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NASSAU AND BAHAMA ISLANDS’ LEADING NEWSPAPER

Jobless link tospike in crime

Volume: 108 No.37 THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012 PRICE – 75¢ (Abaco and Grand Bahama $1.25)

WEATHER

SUN ANDCLOUDS

HIGH 74FLOW 63F

By AVA TURNQUESTTribune Staff [email protected]

JOBLESS young men, whoabuse drugs and alcohol andare shielded by their respec-tive communities, have “pre-dominantly” contributed tothe nine per cent jump incrimes against the person lastyear.

A two per cent decreasewas recorded in the overallcategory in 2010.

After revealing overallcrime statistics, Commission-er of Police EllisonGreenslade yesterday chargedthat police faced extremechallenges in 2011 as a resultof the proliferation of illegalguns and an apparent totaldisregard for human dignityand life by young people inconflict.

“We have continued tospeak about this category ofserious crime which is perpe-trated by relatively youngBahamian men who areunemployed and seem to

have no interest in seekinggainful employment,” MrGreenslade said.

“To feed their habits andto supply their wants, thesemen continue to commit actsof robberies in our commu-nities. Once they have com-mitted their illegal acts, theyreturn to the safe haven incommunities where theircrimes are shielded by family,friends, and acquaintances.”

Attempted robbery andmurder cases soared with 39per cent and 35 per centincreases respectively.

Cases of rape, which saw adecrease in 2010, surged 37per cent overall. While casesof rape in Grand Bahama sawa 47 per cent drop, cases inNew Providence and theFamily Islands climbed 56 percent and 67 per cent respec-tively.

Addressing the media at hisannual "Meet the Press" ses-sion at the Paul FarquharsonCentre at Police Headquar-

Police blamedrug users for rise in offences

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POLICE COMMISSIONER Ellision Greenslade addresses the media during a press conference on nation-al crime statistics. Photo: Felipé Major/Tribune Staff

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By LAMECH [email protected]

A PROMINENT figure inthe Bahamas constructionindustry appeared before amagistrate yesterday.

Peter Whitehead, 61, wasin court to plead not guilty tomaking a false declaration toa US customs officer, and fail-ing to declare he had fundsexceeding $10,000.

It is alleged that on Friday,

By SANCHESKA BROWNTribune Staff [email protected]

PLP candidate Alex Storrhas accused the FNM of usingLong Island MP LarryCartwright, as “a scapegoat”for the mess it created in hisconstituency.

Mr Storr, who is the PLP’scandidate for Long Island,said the FNM has to takeresponsibility for neglectingthe people of Long Island.

“The FNM has left a sour

taste in the mouth in the peo-ple of Long Island,” Mr Storrclaimed.

“They are making LarryCartwright take the fall fortheir dismal performance inthat constituency when theyare the ones to blame. Theypaid no attention to the con-stituents for too long and nowthey will reap what they sow.These people are ready for achange and real representa-tion.”

Mr Cartwright, who is thecurrent MP for Long Island,

confirmed that he will not runin the 2012 general electionunless expressly asked by hisconstituents.

He said he promised theLong Island community twoterms and now that his time isup, he is willing to step down.

The Tribune reported yes-terday that Montagu MPLoretta Butler Turner hasbeen nominated as the FNMcandidate for Long Islandreplacing Mr Cartwright.


A FUGITIVE on the runfor 10 years was finally arrest-ed on Christmas eve in watersoff Bimini.

But when he appearedbefore a magistrate yesterday,he offered no explanation asto why he had ducked hisdrugs trial since 2002.

Avery Sargent appearedbefore Deputy Chief Magis-trate Carolita Bethell toreceive a date for his trial inwhich four of his co-accusedwere already convicted andsentenced.

He and four men had beenarrested following a majormarijuana drug find in watersof South Andros on January20, 2002.

However when they wereexpected to appear for trialin June of that year, Sargentdid not show up.

By DANA [email protected]

A COLUMNIST in one ofthe UK’s most popular dailiestold his readers the govern-ment’s approval of the AgaKhan’s development plans forBell Island could have animpact on the upcoming elec-tion.

The controversial develop-ment of the island in the Exu-ma Land and Sea Parkattracted a great deal of criti-cism, with many hitting out atMr Deveaux for accepting aride in the Aga Khan’s luxuryhelicopter to a film screeningin Abaco.

SSeeee ppaaggee 88

SSeeee ppaaggee 88

SSeeee ppaaggee 1100

SSeeee ppaaggee 1100

SSeeee ppaaggee 88

MP ‘USED AS A SCAPEGOAT’ BY FNM

ARRESTEDAFTER BEINGON THE RUN

FOR 10 YEARS

AGA KHANROLE ‘COULDAFFECT VOTE’

CONSTRUCTIONCHIEF IN COURT

A PINEWOOD Gardensman was arraigned before twoMagistrates yesterday morn-ing on various charges, includ-ing housebreaking and pos-session of drugs with intentto supply.

Damal Campbell, 27, firstappeared before DeputyChief Magistrate CarolitaBethell in Court Eight, BankLane.

It is alleged that on Decem-ber 30, the accused was foundin possession of seven poundsof marijuana with intent tosupply.

Campbell pleaded notguilty and was told by thedeputy chief magistrate thathe would not be granted bail.

“Under the Bail Act thatwas amended, this court doesnot have the discretion togrant bail,” she said. “There-fore bail is denied.”

The matter was adjournedto May 28 for trial and theaccused was escorted out of

court in handcuffs.Minutes later, he appeared

in Court One before ChiefMagistrate Roger Gomez tobe charged with a break-in ata home that occurred the daybefore he was arrested on thedrug charge.

It is alleged that onDecember 29, he broke intothe home of Kennedy Pinderin Pinewood Gardens andstole an iPod Touch, goldchain, digital camera andwatch, together valued at$1,729.

He is also accused of receiv-ing the watch.

The accused denied theallegations and pleaded notguilty. He will return to courtin May for trial.

LOCAL NEWS

PAGE 2, THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012 THE TRIBUNE

A BAHAMIAN realtorwith ERA Dupuch played astarring role on the well-known HGTV channel, help-ing to find a rental propertythat satisfied the require-ments of a professional expa-triate couple.

"This couple had justmoved from Dubai, andwere excited about havingjobs that landed them in Nas-sau, but were apprehensiveabout what properties theycould find to match theirhigh standards and expecta-tions in a rental property, "said Kyla Ralston, who wasselected by the casting pro-ducer in the UK to workwith the popular TV showthat attracts some 20 millionviewers in the US weekly.

“They wanted to takeadvantage of living on anisland surrounded by beauti-ful waters for diving, fishing,swimming, snorkeling. Directaccess to the beach was veryimportant. They do not have

children, so issues we usuallytake into consideration, likeproximity to good schools,was not material to thesearch."

The couple were seekinga beachfront home or con-do, at a rental rate ofbetween $2,500-$3,500.

House Hunters Interna-tional has filmed in theBahamas a number of times.Last year, HGTV viewersvoted Harbour Island thefifth best place to live in theworld.

But the episode featuringMs Ralston was slightly dif-ferent. The search was notfor an exotic getaway, nor ona Family Island, not a pur-chase, but a rental. Thesearch started two monthsearlier. The episode with MsRalston and the couple wasfilmed from December 9-11,for airing in spring 2012.

“We had to identify threeapartments that matchedtheir budget and wish list,"

said Ms Ralston. "It was myresponsibility to find theapartment that best matchedtheir criteria."

Ms Ralston went throughlistings, searching for com-parables, and produced therequired number -two onCable Beach and one inLove Beach. For the nextthree days, the film crew putin 12-hour days, with MsRalston along for every stepof the journey.

In the end, the 'perfect'apartment turned out to bethe very one the couple spot-ted the first time and agreedon then.

“I was very proud that Iwas selected to do theshow," said Ms Ralston,who believes her past expe-rience in film provided pro-ducers with extra comfort.She said it was great expo-sure for the Bahamas, forthe industry, its profession-alism and the variety ofproperties available.

Bahamas realtor starring on HGTV


FIVE Jamaican women,arraigned in Magistrate’sCourt yesterday afternoon,pleaded guilty to overstayingtheir time in the Bahamas.

