see sport for the full story welcome fit by...

By DANA [email protected]

TOURISTS and businesstravellers were left waiting inline for hours – some evenfainting due to the heat andhumidity – after Customs andImmigration officers failed toshow up to work at LyndenPindling International Airporton Saturday afternoon,according to an e-mail sent toPrime Minister Hubert Ingra-ham.

Director of ImmigrationJack Thompson was even

forced to work the booths toprocess passengers because ofthe shortage of employees, itis claimed.

At a press conference inExuma on Saturday, MrIngraham said he believes thereported protest is “political-ly motivated” and read froman e-mail received from theNassau Airport DevelopmentCompany (NAD) whichdetailed Saturday’s “chaotic”situation.

“I got the following e-mailfrom the NAD... it says thatnone of the immigration line

officers showed up – suchvery few senior officersshowed,” he said. “JackThompson actually had toman a booth to process pas-sengers.”

Between 11am and 3pm,the airport “literally had morethan a hundred passengersbacked up” into the new USterminals.

“Longer lines than we’veever seen before,” Mr Ingra-ham read. “Some people werein the queue for approxi-

NASSAU AND BAHAMA ISLANDS’ LEADING NEWSPAPER

Welcome fitfor a prince

Volume: 108 No.79 MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2012 PRICE – 75¢ (Abaco and Grand Bahama $1.25)

WEATHER

SUNNY ANDWARM

HIGH 79FLOW 66F

DELIGHTED spectatorsgathered at Rawson Squareyesterday to greet Prince Har-ry as he toured the Queen’sJubilee Exhibition in Rawsonand Parliament Squares.

Representing his grand-mother Queen Elizabeth IIfor the first time, the 27-year-old prince will meet withthousands of the nation’syouth at a rally and culturalshow at the National Stadi-um today.

Later today, the prince willinspect nearly 100 honourguards at the Royal DefenceForce Base, according to offi-cials, and will also lay awreath at HMB Flamingomonument. The troupe of 96guards is the largest group inthe RBDF’s history.

Prince Harry’s visit is thesecond stop on a celebratorytour of Commonwealth coun-tries on behalf of his grand-mother, who is celebrating herDiamond Jubilee this year.

Speaking to the cheering

crowds at Rawson Squareyesterday, he said: “TheBahamas holds a special placein Her Majesty’s heart. Herlove for this realm and you,the Bahamian people, stretch-es back over the decades,right to that first visit in 1966.”

During his address, PrinceHarry highlighted the accom-plishments of The Bahamasduring the 60-year reign of hisgrandmother, whose corona-tion was held on June 2, 1953.

“The Bahamas has flour-ished in education, where 90per cent of your teachers areBahamian-trained; in sports,where you plan to send ateam to London for theOlympics; your developmentand infrastructure, which hasseen such rapid growth, bothin public works and such for-ward-looking projects as TheElizabeth Estates, which isnamed after my grandmother.

“These provide good, low-

Prince Harrystarts visit toThe Bahamas

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By SANCHESKA BROWNTribune Staff [email protected]

A SEVERELY decom-posed, decapitated body waswashed up at James Cistern,Eleuthera, yesterday, lessthan 24 hours after two morebodies were discovered in thesame location.

Police believe the bodieswere illegal immigrants whomay have fell off a Haitianvessel last week.

Supt Paul Rolle, of theCentral Detective Unit, saidinformation is sketchy and thebodies have not been identi-fied.

“The bodies were washedup in James Cistern. Weknow all three are male. Twowere found on Saturdayaround 6pm, the other around7am on Sunday. That one wasseverely decomposed and thehead was missing. We believethat man was attacked by crit-ters of the deep before thebody washed ashore. We can’tsay sharks because somethingelse may have attacked thebody,” he said.

BODY EATENBY ‘CRITTERSOF THE DEEP’

PRINCE HARRY greets members of the public after the Service of Morning Prayer at Christ Church Cathe-dral yesterday. It is one of several events in The Bahamas commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of his grand-mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Photo: Ulric Woodside/BIS


A MASSIVE fire rippedthrough a Haitian village overthe weekend, destroying ninehomes and leaving more thana dozen people homeless.

Police say the fire startedaround 8.43pm on Friday at ashanty town in GambleHeights, off Baillou Hill RoadSouth.

Fire Chief Walter Evanssaid within minutes of the firebeing reported the first fire

MASSIVE FIRE IN HAITIAN VILLAGE

SSEEEE ppaaggee 33

SSEEEE ppaaggee 1144



AIRPORT CHAOS AS STAFF FAIL TO SHOW UP

i’m lovin’ it

LOCAL NEWS

PAGE 2, MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2012 THE TRIBUNE

PRINCE HARRY jokes with a youngster during his visit to Harbour Island. Photos: Felipé Major/Tribune Staff

PRINCE HARRY receives a portrait of himself, sketched by artistJamal Rolle, during the opening of an exhibition in honour of theDi-amond Jubilee of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in RawsonSquare. Photo: Derek Smith/BIS

PRINCE HARRY at HarbourIsland, above, and on board aRoyal Bahamas Defence Forcevessel, below.

cost housing to Bahamianfamilies,” he said.

Prince Harry added: “TheBahamas has made these hugestrides, guided with surety byits political leaders and its eightBahamian Governors-Gener-al – from Sir Milo Butler toSir Arthur Foulkes. As a coun-try, its growth and prosperityare matched only by its con-tinuing power of welcome.”

The first diplomatic engage-ment was a courtesy call onGovernor-General Sir Arthurand Lady Foulkes at Govern-ment House on MountFitzwilliam. The princeexchanged gifts with Sir Arthurand Prime Minister HubertIngraham, who presented himwith two pieces of artwork – apainting and a ceramic piece.

Also present were DeputyPrime Minister and Ministerof Foreign Affairs BrentSymonette; former Gover-nors-General Sir Orville Turn-quest, Dame Ivy Dumont andArthur Hanna; President ofthe Senate Lynn Holowesko,and Speaker of the House ofAssembly Alvin Smith.

Prince Harry recently qual-ified as an Apache helicopterpilot, and is a captain in theBritish Army Air Corps. Out-fitted in the No 1 TropicalDress of The Blues and Roy-als, Prince Harry also attendeda morning prayer service atChrist Church Cathedral yes-terday. The uniform consistswhite tunic and blue trouserswith the cavalry's distinctivered stripe down the side. Theprince wore the light blueberet of the Army Air Corps,instead of the traditional for-age cap, gold epaulettes, andthree medals - his Afghanistancampaign medal, the Queen'sGolden Jubilee medal and her

Diamond Jubilee medal.According to reports, PrinceHarry had never before wornthe ensemble publicly.

