New Delhi, July 14 -- WASHINGTON - The United States State Department last week added a crime indicator to its travel advisory for Saint Lucia, formally elevating the eastern Caribbean island to Level 2, which the agency labels "Exercise Increased Caution," after a documented pattern of violent crime against American visitors reached a threshold the agency judged severe enough to require explicit government guidance. The change is not cosmetic. It reflects reported incidents that include armed robbery, assault, burglary, rape, and, in some cases, the killing of US citizens.

the idea that a wristband and a guarded compound reliably separate visitors from what happens on the other side of the gate.

Saint Lucia is among the Caribbean's mos...