Abigail Williams, StacyHenry, Darcia Gilroy, Shama-ra Hall and Raquel Cockinswere arrested and detainedDecember 21, after it wasfound that they had over-stayed their time from a weekto four months.

The women apologized toChief Magistrate RogerGomez and gave their indi-vidual reasons for committingthe offence.

Separately charged beforethe chief magistrate, GradeTwo Immigration officerKendal Rahming told thecourt that two days afterWilliams was arrested anddetained, her Jamaican pass-port was submitted to hisdepartment by police.

The passport showed thatWilliams had come to Nassauon November 27 as a visitorwith permission to stay for 14days.

Prosecutor Rahming saidthe visiting period ended onDecember 11. He said thatthe accused did not inquireabout or receive an extensionto stay.

Williams explained that shedid apply for an extension andoverstayed because “I wantedto stay for Junkanoo.”

In response to the explana-

tion, the amused chief magis-trate replied, “That’s the bestexcuse I’ve ever heard. I want-ed to go to Junkanoo too.”

“You got to see it on TV?”he asked. “No, sir,” she replied.

As immigration deniedclaims that she had filed foran extension, she replied thatshe had done so two daysbefore her visiting time wasto expire.

She nevertheless apolo-gized to the chief magistrate“for overstaying my time inyour country.”

Chief Magistrate Gomez inresponse told her that“because of the circum-stances, you’ll pay a fine of$500 or one month at HerMajesty’s Prison.”

He advised her to file foran extension the next time sothat she would not “miss theparade.” He also recom-mended early deportation.

The remaining four defen-dants also pleaded guilty asthey stood before Chief Mag-istrate Gomez.

Prosecutor Rahminginformed the court that onDecember 21, the fourwomen were arrested in anapartment on McKinneyAvenue after a search of theirpassports revealed that theyhad overstayed their time.

Henry had overstayed by alittle more than a week whileGilroy and Hall had bothoverstayed by three weeks.

It was revealed that Cockinshad been in the country sincethe beginning of August, 2011.

Henry was the first of thefour to explain the reasonbehind her actions. She saidshe had been given 30 days inthe country and had updatedher ticket to return home onDecember 28, so that shecould be married. She admit-ted that she had not filed foran extension. Her fiancé,Melvin Smith, produced rele-vant papers showing that herexplanation was legitimate.

Gilroy, who stayed threeweeks longer than allowed,said it was “because I like thecountry and I wanted tospend Christmas here.” Shetoo admitted that she didn’tapply for an extension.

Hall’s reasons were similar,although she added that “Iwanted to spend Christmasand New Years in a differentcountry.” She added that shehad experienced complica-tions with AirJamaica con-cerning her tickets.

Before Raquel Cockinscould explain why she was inthe country since August,Chief Magistrate Gomezasked: “You were looking forpermanent residency, MsCockins?”

“I’m very sorry, I trulyam,” was her reply.

He fined Cockins $1,500 ora month in jail as she hadoverstayed longer than herco-accused.

Hall and Gilroy were fined$1,000 each, which if they failto pay they too will face amonth in prison. Henry wascautioned.

FINDING THE RIGHT NEST – HGTV’s House Hunters International film crew captures a special bird rest-ing moment while on location in New Providence during an episode shoot of the well-travelled show.

JAMAICANS ADMIT OVERSTAYINGBURGLARY AND DRUGCHARGES FOR ACCUSED

By KHRISNA [email protected]

BAHAMAS NationalTrust officials are offering a$2,000 reward for informationon the person or persons whodumped debris in the Bone-fish National Park.

BNT executive directorEric Carey said it was dis-maying to find the pile of con-struction scraps and rubbleyesterday morning, particu-larly after the “breathtaking”tribute to the nation’s wet-lands by the Valley Boys dur-ing the New Year’s Dayjunkanoo parade.

“We believed that by hav-ing the group use the wetlandsas a theme, that it was an indi-cation that we were gainingsuccess in creating awarenessabout the importance of thesesystems,” he said.

The BNT makes presenta-tions on the importance ofpreserving wetlands to nearly10,000 students a year. Of thatnumber, almost 7,000 visit theBonefish Park.

Mr Carey said he can’tunderstand why someonewould use the park as adumping ground.

He said: “It could have onlybeen an idiot who would dri-ve down here and think, ‘I’mgoing to dump this out here’.

“But, you would find, thatsame idiot would not have ahundredth of an ounce ofdecency that would lead himto think, ‘Wow, I can't dumpthat here’.

“We spent a lot of timecleaning this area, formerly aplace where people came toburn cables to extract copper.”

Mr Carey said the BNT isnow working with the govern-ment extend its system of board-walks and other infrastructurethroughout the park. He saidthe government has seen thepark’s potential as a source ofincome for Bahamians.

“We hope that people woulduse the Self-Starter Programmeto jump-start tour guide busi-nesses. The park is also seenby the government as recre-ation for tourists,” he said.

As for the reward, MrCarey said: “We want to senda clear message to people thatthis is not acceptable. Anyinformation that leads to find-ing who is responsible for thedumping, will be handled tothe full extent of the law.”

An environmental healthofficial said the penalty fordumping of this kind could beanything from a $500 to$10,000 fine, and couldinclude a spell in prison.

By CELESTE NIXONTribune Staff [email protected]

THE Pharmacy Councilhas warned Bahamians of thedangers of the illegal sale ofpharmaceuticals and use ofblack-market drugs.

During a press conferenceat the Ministry of Health yes-terday Bahamas PharmacyCouncil chairman Philip Graywarned that use of unregulat-ed prescription drugs andblack-market drugs suppliedby non-pharmacists, could beputting Bahamians’ health atserious risk.

He said: “The sale of pre-scription items with no over-sight of a pharmacist is unac-ceptable — the black marketsale of pharmaceuticals is aneven more dangerous prac-tice.”

The Bahamas PharmacyCouncil is a government bodythat regulates and controlspharmacy practices, the prac-tices of licensed professionalsand sets industry standardsand guidelines.

Since its establishment twoyears ago, Mr Gray said thecouncil has been following astrategic plan that now movesits attention towards the pro-tection of the country’s bor-ders in regards to the entryand exit of medications andthe “eradication of illicit andillegal pharmacy practices.”

In particular, Mr Gray saidthe council is “deeply con-cerned” by the side streetsales of medication by non-pharmacists and sale of black-market pharmaceuticals,which have been importedinto the country illegally. Asthe government cannot con-trol the chain of distributionand the origin or quality ofthe drugs that can be“extremely dangerous”.

He said: “I want to warnthe general public that, thatis extremely dangerous – youput yourself at greater riskthan cost because you may begetting something that ispotentially lethal.

“When investing in yourhealth, you should ensure thatyou go to a legitimate regis-tered pharmacy, which willhave pharmacists and licenceson display,” said Mr Gray.

In addition, he said it isimportant that the public beinformed by a professionalabout all medications they areusing, including over thecounter drugs, which can reactto prescription drugs.

While Mr Gray could notsay how prevalent these ille-gal transactions are, he saidthe council is currently in thepreliminary stages of investi-gating several entities with theassistance of the CustomsDepartment and the PoliceForce.

“Such practices by non-pharmacists will be dealt withforthwith and prosecuted tothe full extent of the law – wevehemently suggest that suchactivity cease immediately,”he said.

The council is also urgingthe public to come forward

with any information regard-ing illegal pharmaceuticalsales.

LOCAL NEWS

THE TRIBUNE THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012, PAGE 3

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INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS& COMMERCE

TEL: 324-4625

Reward offered tocatch litterbugs


THE ruling on the dis-charge or arraignment ofthree men suspected in a$500,000 extortion attemptwas delayed in Magistrate’sCourt.

Shakatoure Thompson, 23,Robert Smith Jr, 24, andRobert Smith Sr, 61,appeared before Chief Mag-istrate Roger Gomez yester-day to learn whether or nothe would dismiss the chargeagainst them or allow it toproceed in a preliminaryinquiry.

It is alleged that the threemen, between September 12and October 17, 2010,attempted to extort half a mil-lion dollars from Todd Cul-mer.