Crowds gathered outsidethe church as fans waited tocatch a glimpse of the youngprince.

The shrieks of delight con-tinued as he shook hands witheager spectators during hiswalkabout of the exhibitiondepicting the Queen’s reign.

Following his remarks,Prince Harry cut the ribbonand unveiled a portrait of hisgrandmother erected along-side the statue of Queen Vic-toria, Queen Elizabeth II’sgreat-great grandmother. TheGovernor-General thenescorted him on a tour of theexhibition displayed in Raw-son and Parliament Squares.

Most notably were theQueen’s first official visit in1966, the opening of the Com-monwealth Heads of Gov-

ernment Meeting (CHOGM)in 1985 and her return offi-cial visit in 1994.

Officially known as PrinceHenry of Wales, he arrivedon Saturday from Belize andis scheduled to leave forJamaica tonight. The princewill then travel to Brazil tohelp launch a governmenttrade mission in Rio.

Last night, the princeboarded a Royal BahamasDefence Force vessel forEleuthera, where he will visityoung defence force officers.

Prince Harry will also trav-el to Staniel Cay, Exuma,briefly touring the ExumaLand and Sea Park, followedby a visit to WindermereIsland where his parents,Prince Charles and PrincessDiana, vacationed duringtheir honeymoon.

He is also expected to meetwith a cousin — India Hicks,granddaughter of LordMountbatten of Burma, andhis late mother's bridesmaid,who now lives in theBahamas.

Prince Harry is theyoungest son of Charles,Prince of Wales and the lateDiana, Princess of Wales, andthe fourth grandchild ofQueen Elizabeth II andPrince Philip, Duke of Edin-burgh. He is third in the lineof succession to the throne.

LOCAL NEWS

THE TRIBUNE MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2012, PAGE 3

ffrroomm ppaaggee oonnee

WHETHER you call itDaylight Savings Time,Daylight Saving Time, orDST, don’t spring forwardand turn the clocks aheaduntil 2am tomorrow.

The term “to spring for-ward” refers to when peo-ple set the clocks one hourforward, marking the startof DST. It is a term that iseasy to remember formany people in countriessuch as Canada, the UKand the US.

This is because the DSTstart date coincides withthe spring season in thesecountries. It is the time ofthe year when the daysbegin to have longer hoursof sunlight after the win-ter’s end, in addition, DSTgives us an extra hour ofdaylight in the afternoonsor evenings.

DST will end 2am onSunday, November 4,when we “fall back” andthe clocks are turned backone hour.

The term “to fall back”is associated with the fall(autumn) season becausethe DST schedule ends inthe fall. The fall season andthe end of DST mark aperiod when the daysbecome darker, when thereare fewer hours of sunlightduring the day as winterapproaches.

TIME TO PUTYOUR CLOCKS

FORWARD

WWeellccoommee ffiitt ffoorr aa pprriinnccee

PRINCE HARRY, wearing the 1 Tropical Dress of The Blues andRoyals, arrives at Government House in Nassau.

Photo: John Stillwell/AP

PRINCE HARRY shares a joke with youngsters during his visit to Harbour Island. Photo: Felipé Major/Tribune Staff

PRINCE HARRYreceives a giftfrom PrimeMinister of the Bahamas,Hubert Ingraham.

Photo: FelipéMajor/TribuneStaff

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I READ with interest thenewspaper report on page fiveof The Tribune this morning— “Insurance Board issuesresponse to drugs claims”.

I congratulate NIB and theGovernment for makingevery effort to ensure thatBahamians receive qualitydrugs, in their response toclaims that generic and infe-rior drugs are being issued toparticipants of the drug plan.

But what is going to stopthis scenario?

Pharmacist buys NIB drugfrom authorised wholesaler.

(The price of these drugs aregenerally lower).

Pharmacist then buys anequal amount of the samebrand of drug through parallelimport from a “gray market”distributor at an even cheaperprice, and sells that “graymarket” drug to the NIB cus-tomer and claims from gov-ernment for a bigger profit.

The pharmacist then sellsthe drug, which was original-ly purchased from an autho-rised distributor for the NIBpatient, to a paying customernot on the plan and makesa bigger profit.

NIB’s inventory reportshows 1 in and 1 out.

In my opinion, the only wayfor the government to stopcorruption and profiteer-ing and protect Bahamiansfrom inferior drugs and coun-terfeits is to control theimport of “gray market”drugs.

And the best way to do thatis to prevent the influx of par-allel imports and encourageretailers to purchase whenpossible, from manufactureauthorized distributors. Keep-ing in mind that not only willthere be less concern aboutquality of drugs available,but these are the distributorswho pay taxes, employBahamians and contribute

thousands of dollars in dona-tions to the local economy.

Even if we can prove wherea parallel imported drug camefrom originally, (which is goingto be extremely difficultat best!) that does not takeaway the fact that products willenter which were not meantfor sale in this region. ie. expirydates meant for markets withless humidity and packageinserts with labels that are notin English, and in other casestampered and with brokenseals. If this drug is taken outof the box, put in a plastic zip-lock and re-labelled by thepharmacist, who would knowthe difference?

Contrary to popularbelief, putting the proper con-trols in place does not pre-vent people from havingaccess to low cost drugs. Forpersons who cannot affordbranded drugs, there aremany excellent quality gener-ic brands available.

We can continue in TheBahamas with parallel importsof drugs, leaving the doorwide open for the benefit ofa few, or we can put the prop-er controls in place to protectthe majority of Bahamians.

A CONCERNED CITIZENNassau,February 24, 2012.

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THANKS for allowing mespace in your valuable columnto express my view on twotopics: men of the cloth’sinvolvement in politics andthe stewardship of the FreeNational Movement Govern-ment over the past five years.

First, it is my view that menand women of the cloth have aright under our Constitution toalign themselves with any polit-ical party that they chose and topropagate such affiliation open-ly insofar that they do notinfringe upon the rights andfreedom of other members ofthe country or are in conflictwith the public interests.

I submit that it is a tragedyand miscarriage of justice tomaroon men and women whoare preachers to an islandwhere they are mere specta-tors and observers in aprocess which may be termedthe most significant in theconstitutional framework ofour democracy.

