel advisory by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs which has listed the islands as unsafe destination for its travelers.

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio disclosed yesterday he has been meeting with officials of various departments and agencies, including immigration and public safety, in response to the advisory which was posted on the website of the foreign ministry.

The meetings began last week after learning about the advisory cautioning Japanese citizens against traveling to the CNMI due to rampant crimes of robbery, murder, drug use and smuggling on the islands, particularly Saipan and Rota.

Japan is the Commonwealth’s biggest source of tourists and investors, while the tourism industry is the backbone of the local economy.

“We are not sitting down. We’re doing everything to [make sure] that our tourists and all visitors are protected and safe,” the governor told reporters in an interview after a proclamation signing at his office.

The government has also made an effort to appeal to the foreign ministry to change its assessment of the CNMI, he said. “We have to do our part. We are proactive,” added Mr. Tenorio.

The governor’s reaction on the report was a stark contrast to the comment of Senate President Paul A. Manglona who considered it a result of “misunderstanding” between CNMI and Japanese governments.

“It’s a matter of our government. . .sitting down and having better communication with the Japanese government because there must be some kind misunderstanding,” he told reporters in a separate interview.

He also defended the Commonwealth from the reported rise in crime incidents here, saying these activities should not make the islands unsafe for tourists and visitors.

“We are not really uncontrolled as far as crime here is concerned,” Mr. Manglona explained. “Yes, we have some concerns… but overall we can’t be labeled as unsafe destination compared to other countries in Asia.”

To correct misrepresentation and to promote the good side of the CNMI, the Senate leader underscored the need to meet with the Tokyo government so that their concerns would be properly addressed.

“It’s just a matter of MVA and our government sitting down and asking them for concerns they may have because, probably there may have been isolated incidents that are their concerns,” said Mr. Manglona.

“And maybe this is their way of sending a message to us that ‘Hey listen these things are going on and you guys have to take care of these’,” he added.