They had appeared inCourt One, Bank Lane beforethe chief magistrate on Tues-day afternoon.

However, before theirarraignment could commence,defence attorneys Ian Cargilland Krysta Smith argued thatthe indictment was takingplace past the date set by thestatute of limitations. It, there-fore, was not properly beforethe courts.

The prosecution counteredthat the law made provisionsfor a Magistrate to proceedwith a pre-trial in circum-stances where police ran outof time for their investiga-tions.

Chief Magistrate Gomezhad delayed the matter to yes-terday morning to make adecision.

He granted Smith Sr abond of $5,000 while remand-

ing the two accused to prisonafter prosecution informedthe court that Smith Jr andThompson, with pendingcharges already before thecourts, had breached bail con-ditions.

However, when theaccused returned to courtyesterday, the matter wasadjourned to January 10 inCourt Five, Bank Lane,where the charges were ini-tially supposed to be havebeen dealt with.

In the meantime, the chiefmagistrate told Smith Jr andThompson that they would begranted the same bond astheir co-defendant.

However, he added thatthey were going to beattached to the electronicmonitoring system.

Before these charges, SmithJr had been on bail, grantedby the Supreme Court lastJuly, 10 days after he hadbeen charged with the June17 shooting death of WinfieldSmith. He also had an out-standing warrant of arrestfrom Court Six, where his sec-ond charge of car theft is con-tinuing.

Thompson had also beenon bail after he had beencharged last September inconnection with an armedrobbery at the Island Luckweb cafe, Carmichael Road.He also has a possession ofdangerous drugs case beforethe courts.

The two men, with SmithSr, will return to court onTuesday, January 10, beforeMagistrate Derence Rolle-Davis in Court Five at thenew Magistrate’s Court com-plex, Nassau Street.

ILLEGAL DRUGS WARNING

DELAY INEXTORTION

RULING

A $2,000 REWARD is be offeredfor information on who might beresponsible for dumping at Bone-fish Pond, which has left to becleaned up by National Trust vol-unteers. Photos: Tim Clarke/Tribune Staff

EDITOR, The Tribune.

On Tuesday, 22nd Novem-ber, 2011, I caught the last fiveminutes of the NB-12 9pmprogramme. Fred A Mitchell,Jr, presumably in his capacityas a PLP member, was beinginterviewed and suggestedthat government needed toget creative and should con-sider waiving all Real Prop-erty Taxes outstanding for theyears prior to 2007.

The implication being, as Iunderstood it, that this wouldassist government in then get-ting the message to Bahamiansabout the dire need for them topay their taxes and would actu-ally assist government in col-lecting taxes going forward.

What a load of nonsense!Why would I ever pay my tax-es if I thought I might get anamnesty in future if I waitedlong enough! In any event,over the years government hasregularly given amnesties onReal Property Tax surcharges ifa person paid the outstandingtaxes in full. In fact there is cur-rently such an amnesty in placefor commercial properties.

Why do our HonourableMembers of Parliament con-tinually support those who failto honour their basic obliga-tions as members of society(not paying property taxes, notpaying national insurance pay-ments and the like) and whoare otherwise breaking the law(numbers houses) instead ofacknowledging and givingcredit to law-abiding citizens.

In my view, governmentshould do what it is supposedto do and actively go afterthose who have failed to meettheir obligations. They havebeen doing this, selectively itseems, for National Insurancecontributions. Why not forReal Property Taxes? And ifFred Mitchell wants to get cre-ative then I think he shouldget creative by waiving prop-erty taxes for the next fiveyears for all persons whosetaxes are presently current. Ina nutshell it seems that theideal world of Fred Mitchell isone where those who paytheir taxes are fools and thosewho don't can expect Gov-

ernment to eventually absolvethem of their responsibilitieswhile they sit back and laughat all the foolish taxpayers.

Why is Mr Mitchell mak-ing such a suggestion anyway?Sometimes it makes one won-der if it might be because ourHonourable representativesare themselves not all suchhonourable citizens.

I would like to take thisopportunity to challenge FredMitchell and every currentMember of Parliament andevery prospective electoralcandidate in the upcomingelections, whether PLP, FNMor DNA to disclose how muchthey personally, and any com-pany in which they have aninterest, owe in Real Propertytaxes. Further, I challengethese same persons to disclosethe status of the Real Proper-ty taxes for any property theyown or have an interest in. Infact, given the current discus-sions on the National Insur-ance and Business Licencefees in relation to the strawmarket vendors, I challengethese same persons to disclosethe status of any BusinessLicence fees and NationalInsurance contributions forwhich they, or a business orcompany in which they haveany interest, are responsible.

A BAHAMIAN TAX-PAYER IN GOODSTANDING

Nassau,December 7, 2011.

EDITOR, The Tribune.

IT WAS not very long agowhen the former Director ofthe Department of Lands andSurvey came under fire forallowing that agency to grantland to members of his imme-diate family.

From the information pub-lished in the print media, verysmall sums were paid forthese properties. Once thesepersons would have takenpossession of the land, inshort order they were“flipped” ie they were soldfor hundreds of thousands ofdollars more than the initialpurchase price. Thereappeared to be something ter-ribly wrong at this Depart-ment.

As a result of the prevailingor perceived inconsistencies, aCommission of Inquiry wasappointed to investigate andcall for records and personsas may be necessary. To myrecollection the Commissionof Inquiry was convened, indi-viduals were subpoenaed andquestioned at length con-cerning the acquisition of landand/or matters pertainingthereto. The questioningincluded those who obtainedparcels of Crown land, forthemselves and or their rela-tives.

Most, if not all of us, wouldagree that these are hard eco-nomic times and as such it isinconceivable that the Com-mission is still in session afterconvening more than a yearago. Further, it is hard toimagine such a costly andimportant inquiry being con-

ducted without some mean-ingful conclusions to sharewith the Bahamian public.

It is important for us toremember that such proceed-ings are conducted at theBahamian public’s expense.This being the case, then it isno more than reasonable andrespectful that the findingsand recommendations beshared with those who “footthe bill.”

Prior to, or during the timeof the appointment of theCommission of Inquiry, apromise was made to theBahamian people. A list of allrecipients who were grantedCrown land over a specifiedperiod of time was to be com-piled and shared with thepublic. In addition, any fur-ther granting of Crown Landwas to be put on hold untilfurther notice. Did we everreceive that notice?

The mere fact that a Com-mission of Inquiry wasappointed suggests that theremay have been issues ofimpropriety and malfeasance.The purpose then of theCommission was to bring clar-ity to the situation and thusabsolve those inadvertentlyaccused, and penalize thewrong-doers. The Bahamianpeople need to know threethings:

(I) Where is the promisedlist of persons who are recip-ients of Crown Land grants;

(2) Has the hold on thegranting of Crown Land beenlifted;

(3) Is there a final reportfrom the Commission ofInquiry?

There are many Bahamianswho can benefit from thegrant of a small portion ofCrown Land so that they canclaim ownership of a piece ofthe rock. Unfortunately, formany years now the trend isto grant large acreage tomany who can well afford topurchase for themselves andthose who cannot are deniedeven a quarter of an acre.There are thousands of acreslying dormant and as specu-lation having been in manyinstances acquired under thepretext of the establishmentof some industrial or agricul-tural entity. Such develop-ment we can be assuredwould definitely help theunemployment situation.

We need to know whetherany recommendation hasbeen made to prevent future“flipping” of land granted toan individual for a specificpurpose(s). Lastly, what arethe controls in place now, toprevent future hoarding ofacreage upon acreage, bythose desirous of speculatingwith real estate and not fol-lowing through with theintended use as stipulated onthe application for the land.

The Bahamian people needto know.

MICHAEL E TURNERNassau, November 21, 2011.

EDITORIAL/LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


The Tribune LimitedNULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI

Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master

LEON E. H. DUPUCH, Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH, Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B.Publisher/Editor 1972-

Published Daily Monday to Saturday

Shirley Street, P.O. Box N-3207, Nassau, BahamasInsurance Management Building., P.O. F-485, Freeport, Grand Bahama

YESTERDAY morning, a Bahamianpilot e-mailed us an advisory sent out fromthe US Embassy. It was intended only forUS citizens with travel plans, but got widerdistribution than intended. Apparentlythe advisory was not posted on the generalUS Embassy Travel Advisory web site forgeneral consumption.