I further submit, that noth-ing is wrong for a preacher toask God’s blessing on his partyof choice and also to ask forthat party to rise to the officeof governing the country. Afterall, man does not dictate toGod; he only prays, makesintercessions and supplications;but God answers according tohis plan. Those who holdopposing views to mine arewithin their right to do so.

But for goodness sake, noone has the right to take awayfrom a pastor or a minister ofthe Gospel his right to openlysupport and to campaign onbehalf of his/her party.

I think we need to creditthe Bahamian people and vis-itors with more intelligenceand to note that people willchoose their politics regard-less of Pastors, parents, or

associates’ views. Bahamians are smart and

make up their own mind asto which party will serve theirbest interest. Hence, I goagainst the grain, and encour-age pastors to get involvedand to speak truth to per-ceived and real issues, so thatthe masses will have the ben-efit of your thoughts andideas. Above all, to maintainloyalty to God, to engage inprivate and public devotionto God Almighty, perchancehe hears and answers.

As it relates to the stew-ardship of the Free NationalMovement over the past nearfive years, I am satisfied thatthis was one of if not the mostbusiest and productive of allgovernments of this country. Itip my hat to the Rt Hon-ourable PM Mr Hubert Ingra-ham and his government forhis diligence and fortitude insteering the ship of state inseemingly rough times.

Let’s not forget that with-out pain, there will be nogains. The road works; sellingof BTC, dredging of the har-bour; relocating the port fromBay Street to Arawak Cay;downsizing ZNS; the intro-duction of the drug prescrip-tion plan; the introduction ofthe employment benefit;preparing more courts for theadministration of justice; theredevelopment of SaundersBeach; steering the progressof Baha Mar, completion ofthe National Stadium andprogress towards the comple-tion of the Lynden PindlingInternational Airport; thereplacing of the water mainsin most areas of New Provi-dence and the rebuilding of

the Straw Market. These arejust a few of the visible thingsthat this government hasdone, over the past four yearsplus. By the way, there wasgreat stride made in publichealth; the redevelopment ofthe Rand Hospital in GrandBahama, etc.

Sadly, crime continues tobe the Achilles heels of thisgovernment notwithstandingits best effort to provide thepolice with most of the toolsthey need to fight crime.

There is obviously toomuch crime of all sorts and itis incumbent upon the powersthat be to provide the pre-ventative strategies to offsetand to circumvent the crimi-nal activities that haveengrossed our nation.

Beyond this, I submithumbly that this governmenthas earned its pay for the peri-od for which it has been elect-ed. Hence, all the ramblingsand the blindness of those whorefuse to see must be replacedwith recognition of the positivethings that have been done. Inany event, politics which is allabout people; has become allabout winning at any cost.

Finally, I encourage all tospeak truth peaceably, bekind and tolerant of each oth-er; lift the fallen; feed the hun-gry and hold fast to the wordspulled from our NationalAnthem “March on to gloryyour bright banners wavinghigh…till the road we trod,lead unto our God, March onBahama Land”. At the endof the day; whomever Godplaces in charge are those weall must support and helpthem to succeed. Conse-quently, let God be truth andall men liars.

PERRY E NEWTONNassau,March 2, 2012.

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

THURSDAY was the first time sinceairport construction started that we visit-ed the Lynden Pindling International Air-port — a magnificent structure in progressand one of which all Bahamians should beimmensely proud.

We arrived by Jet Blue from Fort Laud-erdale shortly after 5pm only to learn thatImmigration and Customs officers, work-ing to general orders, had just walked offthe job. Senior staff were filling in. As JetBlue was the only aircraft on the ground atthe time, passengers and baggage seemedto be moving smoothly.

Mixing among baggage handlers we weretold that the union had informed its mem-bership that the prime minister had saidthat their industrial agreement was nolonger valid and so the union had decided torevert to General Orders, which stipulatesthat working hours are from 9am to 5pm. Itwas then 5pm and they were headed home.

We were also told that they were workingon a shift system, which obviously wouldreduce their overtime pay — a savings totheir employers, the Bahamian taxpayer.They did not like this because, they claimed,it was the airline paying for their overtime,not the government. If this is true, no won-der airlines are complaining about theBahamas being an expensive port of call.

It was because of these loud complaints– ridiculous costs that were pricing theBahamas out of the tourism business –that the shift system was ordered by thePLP government in 2006.

The PLP introduced two shifts – 8am to4pm and 4pm to midnight. A flat fee wasset for any time worked by either shiftover the specified time.

The union has argued that this remu-neration was contrary to the EmploymentAct and that any overtime should be paidon the basis of time and a half with doubletime for holidays. This was the union’sbiggest issue. We have since learned thatwhat we were being told — and obviouslywhat workers had been told – was not true.Mr Ingraham had met with the BahamasCustoms and Immigration Allied WorkersUnion on February 25 and had alreadyagreed to these demands. As far as gov-ernment was concerned, there was nolonger a union issue. No wonder LabourMinister Dion Foulkes expressed baffle-ment on learning of the unrest. The morethese workers talked, the more we realisedthat innocent, hardworking people, werebeing duped by irresponsible leaders forpolitical reasons. These tactics are thefastest way for union leaders to lose cred-ibility, and eventually destroy their union,and the jobs of their members.

It was also obvious that the unrest waspolitically motivated because no primeminister could revoke an industrial agree-ment — as workers had been told he haddone. This was an agreement that pro-

tected workers’ rights. If this were so,union lawyer Obie Ferguson would havecertainly rushed the matter to court toprotect this sacred contract. But obvious-ly union leaders and their political han-dlers, thought it best to embarrass thenation by reverting to General Orders,knowing that chaos would be created atthe airport. And, of course, this was a spe-cial weekend — a Prince of the Realmwas in town and it was important that theBahamas put its best national foot for-ward.

We have since discovered that at notime did the Prime Minister make anythreat against the union’s 2005 industrialagreement. If what we had been told at theairport was correct, union leaders had mis-informed their members.

Obviously they had not been told thatthe Prime Minister had not only agreedtheir overtime, but had approved theirhazard allowance, the on-call allowance,and the shift premium. The shop stewardand the union leader has also admittedthat all union matters for workers atArawak Cay have been satisfactorilyaddressed — their health and safety issueshave been resolved.

We have since learned that Customswas never a problem at the airport, andthat on Sunday 12 immigration officersreported for work.

