Committee created to deal with crimes

Government and private sectors yesterday moved swiftly to prevent any adverse effect which the travel advisory issued by the Japanese government may cause on the tourism economy.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan asked its citizens to take precautionary measures when traveling to the Northern Marianas due to the increasing crimes of robbery, murder, drug use and smuggling.

According to Dave M. Sablan, board chair of the Marianas Visitors Authority, an ad hoc committee was created to implement corrective measures and gather information on crime statistics which the CNMI government will provide to the Japanese Consulate.

The Japan Consulate defended the travel advisory issued on Saipan saying the website covers many travel destinations all over the world. Vice Consul Ryusei Kawasaki said the advisory will only be changed if there are statistics to prove that the crime rate on the islands is decreasing.

Mr. Kawasaki told MVA officials during a meeting last Friday that the advisory was based on the experiences of the Japanese nationals who visited the Northern Marianas.

The advisory written in Japanese emphasized that public places in the Northern Mariana Islands, especially Saipan, are unsafe. In fact, the foreign ministry told its Japanese travelers not leave their valuables in cars at parking areas unattended since these will be stolen. Even hotel rooms are no longer safe, thus, Japanese travelers are advised not to leave their belongings due to climbing incidents of theft.

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio attended a meeting with representatives from various government agencies, the Hotel Association of Northern Mariana Islands, the Japan-Saipan Travel Association and the Saipan Chamber of Commerce to assess the situation.

“We have to look at statistics maybe every month or every year to see if there is a reduction in crime so we can give this information to the Consulate of Japan,” said Mr. Sablan.

Any claim that the crime rate is decreasing must be backed by statistics since the Japan Consulate based its report on the number of Japanese tourists who seek their assistance after they have become victims of various crimes.

In terms of crime statistics, the CNMI is compared to Guam and Hawaii. While some officials claim that the crime rate in neighboring island Guam is much higher, the travel advisory issued by the Japan Foreign Affairs Ministry does not provide such picture. In fact, it provides a much kinder description about Guam.

Japanese travelers to Guam are warned about snatching incidents, diving related accidents and road accidents.

During the meeting, the Japan Consulate explained that there are two websites involving foreign destinations for its Japanese nationals. One is the website covering countries considered critical in terms of safety, while the other provides only a travel advisory.

“This is the first time that we detected an adverse information about the CNMI. Many younger Japanese tend to disregard the website and do not look at Saipan’s crime rate as a serious situation,” said Mr. Sablan.

DPS has already taken measures to curb crime incidents on the island with its bike patrol in Saipan. Obyan and Grotto, popular diving sites are manned by security guards to prevent burglary.

“However little the adverse publicity might have, we are still very concerned because we want an impeccable reputation for the CNMI especially about tourism,” he added.