Dated January 3, 2012 the messageread:

“The US Embassy is transmitting thefollowing message to alert US citizensthat, due to a labour dispute with air traf-fic controllers, travellers have experiencedsignificant flight delays at the Lynden Pin-dling International Airport in Nassau, theBahamas. US citizens using this airportshould plan accordingly.”

It then advised US citizens travellingor residing overseas to enrol in the SmartTraveller Enrolment programme for fur-ther information.

The dissemination of this informationby the Embassy for the convenience ofits citizens was the direct result of thechaos caused at the airport on Christmasday by the air traffic controllers, whochose that day to prove their power and“go slow”. No one is questioning the causeof the Christmas day travel fiasco at theairport. Even the traffic controllers admitthat they were on “go slow” in connectionwith their union’s contract negotiations.

However, when there was a repeat per-formance on New Year’s Day no one wasprepared to accept the explanation of theNassau Airport Development (NAD) offi-cial who said that air traffic controllershad “made every effort to expedite arrivalsand departures” on New Year’s day.

The NAD official blamed the chaos onflight congestion caused by the saturationof Miami airspace. Still others pointed outthe added confusion caused by anincreased volume of unscheduled privateaircraft, which had to also be accommo-dated for takeoff between the increasedarrival and departures of commercial air-craft. Whoever or whatever the cause,there was mismanagement somewhere inthe system at the airport on Monday. Hav-ing gone through Christmas, the newyear’s holiday should have been antici-pated, and better planned. For example,were there enough traffic controllers onduty for the extra traffic that should havebeen expected? Were there enough seniorstaff in the tower to assist with the con-gestion? Should tower staff be bettertrained to cope with such situations? Wecan swirl around in circles asking ques-tions, but reaching no conclusion.

It is being insisted that the chaos was notdue to industrial unrest. It is true that thecontrollers’ union had made a statementthat their industrial action had been calledoff in anticipation of contract negotiations– although in the background there was

another union making growling noisesand keeping everyone in suspense.

However, the air traffic union has onlyitself to blame after what transpired — asa direct result of their actions — on Christ-mas day. No amount of explaining, ordenying will completely dispel the suspi-cion that they also had something to dowith the inconvenience caused to all pas-sengers at Pindling International Airporton Monday.

This should be a lesson to the union.Tourism is an essential industry that can-not be trifled with by a handful of union-ists. Their irresponsible behaviour affectsthe jobs of too many people — Bahamiansat all levels of the economic scale — forthem to demonstrate their power by show-ing how they can cripple the country’seconomy.

And so the controllers might well havebeen doing their best on Monday, indus-trial action might have in no way con-tributed to the nation’s embarrassment inthe shabby manner in which our mostimportant customers were treated onMonday, but as the saying goes: “Go tellthat one to the Marines!” No one else islistening.

Christmas day was the air traffic con-trollers’ undoing. It was their behaviouron that shameful day that instigated the USEmbassy’s warning to its citizens to bewareof the airport because of a “labour dis-pute with air traffic controllers”. It washis experience on Christmas Day thatcaused the Jet Blue pilot to lose his cool aweek later. It was the memory of that daythat caused him to tell his passengers thatthey had “work to rule” controllers toblame for their discomfort. It was alsothose thoughts that caused him — aftermore than a three-hour wait with a planefull of unhappy passengers — to threatenwhat would happen if the tower did notgive him immediate clearance for take off.

DNA leader Branville McCartney haspredicted that employees at Atlantis willbe laid off in the next six months becauseof the recent business deal between Kerzn-er International and Brookfield manage-ment company. If the unions — most ofwhose contracts with government arefalling due within the next three months —think only of themselves in these negotia-tions and not of the nation, and if theydemonstrate the irresponsible behaviourthat we have seen recently, there will bemore than Atlantis workers unemployed.And it won’t be because of any businessdecisions, it will be because when an elec-tion nears unionists force politicians tomake concessions that the country can-not afford, and which would not be grant-ed at any other time of the year.

As one observer commented this week,today’s union leaders are a different breed,they are not nation builders.

Clarify therules on‘flipping’

[email protected]

Why air traffic controllers are being blamed

NOTICE is hereby given that HOPE JACQUELINE COOKE of ORANGE DRIVE, P.O. BOX FH-14189, NASSAU, BAHAMAS, is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for registration/naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 29th DAYof DECEMBER, 2011 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, Bahamas.

NOTICE

Fred Mitchell, the PLP and real property taxes

By KHRISNA [email protected]

DESPITE seeking electionin a constituency that hasbeen FNM for the past 10years, PLP candidate ArnoldForbes insists he has a goodchance of winning.

Discussing his work inMount Moriah, which beganmore than 18 months ago,Mr Forbes said he and histeam are now ready to tack-le the concerns of con-stituents.

He said: “I believe that Ibring to the table a represen-tative who would care for hispeople. I would not be anabsentee one.

“I believe it is most impor-tant that people see me on aregular basis and that I amthere to deal with problemsin the community.

“Most of the people I’vetouched are simple, with sim-ple needs that have not beenmet.

“In me, they have someonewho will make sure theirneeds are met.”

Topping the list of concernsfor residents, Mr Forbes said,is the need to feel safe andsecure.

“Most people have con-cerns over the crime situationand not coming back to theirhomes to find someone in it.They want to feel safe and

come home to meet theirhome intact,” he said.

The president and directorof Del Sol Productions Ltdand Bahamia Ltd said MountMoriah constituents are alsofeeling the economic pinchand many are unemployed.

“People want jobs,” he said.“In every home that I've beento, there are people who just

want to work. “They want to provide for

themselves.”Mr Forbes will be up

against one of the leaders ofthe FNM, Minister of Nation-al Security Tommy Turn-quest, but the challenger isfeeling confident, and isalready making plans to hitthe ground running after theelection.

He said: “Mount Moriahneeds a food bank. There arepeople in the constituency,specifically children, who aregoing to bed hungry everynight.”

A community after-schoolprogramme is another initia-tive Mr Forbes wants to intro-duce right away.

“Idle hands are the devil’sworkshop, so the childrenneed to have something to doafter hours. In that, the edu-cation problem can beaddressed,” he said.

“As far as crime is con-cerned and people not beingable to get jobs, a lack ofproper education is in theforefront,” he said.

In the coming four to sixweeks, Mr Forbes hopes tocanvas the areas of the con-stituency he has not yet visit-ed.

LOCAL NEWS


Proverbs 13 :11

Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,

But he who gathers by labor will increase.

PLP candidate tellsof his hopes

PLP CANDIDATE Arnold Forbes.


THE Progressive LiberalParty criticised the govern-ment for the decline in thecountry’s number one indus-try and second largestemployer since 2008, espe-cially on the island of GrandBahama.

In a press release issued bythe PLP, oppositionspokesman on Tourism ObieWilchcombe said the govern-ment’s “mismanagement” ofthe country’s tourism sectorhas had negative backlash forthose involved in the industry.

“The Government’s mis-management of the sector hascaused a record high level ofunemployment, hotel closures,layoffs and immeasurablehuman suffering,” he said.

Mr Wilchcombe added that

“the year 2010 recorded oneof the lowest stopover arrivalssince 1985 and already 2011numbers are below 2010 bysome 4 per cent.”

He chided the government,saying that they had not“articulated an effective plan”to reverse the trend. Theopposition MP accusedtourism minister VincentVanderpool-Wallace of try-ing to “mask his abysmal per-formance” by spotlighting theincrease in cruise ship visitors.

“It is a fact that stopovervisitors are down. It is a factthat the government refusesto produce the figures for theTOTAL expenditure of visi-tors for the years 2008through 2010 and 2011.”

He ultimately accuses thegoverning party of not placingtop priority on Bahamiansand said the “relaxed, neglect-

ful and lackadaisical approachto this critical area of oureconomy has resulted in TheBahamas losing its premierposition in the region.”