At a press conference in Exuma, MrIngraham said that the “activities of theimmigration officers and the union, in par-ticular, appear to be motivated by some-thing other than legitimate grievances”.He was satisfied that it “is politically moti-vated”. He made it clear that unions are“no different from anybody else”.

“When election is coming up, lots ofpeople think now is the time to make mydemands,”

“But the reality is, when we are doingbusiness like this, it doesn’t matterwhether it’s election time or not electiontime, I should do what is simply best forthe Bahamas while I’m in this office... andso I can’t be pressured by any such peo-ple.”

He made it clear that persons “who donot return to work, forthwith, will be dealtwith by the public service without regardto any other consideration.”

Immigration officers were sufficientlywise to take him seriously. We understandthey returned to their posts yesterday.

There are many hardworking, decentmen and women in this union who arebeing led astray by their leaders. It is nowtime that union members start selectingbetter leadership.

What they also have to understand isthat — unlike many of their fellow menand women — they are lucky to have asecure job. They would be foolish to letpolitics and politicians ruin it for them.

On leaders of faith and

[email protected]

Politics enters chaos at airport

BASRABahamas Air Sea Rescue Association

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGBASRA Headquarters, March 29th, 2012

@ 7pm.

All members are encouraged to attend.Refreshments will be served.

Concerns over flow of drugs


THE government will beaccepting bids for the con-struction of a community hos-pital in Exuma before the endof the month, Prime MinisterHubert Ingraham told con-stituents Saturday night at theopening of the FNM’s Exu-ma constituency office.

He also promised residentscable service before the East-er holiday.

More than 200 people don-ning red showed up for the8pm rally after a spiritedgreeting for the prime minis-ter at Exuma’s InternationalAirport.

“I’m here in Exuma and Iam here to deliver even morefor you because I havebrought you one of yourown,” Mr Ingraham said,referring to Minister of Statefor the Environment PhentonNeymour who is running forthe seat.

“You know, Exuma usedto be a big time place. Youused to have two ministers inthe Cabinet. Why are you set-tling for a back-bencher? Whyare you asking for a back-bencher? You can have a gen-eral you know.”

The PLP promised to builda harbour, bring mid-sizedcruise ships, and construct ahospital but did not deliver,he said.

“They are not in the deliv-ery business you know. That’sthe business we are in. If youlike promises, well the PLP isthe party for you. You stickwith them.”

By this Thursday, plans forthe new community hospitalwill be presented to Exuma’sTown Planning Committee,

Mr Ingraham said.“And we expect to go to

tender for the construction ofyour hospital and the one inMarsh Harbour by the end ofthis month – March.”

Mr Ingraham also said hewants Exuma to know that“we are quite aware of allyour concerns,” including thedemand for cable services.

“You know, the cable manonly wants to put cable wherehe is going to make money.But we want to make surethat every Bahamian canwatch ZNS. We want to makesure you can watch ABC,CBS and NBC. And you canwatch CNN and some otherchannels. You can watch mein the House, too” he said.

“The communities fromHooper’s Bay to Moss Townto Farmer’s Hill, Roker’sPoint, Rolleville andBaraterre in the West, and inthe East from Nicholls Town,Rolle Town, Forbes Hill,Hartwell, Moore Hill andWilliams Town, expect to getyour cable, to be able towatch me on television,before Easter.”

Mr Ingraham also notedthat Exuma’s population grewfrom 3,571 in 2000 to 7,314 in

2010. He attributed this toeconomic activity andBahamians coming to Exuma“looking for opportunities.”

The Prime Minister and theFNM campaign team will bein Golden Gates on Thurs-day; Central and SouthEleuthera on Saturday; MarshHarbour, Abaco on March 15,and Grand Bahama on March17.

Mr Ingraham also told thecrowd he will return oncemore to Exuma for a “massrally” before the general elec-tion.

Also speaking at the rallywere State Minister for SocialDevelopment Loretta Butler-Turner, senator AnthonyMusgrove, State Minister forHousing and National Insur-ance Brensil Rolle, State Min-ister for Lands and LocalGovernment Byron Wood-side, and Exuma candidateMr Neymour.

LOCAL NEWS


Hospital deal near for Exuma

THE CROWD greeting Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham in Exuma. Photos courtesy of FNM photos

A WARM welcome for Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham in Exuma.

“GOLDEN GIRL” Deb-bie Ferguson-McKenziebelieves she is being used as apolitical tool. And althoughshe was critical of not beingofficially invited to the open-ing of the new Thomas ARobinson Stadium, she made

it clear that she’s not endors-ing any political party.

Ferguson-McKenzie, thenational 200 metres recordholder, made the followingstatement over the weekendin regards to her affiliationand participation in the

upcoming general election.She said: “I pray that as a

country of a blessed nation…a country of hardworking,dedicated people… we cancome to that place of divinebalance. As individuals, weare treated by others how we

allow others to treat us.“Over my life span, I have

had mentors in my life thattaught me to be honest, hardworking, disciplined, respect-ful, etc. Always expecting thebest in and from others as theBible says, ‘two are better thanone; because they have a goodreward for their labour, For ifthey fail, the one will lift uphis fellow: But woe to him thatis alone when he falleth; forhe hath another to help himup’ (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

“When you surround your-self with the right kind of peo-ple, you enter into the God-ordained power of agreement.

“Just a week ago, I spokeout about not getting a notifi-cation about the opening ofthe Thomas A RobinsonTrack and Field Stadium…then three days later I haveindividuals calling to informme that I am endorsing anoth-er political party.

“There was an ad out inwhich my name was men-tioned and the idea appearsthat I am endorsing this party.I have not personally heardthe advertisement but I amimploring individuals to stopmisrepresenting and misusing

their power.“Why do we always have

to assume the worst from anindividual?

“Most of the time thatassumption is always incor-rect. Being quick to judge is adeath to mankind.

“First I am (and any ath-lete for that matter) anambassador for the Bahamas.As we try to do everythingpossible to make sure our fel-low Bahamians do it biggerand better than the genera-tion before. After all, I washelped by my heroes/heroinesas a little girl growing up.

“So here is my advice to allparties vying to run this beau-tiful country in the next elec-

tion. Start by stop misleadingthe people. I say let yourwork speak for itself… isn’tthat what Democracy isabout?

“Bahamians have the rightto vote for who they feel bestis getting the job done (for egkeeping unemployment low,crime/murder rate low, lowilliteracy, etc.)