Speaking on GrandBahama where he holds aseat as MP for West End andBimini, the former ministerof tourism said that thedespite “numerous promises”by the government to“improve” the lives of GrandBahamians, “one hotel afteranother has either gone outof business or is operating atminimal levels.”

He further stated that “thou-sands of workers have beenmisplaced and countless fami-lies have had their lives dis-rupted as breadwinners havemoved to other Islands to ekeout a living and too manyBahamians have become vir-tual economic refugees in theirown country.”

He said that the govern-ment failed to build on thesuccesses of the PLP on thatisland concerning tourism as“our team was successful infacilitating increased airliftsinto Grand Bahama, namelyWest Jet, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue and Virgin Airlines.”

Speaking on hotel closuresand those still open, he saidthe government “has notdone enough to attract suffi-cient stopover visitors to fillthe significantly reduced num-ber of hotel rooms in GrandBahama.”

Mr Wilchcombe wants thecountry and more important-ly Grand Bahama to knowthat the PLP “are ready to getto work” and promised thatif elected to office, they willmove quickly to “revitalize,diversify and grow ourtourism product by partner-ing with the Grand BahamaPromotion Board to guaran-tee airlift to Grand Bahama.”

“We will also retool andequip the Hotel Corporationso as to give the necessary sup-port and incentives to smallerboutique Bahamian ownedhotel properties,” he said.

LOCAL NEWS


invites applicationsfor the following part-time position:

Knowledge and Skills Required:ArcGIS Desktop, ArcObjectsUnderstanding of and organizing GIS dataFirm comprehension of geospatial conceptsExperience with 3D geo-visualization, Google EarthKnowledge of working with ESRI GeoDatabase data modelsFamiliarity with relational databases and SQL queriesAbility to independently synthesize complex data into information for presentationCompetency in documenting processes and methodologiesManaging Map Documents, Adding Spatial and Attribute Data, Labeling and Editing

Education: BS or MS degree in Science or Geography

Experience Required: 2 – 5 years of GIS experience

ArcGIS specialist

The ArcGIS Specialist should have experience in developing solutions based on the ArcGIS Suite. He/she will support ongoing GIS data development,spatial analysis, and graphical output for planning, environmental, and exploration projects. Candidate will serve as a valuable team resource for GIS-related training. An interest in oil and gas and/or a background in environmental science are favourable.

To apply please send a cover letter, Curriculum Vitae anda recent example of mapping and analysis work to:

Ms. Ashli MunningsBahamas Petroleum Company PlcPO Box SS-6276Nassau, [email protected]

Sale Starts Tuesday, January 3 - Friday, January 6, 2012Located: Harbour Bay Shopping Center

PLP cricitises govt for decline in tourism

LOCAL NEWS


FREEPORT – A 41-year-old male resident of EightMile Rock was charged withseveral serious offences in theFreeport Magistrate’s Courton Wednesday.

David Dean, a resident ofSapodilla Road North, Han-na Hill, appeared in Magis-

trate’s Court Two before Mag-istrate Andrew Forbes. Hewas charges with assault with adeadly weapon, disorderlybehaviour, resisting arrest andtwo counts of causing damage.

The charges stem from anincident that occurred at Han-na Hill on December 28

where the accused is allegedto have threatened someyoung boys and officers with acutlass. Dean pleaded “notguilty” to the charges and wasremanded to Her Majesty’sPrison until April 2 for thetrial in the Eight Mile RockMagistrate’s court.

By CELESTE NIXONTribune Staff [email protected]

THE DNA is putting anentirely different spin on elec-tion campaigning, the party’sleader claims.

With the election fastapproaching and voter’s cardssoon to be issued, BranvilleMcCartney said this novelapproach is paying off andthey are ready to take overthe reigns of the country.

“We have gone about it dif-ferently from any other partyin the history of the Bahamas– we run this like a business,”he said.

Instead of giving away par-ty paraphernalia, the DNAactually sells hats and t-shirts.And, whenever a candidateparticipates in a fundraiser,he or she gets a percentageof the profit to use for theirindividual campaigns, MrMcCartney said.

This fair, transparentmethod of campaigning is a

indication of how the partywill approach governance, hesaid.

“We don’t want to be sub-jected to any special interests.We want to run the Bahamasin a way that is beneficial toall Bahamians and not justparticular groups,” MrMcCartney said.

Speaking with the Tribuneearlier this week, Mr McCart-ney declined to reveal the par-ty’s budget, but said the DNAwill not be spending the tens ofmillions some say is requiredfor an election campaign.

He said: “If we were to evergot that kind of money, wewould give it to the less for-tunate or help build up per-son’s circumstances – we arenot about to buy votes orspend money foolishly, wehave calculated our costsdown to the tee”.

When contacted yesterdayafternoon, FNM chairmanCarl Bethel declined to com-ment on his party’s projectedelection spending, saying:

“These are not matters thatare discussed. I will not dis-cuss it. I know it costs a lot ofmoney and we will see howmuch it costs when the elec-tion gets here.”

Mr McCartney said theDNA is ready for the electionand will name its full slate ofcandidates shortly.

“We are ready for theprime minister to ring the bell.We are ready to run the coun-try if the Bahamian peoplewill have us. It is time for pos-itive change,” he said.

Denying reports that theFNM and DNA are forming acoalition, Mr McCartney saidthe rumours are nevertheless“encouraging” as evidence ofhis party’s strength.

He said: “You are going tohear a lot of things, that is justthe political season.

“They can come with allthey want – God willing wewill win the next election, andthe fact that they are doing itonly shows that we are doingsomething right.”

MAN CHARGED WITH SERIES OF OFFENCES

DAVID DEAN is esc orted into court by officers, where he faced a series of charges, including assault.

DNA ‘is runlike a business’

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter [email protected]

FREEPORT – The Super-star Rockers are the unoffi-cial winners of the 2012Anthony “Huck” WilliamsNew Year’s Day JunkanooParade, with the Swingerscoming in second by a nearmargin of five points.

According to the unofficialresults released for the Divi-sion A Group Category, theRockers received a total of1,337 points to take firstplace.

The group won five of the10 individual categories,

including Best Banner, BestIndividual Lead Costume,Best Free Dancers, Best OffThe Shoulder, and Best Cos-tume as a Group.

The Swingers received atotal of 1,332 points for sec-ond place. They also took thetop spots in four categories:Best Choreograph Dancers,Best Performance on WestPioneers Way, Best GroupPerformance, and Best Music.

The Majestic Crusaderswas third, with a total of 1,135points. The Best Executionof Theme went to the group.

Kingdom Culture placedfourth, with 1,046 points. TheClassic Dancers and

Bayshore Warriors were fifthand sixth, with 923 and 767points, respectively.

In the Division B Catego-ry, the Harbour Boysreceived a total of 770 pointsfor first place. That groupwon the Best Individual LeadCostume and Best Off TheShoulder categories.

The Arawak Invaders wassecond, with a total of 650points.

Rotary Club Internationaltook third place, receiving atotal of 583 points; the Bush-whackers came in fourthplace with 435 points; andSting was fifth with 420points.

UNOFFICIAL JUNKANOO RESULTS

Mr Storr said Prime Min-ster Hubert Ingraham shuf-fled the seats as the final actof a desperate man.

“The Prime Minister isshuffling the seats because heknows his current MPs arefacing challenges in their con-stituencies,” said Mr Storr.

“He hopes by moving themaround and presenting themas new faces in new con-stituencies it will help him winthe election. However, Ibelieve the masses will not fallfor his tricks. Long Island asalways has been perceived asan FNM stronghold, but I willchange that.”

The FNM has yet to pub-licly announce any candidates.

Party chairman Carl Bethelsaid the party is still in theprocess of ratifying candi-dates.

“Some individuals are cam-

paigning already, but we arestill ratifying people,” he said.

“It's not a quick or easything. When we finish theprocess we will announce whowill be running and where.

After we identify potentialcandidates we have to dobackground checks. A lot ofthings have to be down beforea person can be presented tothe public.”

ters yesterday, Mr Greensladeunderscored the impact ofsuspect murders and publicresistance on the 50 per centdetection rate of murderscommitted in 2011.

Murder cases increased bynine per cent in 2010. At lastyear’s briefing, the detectionfor murders committed in2010 stood at 70 per cent,

with 66 of the 94 murderssolved.

Of the 127 murdersrecorded last year, 13 of the16 women killed weredomestic incidents. Threecases involved victimsbetween the ages of 11 and16 years old.

“Many of the suspects orpersons of interest in many ofthe murders recorded for2011, died at the hands of

assailants before they couldbe arrested and questionedby the police,” Mr Greensladesaid.

“What is unfortunate isthat some sectors of our soci-ety are acutely aware ofwhere these murder suspectsare, but will not turn themin.”

A five-year police study,released earlier this year,revealed that most murders

occurred in the Southeasternpolicing division, andstemmed from argumentsbetween acquaintances.

The majority of last year’smurder occurred in the South-ern division, with the South-eastern and Southwesterndivisions trailing closely.

Yesterday, Mr Greensladeconfirmed that the majorityof murder cases in 2011occurred on Saturdays andbetween the hours of 4pmand midnight, which was alsorevealed in the study.

While noting the unrelent-ing efforts, and admirableresponse of officers to thecrime surge, Mr Greensladeadmitted that widespread

increases taxed the $8.5 mil-lion allocated at the start ofthe year.

The cases of manslaughterand unlawful sexual inter-course were the only crimesagainst the person that sawdecreases in 2011.

The statistics reveal thatcrimes against propertyincreased by 7 per cent in2011, an 8 point drop over theincrease posted in 2010.

Mr Greenslade said: “Per-sons using and addicted todrugs continued to wreak hav-oc in our communities as theycommitted property offencesto steal valuables which theytraded for cash and drugs.

“Some ‘Cash for Gold’

stores also provided an easyoutlet for many criminals topawn their stolen wares inreturn for cash.”

Crimes of stealing from avehicle, stolen vehicles, andhousebreaking continue toclimb with last year postingincreases of 47 per cent, 7 percent, and three per centrespectively.

Cases of burglary, shop-breaking, stealing recordeddecreases of 11 per cent, 21per cent, and two per centrespectively.

While reported crimes inGrand Bahama posted aneight per cent increase, theFamily Islands saw an 11 percent decrease overall.

LOCAL NEWS


Temple Christian High SchoolENTRANCE

EXAMINATION2012 - 2013

Temple Christian High School will hold its Entrance Examination on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH, 2012 at the school on Shirley Street from 8:00 a.m. - 12 noon for students wishing to enter grades, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

Application forms are available at the High

should be completed and returned to the school by Friday, February 3rd, 2012.

For further information please call394-4481 or 394-4484

NOTICEPursuant to the provisions of Section 138 (4) (a), (b)

and (c) of the International Business Companies Act,2000, notice is hereby given that:-

(a) KURIL HOLDINGS LIMITEDis indissolution;

(b) The date of commencement of the dissolutionis the 15th day of December A.D., 2011 and

(c) the Liquidator is C.B. Strategy Ltd., of 308East Bay St.

C.B. Strategy Ltd.LIQUIDATOR

Jobless link to spike in crimeffrroomm ppaaggee oonnee

ffrroomm ppaaggee oonnee


MP ‘USED ASA SCAPEGOAT’

BY FNM

December 30, the owner ofGunite Pools and OspreyDevelopment, made a falsedeclaration to an officer ofthe US at the pre-clearancehall at the Lynden PindlingInternational Airport.

Whitehead reportedly toldthe officer he was not in pos-session of funds exceeding$10,000.

Whitehead also allegedlyfailed to declare he was car-rying $50,532 on his person.

Deputy Chief MagistrateCarolita Bethell granted bailafter the prosecution offeredno objection.

The case was adjourned toJuly 20.

CONSTRUCTIONCHIEF IN COURT

THE Nassau Agility andObedience Club and theBahamas Kennel Club willhold two special training sem-inars on Saturday, January 7,from 9:30 am to 1pm at TheRetreat on Village Road. Aspecial introduction to theDog Agility seminar will beheld on Sunday, January 8, atthe Village Road TrainingCentre. The seminars will betaught by Carol and Jon Mett,American Kennel Clubjudges from Savannah, Geor-gia.

“Our annual Dog Show willbe held March 17 and 18 onParadise Island. There aremany wonderful dogs in theBahamas that should beentered in the show. Unfor-tunately many people feelthat they are not qualified toshow their dogs, but withsome guidance and handlingtips owners can become excel-lent show handlers,” saidLynn Gape, Vice President ofthe Bahamas Kennel Club(BKC).

“The first seminar on Sat-urday will introduce dog own-ers into tried and true waysto handle your dog. Weencourage young people wholove their pets and want toenter the show to attend thisseminar as there is a specialclass for junior handlers.”

The second Saturday semi-nar will introduce Rally Obe-dience. Rally is a fun andexciting team sport for dogsand their handlers. Dog andHandler teams navigate acourse with numbered signsindicating different exercisesto perform such as Sit-Down-Sit, Straight Figure 8, RightTurns, Left Turns Send OverJump, Recall Over Jump.Teams navigate the course ata brisk, continuous perfor-mance without direction from

the judge. Handlers areencouraged to talk to theirdogs during the performance.All dogs, purebred, mixedbreeds and dogs with disabil-ities are encouraged to par-ticipate. The NAODC willhold a Novice Rally Trialimmediately after the semi-nar for participants to prac-tice their newly learned skillsand maybe even go homewith a rally title.

The Nassau Agility andObedience Club (NAODC)is working with Purina tointroduce Agility to TheBahamas. The Club hasrecently completed its training

area on Village Road and onSunday, January 8, there willbe a special introduction toDog Agility Seminar with tri-als in the afternoon. Dogsparticipating in this seminarshould have had BeginnerObedience Training, butinterested persons are encour-aged to attend. According toTonya Gay, President of theNAODC, “We are workinghard to train and have ourown Bahamas Agility Team.Last year the Puerto RicanAgility Team appeared at ourshow and we want to have ourown Bahamas Team thisyear.”

LOCAL NEWS


The Mercedes-Benz C-ClassYour most enjoyable drive ever.

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a pleasureto behold offering a new interpretation ofdriving pleasure. Its taut lines lend it anair of effortless superiority while the wideradiator grille and distinctive rear sectionannounce a vehicle with a real presenceand dynamic personality.

Few cars can compete with its ability toadjust so many facets of its character –from the interior to the drive technology – so quickly and precisely in response

to external conditions and your ownparticular needs. The key to this flexibleresponse is the standard-fit AgilityControl Package which includes selective damping.

The interior offers noticeably more space and a more distinctive atmosphereto suit your taste. As you will see, the C-Class is the perfect embodiment of the Mercedes-Benz philosophy.

Tyreflex Star MotorsWulff Road, P. O. Box N 9123, Nassau, The Bahamas, Tel 242.325.4961 • Fax 242.323.4667

OUR PARTS DEPARTMENT IS FULLY STOCKED WITH EVERYCOMPONENT NECESSARY TO ENSURE THAT YOUR MERCEDESRUNS TROUBLE FREE. TRAINED TECHNICIANS ON DUTY.

THE COLLEGE OF THE BAHAMASVisit our website at www.cob.edu.bs

TRAINING SEMINARS FOR PETS


FREEPORT - Taxicab dri-vers who illegally charge visi-tors a round trip fare couldface having their public ser-vice license suspended,Deputy Controller of RoadTraffic Basil Rahming haswarned.

Mr Rahming has called onthose engaged in such an ille-gal practice to cease immedi-ately as it is a violation of theRoad Traffic regulations.

“The Department contin-ues to receive complaints oftaxi drivers plying betweenthe Lucayan Harbour andPort Lucaya collecting roundtrip fares from cruise ship pas-sengers, upon their arrival attheir destination. He saidthat visitors/passengers areonly lawfully obligated to paya one-way fare on arrival atPort Lucaya.

Mr Rahming said collect-

ing the same passenger for areturn trip, to the point wheretheir original journey began,is a separate, distinct transac-tion for which another faremust be paid on arrival at thatlocation.

A concerned taxicab driverwent public with the issue in alocal newspaper last weekabout colleagues chargingcruise ship passengers roundtrip fares to take them to PortLucaya and back to the har-bour.