“Focus on these points andshow Bahamians that as a unitwe can get the job done.Bahamians have the freedomto vote for whatever politicalparty they feel best representstheir ideology.

“Stop the name calling,jeering and focus on whatmatters... the people. And aword of advice to the winningparty… treat the citizen of theopposing parties just like yourown followers. They will loveyou for that.

“I do not endorse nor am Iaffiliated with any party.When I do or if I do… mycountry will know. I am reg-istered to vote, and so I amencouraging all Bahamians toregister and vote for the par-ty of choice… do it peaceful-ly and in love.

“I endorse the Bahamas!”

LOCAL NEWS



THE Bahamas PetroleumCompany will begin drillingfor oil off Bahamian shoresthis year, according to a DNAstatement released yesterday.

Montagu candidate BenAlbury’s sources and researchrevealed the company’s (BPC)plans, the party said, adding:“BPC, which was granted anew series of agreements andpermits from the previous gov-ernment in 2005, will begindrilling this year.”

They were furtherinformed, they said, that BPChas been “encouraged not tobegin drilling” until after thegeneral election.

Environment MinistersEarl Deveaux and PhentonNeymour have denied theclaims of oil drilling, Mr Ney-

mour stating it’s “not some-thing they want to explore”.

Yet the DNA claimed MrDeveaux “gave misleadingremarks” suggesting a mora-torium on offshore drillingpermits. His remarks led“most Bahamians” to believeoil exploration was unlikely inthe near future; however, theminister “did not share withthe general public that the gov-ernment’s moratorium did notapply to existing permits” likeBPC’s, they continued.

“The Bahamian publicshould know that there are 12undisclosed companies, pri-marily based in China, thatBPC has been petitioning todrill in the Bahamas,” thestatement said. “In BPC’soffer to investors (found onbpcplc.com), they describe theBahamas as a ‘giant oilreserve in the making’ further

bragging about ‘attractive fis-cal terms, like low royaltiesand no corporation taxes’.”

In order to “raise publicawareness” and “protect theinterest of all Bahamians,” MrAlbury and the DNAdemanded to know whyBahamians are not aware ofthe alleged drilling, howBahamians will be protectedfrom risks, how the Bahamaswill benefit from the drilling,and if China is benefiting.

Mr Deveaux said the gov-ernment’s stance on oildrilling “hasn’t changed”.

“The Bahamas has a mora-torium in place and it willremain in place,” he said.

Environment State Minis-ter Phenton Neymour alsodenied the drilling claims andsaid he would not commentfurther until he personallysees the DNA’s statement.

Golden Girl Debbie: I’m no political tool

CLAIM OVER OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING

DEBBIE FERGUSON-MCKENZIE

LOCAL NEWS



THE BAHAMAS will notamend existing environmentallegislation or create any lawsas a result of the multi-islandcoral reef mission which hasjust been completed, Envi-ronment Minister EarlDeveaux said.

Mr Deveaux made thestatement while taking ques-tions from the press on theKhaled bin Sultan LivingOceans Foundation(KSLOF) study of coral reefsin the Bahamas – one of themost comprehensive analy-ses and satellite mappingexercises of Bahamian reefsever done.

The team is on a five-yearexpedition to map and studycoral reefs across the world.The Bahamas was the firstlocation to be studied.

The group of scientists andresearchers completed threemissions in 2011, at Cay SalBank, Hogsty Reef and sev-eral reefs around Andros.

Mr Deveaux said while no

new laws will come out of thestudy, the information will beused to help enforce thosealready in existence.

“What we expect to hap-pen is the information will bean asset to us by adding towhat we already know.

“We have recently amend-ed the Bahamas NationalTrust Act, as well as passedthe Planning and Subdivi-sion Act and a Forestry Act.We have also declared a pol-icy that we will declare atleast 20 per cent of the landand water in the Bahamasas permanent protectedareas.

“We have already exceed-ed that goal because of thethree acts I mentioned andwe are as high a 50 per cent,”he said.

“This survey will help usdocument the remote parts ofthe Bahamas where we couldnot have gotten to otherwise.It’ll tell us the conditions ofthe coral reefs and what weneed to do to mitigate thedestruction in terms of regu-lations. It will also help us bet-ter maintain the health of our

coral reef system.“This will be the first time

many Bahamians would haveseen Cay Sal in any way orshape and certainly the firsttime many Bahamians wouldhave seen Hogsty Reef. It willalso tell us a lot about howthe conditions are andwhether or not our fishingactivities or the activities ofour neighbours have acceler-ated coral reef destruction.”

According to CaptainPhilip Renaud, executivedirector of the foundation, theinformation gathered fromthe expedition will be freelyshared with the governmentso it can be used to help pre-serve coral reefs in theBahamas.

His Royal Highness PrinceKhaled bin Sultan, presidentand chairman of the founda-tion, said he hopes the expe-dition will encourage peopleto better appreciate the coralreefs, the seas and the oceans.

The team will next travelto Jamaica, then to Colom-bia, the Galapagos Islands,French Polynesia and theGreat Barrier Reef.

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter [email protected]

FREEPORT – Althoughmembers of the Common-wealth Electrical WorkersUnion have voted in favourof a strike, Labour MinisterDion Foulkes said a “coolingoff” period is required beforehe can certify the strike vote.

Grand Bahama PowerCompany workers took astrike vote on Wednesday atthe Department of Labour.Of the 111 workers, 89 voted– 88 voted ‘Yes’ and one vot-ed ‘No.’

Minister Foulkes was inGrand Bahama on Thursdayin conciliation meetings withCEWU officials and GBPCexecutives concerning alabour dispute over the ter-mination of a long-timeemployee.

“We met for some threehours and I felt the talks wereproductive, and another meet-ing is set for 10am on Mon-day,” he told The Tribune.

CEWU president LeslieLightbourne said they werehoping to receive a strike cer-tificate from the minister on

Friday. Mr Lightbourne said the

termination was not in accor-dance with the collective bar-gaining agreement.

He said that Power Com-pany CEO Sarah McDonaldterminated a 40-year employ-ee last month regarding aminor oil spill incident.

“They are saying that the

worker was terminated in ref-erence to a section in the gov-ernment law that speaksabout spilling oil to the envi-ronment, but we are saying itdid not go into the environ-ment,” he said.

Mr Lightbourne said the oilspill went in the coffer damn,which is a protective concreteenclosure to contain the spill.