But, he said when visitorsare ready to leave the taxi dri-ver is not available to takethem back to the harbour sothey have to wait.

Mr Rahming said that thedepartment will begin prose-cuting any taxi driver foundto be engaged in the illegalpractice.

He stressed that if convict-ed, cab drivers may have theirpublic service driver’s licencesuspended.

Mr Rahming noted that last

year two drivers were takenbefore the Road Traffic Tri-bunal and had their licencessuspended.

Grand Bahama Taxi Unionpresident Kenneth Woodsideis aware of the illegal practiceby some cab drivers takingpassengers from the harbourto Port Lucaya.

He said the issue has beenan internal dispute. He doesnot think that a cab driver’slicence should be suspended.

Mr Woodside explainedthat sometimes visitors paycab drivers in advance ormake some other arrange-ment with them.

“If they pay in advance oragree to tour or some otherarrangement…, cab driversshould be parked and avail-able to (the passenger) anytime,” he said.

President Woodside saidthey have a working relation-ship with tourism and therehave been no complaints fromvisitors recently.

Warning to taxi driversFREEPORT – Ferry Boat

operators were robbed of cashby two armed masked men atthe dock in McLean’s Townin East End, Grand Bahama.

The culprits fired a shot inthe air as they escaped in astolen getaway vehicle, whichwas later recovered by policein bushes in East End shortlyafter the robbery.

According to reports, oper-ators of the Ferry Boat Ser-vice were approached at thedock by two masked men

armed with handguns short-ly before 5.30pm on Tuesday.

The culprits took cash, tick-ets and two cellular phones.They fired a shot in the airwhile fleeing the scene in adark-coloured vehicle.

While investigating, policerecovered a dark purple Nis-san Skyline vehicle used inthe robbery in bushes nearStat Oil terminal. The vehi-cle was stolen on December19 from Dominica Avenue.

Two masked gunmen –

about 6ft tall – approachedthe owner as he arrived homeat 9.30am and robbed him ofthe car. The same stolen vehi-cle was later used in an armedrobbery on December 24 atthe Burger King Restauranton Yellow Street.

Police are also still search-ing for a stolen 2006 blueFord Explorer, license platenumber 40400.

Anyone with informationis asked to call police on 350-3107/8, 352-9774/5 or 911.

ROBBERS STRIKE AT FERRY BOAT

The trial, after numerousdelays, finally went aheadwith his co-accused foundguilty of marijuana possessionwith intent to supply.

A warrant of arrest wasissued for him. It was can-celled by Chief MagistrateRoger Gomez last week whenthe accused appeared beforehim.

The chief magistrateadjourned the drug matter toyesterday before Court Eightfor a fixture hearing.

Before giving the accuseda trial date, she asked him ifhe wished to explain why hehad disappeared since 2002.

“Not at this time,” hereplied.

She informed him thatbecause of his absence, thetrial proceeded and concludedwith the conviction of his co-

accused.She said she would not go

through the trial again andwould consult with her supe-rior to determine which courthe would be tried in.

After consultation, Sargentwas told he would appearbefore Magistrate GuiliminaArcher at Court 10, Nassau

Street, to receive a date fortrial.

On the issue of bail shesaid: “I will deny bail asyou’ve been at large for tenyears.”

Sargent was escorted out ofcourt and put in a holding cellbefore being taken to HerMajesty’s Fox Hill Prison.

LOCAL NEWS


TEACHING VACANCYTemple Christian High School

Shirley Street

RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE BIBLE (Gr.7-12)Applicants must:

Mr. Neil HamiltonThe Principal

Temple Christian High SchoolP.O. Box N-1566Nassau, Bahamas

Deadline for application is January 13th, 2012

Daily Mail columnistRichard Kay wrote this weekthat the purchase of BellIsland has been criticised by“less wealthy locals” who“disapprove of foreigninvestors moving to theislands” and possibly causingecological damage.

“Now, the Aga’s purchaseof the island has become akey issue in the Bahamasforthcoming general election.Environment Minister EarlDeveaux has come in for crit-icism on radio shows,” thecolumn said.

The Bahamas NationalTrust has also been heavily

criticised by conservationists,who feel the agency shouldhave blocked further devel-opment in the world’s oldestland and sea park.

According to Tribunesources, the Aga donated $1million to the National Trustafter he purchased theisland.



ARRESTED AFTER BEING ON THE RUN FOR 10 YEARS

AGA KHAN ROLE ‘COULD AFFECT VOTE’

By DENISE MAYCOCKTribune Freeport [email protected]

FREEPORT – The vigi-lance of police officers hasresulted in the recovery of anillegal firearm off the streetson New Year’s Day.

Assistant Supt LorettaMackey, press liaison offi-cer, reported that sometimearound 8.30am on Sunday,January 1, officers were onmobile patrol at Adventur-ers Way when they saw a

man digging in a grassyarea.

On checking the area,they discovered a grey andblack .380 pistol, with fourlive rounds of .380 ammuni-tion.

Ms Mackey said the offi-cers of the Central Detec-tive Unit are following sig-nificant leads into the matter– the first firearm seizure for2012.

Meanwhile in Nassau,mobile patrol officers recov-ered two firearms in separate

incidents over the holidayweekend.

The first firearm – a hand-gun – was found in a bushyarea west of Sir Milo ButlerDrive shortly before 1pm Sat-urday.

The second handgun wasuncovered with a quantity ofammunition, in bushes atAdventures Way off MarshallRoad. The discovery occurredsometime around 8.30pmSunday.

Police investigations arecontinuing.

By AVA TURNQUESTTribune Staff [email protected]

THIRTEEN police officerswere discharged from theforce last year as complaintsagainst the police dropped 26per cent.

Deputy CommissionerQuinn McCartney confirmedyesterday at the police’s annu-al “meet the press” sessionthat 287 complaints againstofficers were made in 2011.

Nine officers were dis-charged for ceasing to be anefficient or effective policeofficer, under section 21 ofthe Police Act, and three offi-cers were not kept on aftertheir contracts expired.

One officer was dischargedbecause of a criminal offence,Mr McCartney said.

Of the complaints received

last year, 146 were assaultclaims, 63 were claims ofunethical behaviour, and 21concerned unlawful arrestallegations.

Providing timely feedbackon complainants, and imple-menting accountability mea-sures were among the objec-tives listed in the Commis-sioner’s Policing Plan for2012.

Under priority five, “pro-fessionalising service”, theforce has pledged to continueto train all officers in areas ofethics, good governance, pro-fessional standards and cus-tomer service.

“We have heard far toomany complaints from mem-bers of the public relative tounethical and unprofessionalbehaviour by police officers,”the plan says. “We under-stand the untold damage that

this can do to the reputationand credibility of the force.We also understand that thiscan also severely erode publicconfidence in the policeforce.”

It added: “Without the con-fidence and support of thepublic, members of the forcecannot be effective in the dis-charge of their duties.”

The plan outlines six prior-ities:

• tackling crime and allay-ing the fear of crime

• improving communitysafety

• positive youth engage-ment

• enforcing the rules of theroad

• protecting national bor-ders

• professionalising serviceThe plan can be found on

www.royalbahamaspolice.org.

13 police dischargedas complaints fall

HANDGUN DISCOVERED BY POLICEON STREETS OF FREEPORT


FREEPORT – The manwho was recovered fromwaters off Eight Mile Rockhas been officially identifiedas 60-year-old Eddie Cam-bridge of Russell Town,police reported.

Cambridge and anotherman, both of Russell Town,Eight Mile Rock, were outfishing in an 18ft canoe onDecember 31 when it cap-sized near the shore.

As the men were swim-ming to the shoreline, Cam-bridge disappeared under thewater.

The second man, a 51-year-old resident of Russell Town,made it to shore and alertedpolice that Cambridge wasmissing at sea.

A search was launched byPolice, BASRA and theDefence Force. The body waslater recovered from watersat Hanna Hill, Eight MileRock.

Police are still awaitingthe results of an autopsyreport on the cause ofdeath.

Latest series of postage stamps tocelebrate marine life of the BahamasTHE Bahamas Postal Ser-

vice released a new series of16 stamps yesterday depict-ing the marine life of theBahamas.