“That is why they build acoffer damn in case there is aspill, to stop if from going inthe environment and so theycan clean it up.

“But they try to make itseems as if the spill was to theenvironment and they usedthat section, and that is wherewe have a problem,” heexplained.

“In our labour contract thatis a minor breach – you get averbal warning,” Mr Light-bourne said.

He said that an employeeis allowed up to three writtenletters. After a fourth writtenletter the individual is thentermination.

Mr Lightbourne saiddepending on the outcome ofMonday’s meeting, the unionwould decide what steps itwould take.

Minister says cooling off periodneeded before strike is valid

‘NO CHANGE TO LAWS OVER REEF’

L A B O U R M I N I S T E R D i o nFoulkes has been in conciliationmeetings between union officialsand executives from GrandBahama Power Company.

LOCAL NEWS


By Constable 3011 MAKELLE PINDER

DOMESTIC violence is vio-lence that is against the lawthat can be perpetuatedagainst a current spouse, mem-bers of the family and friendsliving together or separated.

Does your partner.....• Hit, kick or slap you or

the children? • Display extremely jeal-

ous or possessive behaviortowards you?

• Exhibit disrespect ofyour opinion and makes allof the decisions?

• Break things in anger andthreaten you with weapons?

• Have a violent historyand brags about mistreatingothers?

• Blame you and othersfor their own failure or belit-tles you verbally?

• Pressure you for sex andbelieves that you are just asex object?

• Behaviors worsen whenusing prohibited drugs oralcohol and Make you feelextremely fearful?

• Always ask for secondchances and say that they willchange?

• Makes your family wor-ry about your safety?

Safety PlanThink of a safe place to go

if an argument occurs- avoidrooms with no exits(bath-room), or rooms withweapons(kitchen).

Establish a “code word orsign” so that family friendteacher or co-workers canknow when to call for help.Be aware of domestic violenceshelters in your area. Keep

money with you at all times. Memorise all important

phone numbers and make alist of safe people to contact.

The police play an impor-tant part in stopping the cycleof violence. The police willconduct risk assessment, whichincludes interviews from allparties. Officers will automat-ically consider victim’s safety,privacy and protection.

Matters involving childrenwill be prioritised and for-warded to the Departmentof Social Services. Physicalinjuries will be referred tohealth-care professionals.

The police will enter andsearch premises without awarrant if they suspectdomestic violence hasoccurred and the victim’s lifeis in further danger. Thepolice will take the offenderinto custody if they believethe victim or the victim’sproperty is in further danger.

The police will ask theMagistrate to make a tem-porary protection order bytelephone, fax, radio or asimilar device.

If you prefer not to get thepolice involved, rememberto file a police report, even ifyou do not want your abuserarrested. It documents theabuse. Save all evidencefrom the assault. Apply for aprotection order.

For more information,contact police at 919 orCrime Stoppers at 328-tips(New Providence), 1-300-8476 (Family Island) or ifyou know individuals whomay need support, contactthe Department of SocialServices hotline at 322-2763.

MY WORD is my bond! Thatexpression held great meaningto buyers and sellers in the “old”days. Most real estate sales weremade with a handshake and averbal promise to complete thetransaction at some future date.

Later, as a show of good inten-tions, purchasers would give sellers

a deposit until the sale was sealed.This deposit had more ceremoni-al significance than monetaryassurance of a completed sale.

Today, deposits are a part ofevery real estate transaction tomake the agreement binding.The amount is usually 10 percent, but the deposit is negotiable

between buyers and sellers.There is, however, a strong

message attached to the amountof money tendered by pur-chasers. As the saying goes,“Money talks!” If vendors arepresented with two identicaloffers on their home, one with a10 per cent deposit, and the oth-

er with a 5 per cent deposit,which do you think they aremost likely to accept? Sellersbelieve the higher deposit indi-cates buyers who are more qual-ified to complete the purchase.

Having said that, understandthat the deposit money is justone factor to be considered when

buying or selling a property. Theamount of the deposit is relativeand depends on the uniquenature of each property. Moreinformation is available fromyour BREA real estate agent.

Mike Lightbourn is presidentof Coldwell Banker Light-

bourn Realty)

Money talks when it comes to sealing the deal

Royal Bahamas Police ForceNational Crime Prevention Office

TACKLING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

LOCAL NEWS


By TRIBUNE INTERNSBRITTANY KEMP andMICHELLE GREENE

“ANDROS, we have the bestcandidate, the best team and thebest leader, and we are ready togovern and improve the qualityof life for you,” said Philip“Brave” Davis as he introducedthe new candidate for NorthAndros and the Berry Islands atthe PLP rally in Andros last Fri-day.

The MP for Cat Island, RumCay and San Salvador assuredthe people that Dr Perry Gomezis a major part of the PLP. “DrGomez will restore governanceto our beloved country... indeed

he is a man that US PresidentBill Clinton has called a Nation-al Treasure.”

In his remarks, Davis referredto the 1956 general election andcongratulated Androsians forbeing pacesetters by electing PLPmembers into the House ofAssembly at that time. He addedthat this is an accomplishmentfor Androsians and they shouldbe proud.

He then referred to the newcandidates for North Andros, DrPerry Gomez (PLP) and Ministerof Education Desmond Bannister(FNM).

He compared the two candi-dates, saying that Dr Gomez iscapable of and ready to provide

responsible representation,whereas Bannister had aban-doned his constituency inCarmichael, “running from hispoor record there” and is nowasking the people of Andros tosend him back to the House ofAssembly.

Mr Davis did not hold back inhis remarks regarding the FNMparty, including their leader,Prime Minister Hubert Ingra-ham.

He referred to the Prime Min-ister as “Papa Clown” saying,“Hubert ‘Papa Clown’ Ingrahamis a desperate man who realisesthat he is about to lose power,he has been losing his cool.”

“All of a sudden,” he said,

“weeks before an election, theywant to sign contracts to repairschools.

“They are breaking the trea-sury as cronies of the FNM arebeing awarded contracts to paveroads, paint schools some twoand three times and open clinicsbuilt since 2007.”

Davis said there is no need fora Prime Minister who will onlywork some of the time, but ratherall of the time.

Mr Davis asked North Androsconstituents for their continuoussupport to the PLP in this elec-tion. “Perry Christie and the PLPwill form the next Government ofthe Commonwealth of theBahamas,” he said.

Davis hits out at PM at PLP rallytruck was on the scene.

“The first responding vehicle got there before9pm. After seeing the gravity of the situation,four more trucks were dispatched to assist. Onarrival to the area firefighters met nine singlestorey wooden structures engulfed in flames. Allnine homes were completely destroyed. Therewere no casualties or injuries during the blaze,”he said.

“We have not determined the cause of theblaze but our investigations are ongoing. At least15 people were left homeless. Three other build-ings were damaged but not destroyed.”

ASP Evans said police are not sure if the dis-placed Haitians were legal citizens or if they werereceiving assistance from the Department ofSocial Services.

Minister of Social Services Loretta Butler Turn-er could not be contacted for comment.

ffrroomm ppaaggee oonneeMASSIVE FIRE IN HAITIAN VILLAGE

LOCAL NEWS


by SIR RONALD SANDERS

A RECENT statement bythe Secretary-General of theCaribbean Community(CARICOM), Irwin LaRocque, that the region hasbeen “overly ambitious in itsintegration targets”, comingfrom the person who isexpected to drive the region-al integration process, is causefor disappointment.

The Secretary-General saidthat “we” (presumably headsof government) “set over-ambitious and unrealistic tar-gets” and he describes this asa “mistake”. But, surely themistake was not setting ambi-tious targets; the mistake wasnot taking action to achievethem.

Having declared, as longago as 1989, that a CaribbeanSingle Market and Economy(CSME) was not only desir-able but essential if the mem-ber states of CARICOMwere not to be relegated tothe backwater of internation-al economic progress, it took17 years to launch efforts toestablish the CSME.

Five years after its launch,at a retreat in Guyana in 2011,the heads decided to “pause”the single economy process –a decision that the Prime Min-ister of St Vincent and theGrenadines, Ralph Gon-salves, described in a letter tothe Secretary-General as“sliding backwards” in adynamic world.

Everyone would agree thata Single Economy by 2015cannot now be achieved. Hav-ing dithered, delayed and dal-lied for 22 years sinceannouncing the ambition in1989, of course its achieve-ment by 2015 is now an unre-alistic proposition. But, couldit not now have been withinthe region’s grasp if, over thepast 20 years, steady work hadbeen done to integrate theregion’s economy more close-ly and for the benefit of itspeople?

In his remarks on February29, the Secretary-Generalreferred to a report of con-sultants on the restructuringof CARICOM. That reporthas not been released to thepublic, but it has been seenby some commentators,including me. The Secretary-General says that it will bediscussed by Heads of Gov-ernment when they hold ameeting in Suriname in earlyMarch. But, it would havebeen much better if the reporthad been released ahead ofthe meeting to the public, andsent to civil society organisa-tions, private sector groupingsand trade unions for theircomments. Had this beendone, heads of governmentwould have been able to takeaccount of a wide cross-sec-tion of Caribbean opinion indeciding how to respond tothe report. Hopefully, theleaders might still decide thatsuch a wide consultationprocess would be beneficial.

The report itself is very use-ful as a basis for discussionon the way forward forCARICOM, but it is not with-out its weaknesses. In itsmechanical approach to thewell-known difficulties and itsreiteration of many of thereforms that have been tire-lessly proposed over theyears, the report fails to makethe point that CARICOM isthe only viable instrumentopen to its member-countriesto maintain their identity,strengthen their bargainingcapacity in the internationalcommunity, and collectivelyimprove the quality of life oftheir people. Individualnations may flirt with thisorganisation or that groupingof nations for the temporaryand transient benefits theyreceive, but at the end of theday, it is CARICOM alonethat gives them each an equalvoice free of threat, and thereal opportunity for mutuallybeneficial programmes.

In this regard, mentionshould be made of an editor-ial in the Jamaica Observerpublished on the same day asthe Secretary-General’sspeech and entitled “CARI-COM must be enlarged tosurvive”. The editorial arguedthat “CARICOM’s survivalrequires that emphasis beplaced on widening CARI-COM to be truly Caribbeanin its ambit” and it calls for

the inclu-sion of theDominicanR e p u b l i cand Cuba asfull members of CARICOM.

Apart from the fact thatneither Cuba nor the Domini-can Republic would see anyparticular advantage at thistime in joining CARICOM,the current 15 members ofCARICOM have failed tomake the regional groupingwork for themselves; howwould they make it work anybetter with two huge addi-tional partners whose agendadiffers considerably fromtheirs?

There is every good reasonfor CARICOM member-countries as a group to engagein selected forms of coopera-tion with countries of thewider Caribbean, but unlessthey deepen their ownarrangements, they wouldonly further weaken them-selves by seeking to widen themembership of CARICOM.

Deepening their ownarrangements should include:

(a) integration of their pro-duction

(b) some form of industryallocation

(c) full freedom of move-ment of people – at least fromthe OECS to other CARI-COM countries for at least 10years to begin with;

(d) establishment of region-al institutions for regulatingcertain activities such as bank-ing and insurance;

(e) establishment of aregion-wide regional securitysystem that would include arapid response unit for seri-ous crimes;

(f) joint bargaining in theinternational community notonly on trade, but also ondebt and climate change; and

(g) harmonising foreignpolicy against a backdrop ofagreed principles.

Secretary-General LaRocque was very firm that“we need to agree on criticalthings that must get done;focus on them; get themdone”. No quarrel there.

Neither he nor heads of gov-ernment need look any furtherthan the paper entitled, “Re-energising CARICOM” thatGrenada Prime Minister, Till-man Thomas, commissionedin 2011 during his tenure aschairman of the organisation. Itwas set aside by heads of gov-ernment when they “mistak-enly”, as Prime Minister Gon-salves has emphasised, decidedto put the single market andeconomy on “pause”.

The Thomas paper identi-fied several areas as priorities.Among them is Governance:the creation of a legal basis forimplementing decisions ofheads of government in: (i)the Common Market/FreeTrade Area, (ii) ExternalTrade Policy, (iii) RegionalSecurity and (iv) Environmentand Climate Change Policy.Prioritising the benefits of eco-nomic integration was anotherand it included: priority actionfor a regional agricultural pro-duction and food security pro-gramme; maritime transportservices and a renewable ener-gy production programme.

It also called for theCaribbean Development Bankto convene a consortium of theprincipal regional public sectoragencies and interested privatesector entities for setting uppublic-private partnerships,and for more coherent andconsistent access to and use ofexternal assistance.

Importantly, the paper alsoidentified mobilising civil soci-ety in support of regional inte-gration as a critical factor.