The new issue will remainon the market until the year2017. The stamps range inprice from five to 80 cents andfrom one to 10 dollars.

The series features a com-mon sea fan, Christmas treeworm, Elkhorn coral, Cush-ion sea star, Queen conch,Hawksbill turtle, Greenmoray eel, Bonefish, SpiderCrab, Caribbean spiny lob-ster, Nassau grouper, Yel-lowtail snapper, Great bar-racuda, Spotted eagle ray,Caribbean reef shark andBottlenose dolphin.

The Queen conch is a mainingredient in many Bahami-an dishes. It is of economic,social and cultural importanceto The Bahamas.

Sea Stars are commonlyreferred to as starfish due totheir shape. They belong to agroup of invertebrates calledechinoderms which alsoinclude sea urchins, seacucumbers and sand dollars.

The Christmas tree worm isa marine tube-dwelling wormnamed for its brightly coloured,spiral shaped “Christmas-treelike” tentacles.

Sea fans are fan-shaped softcorals that are made up oftiny colonial animals calledpolyps. Sea fans attach them-selves to reef surfaces so thatthey lie across the current.

Coral reefs are primarilyconstructed by living animalscalled coral polyps whichbuild the largest biologicalstructures on earth.

The Hawksbill turtle is agentle marine reptile and akey member of the coral reefcommunity. Marine turtlesspend most of their lives at

sea. In TheBahamas allspecies of marineturtles, theirnests and eggsare fully protect-ed by law.

The moray eelis a type of fish.Eels are a toppredator on thereef that helps tokeep fish popu-lations healthy.

Bonefish pop-ulations in TheBahamas arehealthy and TheBahamas isregarded as oneof the most popu-lar bone-fishingdestinations in theworld.

Spider crabs area family of long-legged marine crabs ofwhich there are 700 species.

The spiny lobster inhab-its coral reefs, mangroves,sea grass beds and theopen oceans during differ-ent phases of its life’s his-tory. The harvest of spiny lob-ster referred to locally as “craw-fish” is a multi-million dollarindustry in The Bahamas.

The Nassau grouper is foundin the Western Atlantic,Caribbean Sea and the Gulf ofMexico. It is a top reef preda-tor that contributes greatly tothe health of the coral reefs.The Nassau grouper is themost important fin fishresource in The Bahamas.

The Yellowtail snapper isone of many species of snap-pers found in Bahamianwaters.

The Barracuda is a toppredator in the ocean. It is acurious fish and is commonlyseen by divers and snorkelershovering over shallow areas

andreefs.

Spotted eagle rays are com-mon in shallow water and oncoral reefs and can often beobserved swimming in smallgroups.

Sharks are a valuable assetto The Bahamas and con-tribute approximately $78 mil-lion to the economy annuallythrough dive tourism. In 2011The Bahamas passed legisla-tion to prohibit the commer-cial exploitation of all sharks.

The bottlenose dolphin is amarine mammal commonlyfound in Bahamian waters.Dolphins are highly intelli-gent and communicate witheach other with a variety ofsounds.

LOCAL NEWS


DROWNEDMAN NAMED

LONDON Associated Press

A YOUNG black man laydying in a south London busstop. His friend called franti-cally for help while a gang ofwhite teenagers who hadstabbed him ran off. Twomembers of that gang weresentenced Wednesday for the1993 murder of StephenLawrence, but three moreremain at large.

Judge Colman TreacyWednesday sentenced GaryDobson to at least 15 yearsand 2 months in jail, andDavid Norris to at least 14years and 3 months for themurder of the teenager, andurged police to continue look-ing for new leads in the case.

He told the men they wereguilty of “a terrible and evilcrime” committed out of blindhatred.

“A totally innocent 18-year-old youth on the threshold ofa promising life was brutallycut down in the street in frontof eye witnesses by a racistthuggish gang,” Treacy said.“You were both members ofthat gang.”

Police, who have beenaccused in the last twodecades of incompetence andracism in the way they han-dled the murder inquiry,vowed Wednesday to contin-ue to hunt for the remainingkillers.

“The other people involvedin the murder of StephenLawrence should not rest eas-ily in their beds,” saidBernard Hogan-Howe, com-missioner of London’s Met-ropolitan Police.

The saga of Lawrence’smurder, and his parents’ longquest for justice in the face ofpolice indifference, has for

many come to symboliseBritain’s lingering racial trau-ma.

Lawrence’s father Nevillesaid the sentencing of Dob-son and Norris for his son’smurder was “only one step ina long, long journey”.

Dobson and Norris werepart of a notorious gang thatterrorised part of south Lon-don, and many people toldpolice in the days followingLawrence’s death who hiskillers were likely to be.

But the police failed to actuntil Lawrence’s parents helda news conference to criticisethe way the police had han-dled the case. It was the firstsalvo in a long battle theLawrence family were to fightwith police and courts.

A few days after the newsconference, police arrestedfive men — brothers Neil andJamie Acourt, Norris, Dob-son and Luke Knight. Butpolice lost blood-soaked tis-sues found near the site of theattack, and failed to searchthe Acourts’ house properlyfor weapons. Police eventu-ally charged two with murder,but the state abandoned thecase, saying there was insuffi-cient evidence.

Lawrence’s family, mis-trustful of state prosecutors,brought a private prosecutionagainst the same five men.Two were released before thetrial, and the case against theremaining three collapsed aftera judge ruled again that theevidence was inadmissible.

British law at the time saidthat a person could not standtrial twice for the same crime— having been acquitted, itseemed impossible that anyof the three would face trialfor Lawrence’s death.

In 1997, the Daily Mailnewspaper — a populartabloid — named all the fivemen initially arrested overLawrence’s murder on itsfront page with the headline“Murderers. The Mail accus-es these men of killing. If weare wrong, let them sue us.”

None of the men ever did.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS


THE COLLEGE OF THE BAHAMASVisit our website at www.cob.edu.bs

MEXICAN drug cartelkingpin Benjamin ArellanoFelix will plead guilty tounspecified charges, the USattorney’s office in San Diegosaid Wednesday.

Spokeswoman Debra Hart-man said she could not elab-orate in advance of the filing.Arellano Felix was expectedin federal court yesterday.

Arellano Felix headed aonce-mighty cartel that cameto power in Tijuana, Mexico,in the late 1980s. He had beenunder indictment in the USsince 2003 and is one of thehighest-profile kingpins toface prosecution in the US.

Defence attorney AnthonyColombo did not immediate-ly respond to a phone callseeking comment.

Arellano Felix was extra-dited from Mexico in April2011 to face drug, money-laundering and racketeeringcharges. He was incarceratedin Mexico since his 2002 arrestand was sentenced in 2007 to22 years in prison on drugtrafficking and organizedcrime charges.

The US indictment saysArellano Felix was the prin-cipal organizer and top leaderof the Arellano Felix cartelgoing back to 1986, and thatthe cartel tortured and killedrivals in the United States andMexico as it smuggled tons ofMexican marijuana andColombian cocaine.

The cartel, which wasknown to dissolve the bodiesof its enemies in vats of lye,began to lose influence alongCalifornia’s border with Mex-ico after Arellano Felix wasarrested in 2002.

DRUG BOSS TOPLEAD GUILTYIN US COURT

SOUTH CAROLINA Associated Press

AFTER a lengthy legalbattle between a black SouthCarolina church and mem-bers of the Ku Klux Klan, ajudge has ruled that thechurch owns a buildingwhere KKK robes and T-shirts are sold.

A circuit judge ruled lastmonth that New BeginningsBaptist Church is the rightfulowner of the building thathouses the Redneck Shop,

which operates a so-calledKlan museum and sells Klanrobes and T-shirts embla-zoned with racial slurs. Thejudge ordered the shop’s pro-prietor to pay the church’slegal bills of more than $3,300.

It wasn’t immediately clearif the judge’s ruling wouldmean the shop must close. Theshop owner hung up on areporter when asked about theshop’s status, but an outgoingmessage on the shop’s answer-ing machine said it’s only openone morning a week.

KKK SHOP OWNED BY BLACK CHURCH Two jailed for racist murder

STEPHEN LAWRENCE, who wasmurdered in 1993.