The Thomas paper, too,should be put in the publicdomain, and at the risk of los-ing three months, when headsmeet in Suriname they mightconsider putting on the agen-da of their July meeting onlytwo subjects – the TillmanThomas paper and the Con-sultants report on restructur-ing CARICOM. They pri-otorize narrow ambitions thatcan be achieved by resolve,and actually deliver benefitsto the region’s people.

• Responses and previouscommentaries at: www.sir-ronaldsanders.com

The writer is a consultant and former

Caribbean diplomat

Ambition withoutaction is failure

WORLD VIEW

LOCAL NEWS


“All three bodies are beingtransported to the capital forautopsies. I have officers onthe ground who are wrappingup another investigation whowill take over the investiga-tion.”

Last week, a 40-foot fiberglass vessel ran aground nearEleuthera. ImmigrationDirector Jack Thompson said14 persons were found in thecommunity – 12 men and twowomen.

Mr Thompson added thatthe type of vessel used sur-prised him, as it seemed to bean upgrade from the usualwooden sloop used to trans-port immigrants from Haiti.

mately two hours. There werepeople who fainted and nonurse was on duty, and unfor-tunately there were signifi-cant press calls on the BritishAirways flight to cover PrinceHarry’s visit – they were veryunhappy.”

The e-mail said the airportexpected yesterday to be“even more chaotic” as a 25per cent increase in passen-gers was expected and theyfelt they could not operate ifimmigration and customsworkers, again, failed to show.

“With more than 5,200 pas-sengers expected tomorrow(Sunday), the key to avoid-ing complete and irrevocabledisaster such as someone hav-ing a heart attack due to cir-cumstances is to have suffi-cient immigration officers onduty – full complement,opposed to five or six as wehad today.”

After reading the e-mail,Mr Ingraham told the press:“The activities of the immi-gration officers and the union,in particular, appear to bemotivated by something otherthan legitimate grievances.Indeed, I think it is politicallymotivated.”

He was referring to theBahamas Customs and Immi-gration Allied Workers Union(BCIAW) who he met with

on February 25 to discussissues involving work hours,overtime, and their 2005Industrial Agreement.

He would not expand onthe comment but later saidunions are “no different fromanybody else.”

“When election is comingup lots of people think nowis the time to make mydemands,” Mr Ingraham said.

“But the reality is, when weare doing business like this, itdoesn’t matter whether it’selection time or not electiontime, I should do what is sim-ply best for the Bahamaswhile I’m in this office... andso I can’t be pressured by anysuch people.”

Speaking of their absenceon Saturday afternoon, MrIngraham stated the shift sys-tem is in effect and “nearlyall of them” had been hired

by the public service with acondition in their contractthat sates they shall work onshift.

“Persons who do not returnto work, forthwith, will bedealt with by the public ser-vice without regard to anyother consideration. We areserious about this,” he said.

A call to Mr Thompsonconfirmed he was still “in thebooth” processing passengersbut he would not commentfurther.

Airport worker DebraJohnson said operations were“moving smoothly” in the cus-toms hall, yesterday, andabout eleven immigrationofficers and five customs offi-cers showed up for work.

BCIAW’s acting president,Sloane Smith, could not bereached for comment.

It was last Wednesday thatofficers walked off the job afterMr Smith advised staff torevert to the work schedule setfor public servants in GeneralOrders: from 9am to 5pm.

The shift system has been along-standing contentiousissue for the workers, whofeel that there are no guide-lines to organize and evenlydistribute overtime work.

At February 25’s meeting,Mr Ingraham advised thatworkers will be compensatedfor overtime pay as far backas March 31, 2010.

POLICE are investigatingtwo separate shooting inci-dents that have left two menin hospital.

The first incident took placearound 5pm on Friday atMarket Street off RobinsonRoad.

Police say the victim wassitting inside a white Hondawhen he was approached bythree men in an F-150 truck.

It is reported that one ofthe men pulled out a hand-gun and fired gunshots whichresulted in the 31-year-oldMalcom Road resident beingshot.

He was taken to hospitalwhere he is detained in seri-ous, but stable condition.

Active police investigationscontinue.

The second shooting inci-dent occurred around 4.30amSaturday.

Police say the 23-year-oldvictim on arriving at his FoxHill Road home wasapproached by a man armedwith a handgun. The mandemanded the keys to his Nis-san Maxima.

A struggle followedbetween the culprit and thevictim, which resulted in thevictim being shot in his back.He was taken to hospitalwhere he is also listed in seri-ous, but stable condition.

The culprit reportedly fledthe area on foot, south alongFox Hill Road.

Police are investigatingboth incidents and are appeal-ing to members of the publicwho may have any informa-tion to contact them at 919,322-3333, the CDU at 502-9991, 502-9910 or Crime Stop-pers anonymously at 328-TIPS.



Airport chaosas staff fail to show up

BODY EATENBY ‘CRITTERSOF THE DEEP’

DIRECTOR of Immigration JackThompson reportedly had toprocess passengers himself.

TWO MEN INHOSPITAL AFTER

SHOOTINGS

TWO men, ages 25 and 22,are in police custody afterthey were found in possessionof a stolen vehicle, a laptopand an assortment of jew-ellery.

Police say officers of theSouthwestern Division arrest-ed the men around 11.30am

on Friday at the intersectionof Faith Avenue andCarmichael Road.

Police are actively search-ing for a third male whoevaded police during thearrest.


BURGLARY SUSPECTS HELD

POLICE are requesting thepublic’s assistance in locatinga man responsible for anarmed robbery at John CheaConvenience Store Friday.

Police say a male enteredthe Wulff Road locationshortly after 5.00pm allegedlyarmed with a handgun anddemanded cash.

The culprit reportedly

robbed the establishment ofan undetermined amount ofmoney and fled the area onfoot in an unknown direc-tion.

Police are investigatingand are appealing to mem-bers of the public who mayhave any informationregarding this incident tocontact police.

POLICE PLEA OVER ROBBERY

POLICE officers haveretreived a drugs haul,thought to be marijuana.

Two men, ages 29 and 26,are in police custody afterthey were found in posses-sion of a quantity of suspectedmarijuana.

Officers of the Mobile Divi-sion arrested the men at

about 5pm on Friday.Police say the men, resi-

dents of Bamboo Town, werearrested at Emiel Drive inBamboo Town after theywere found in possession ofa quantity of suspected mar-ijuana.


MARIJUANA ARRESTS MADE

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