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VOLUME:116 No.206, OCTOBER 21ST, 2019
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NO BACKING DOWN ON DEPORTATIONS Govt rejects UN’s concern over new migrant expulsions By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net THE government’s decision to resume deportation of undocumented migrants was “painstaking”, but came only after careful analysis at a time deemed appropriately humane and necessary, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While it defended the Minnis administration’s handling of the immigration situation in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, the ministry doubled down on the government’s unwavering position saying any person found in violation of the Bahamas’ Immigration Act will be dealt with
according to statute laws. While pushing back against international scrutiny and criticism levelled at the government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this country was one that “strictly” adhered to the rule of law, both locally and internationally. This especially pertained to the human rights of every man, woman and child on Bahamian territory, the ministry said in a statement over the weekend. The statement further reinforced the position of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and the Department of Immigration on how those caught breaking
PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis has questioned whether the Royal Bahamas Defence Force’s change in leadership will impact ongoing recovery efforts on storm-ravaged islands. Not only has the change added a layer of uncertainty to the situation, but Mr Davis said government’s lack of a substantive plan shows they continue to
SEE PAGE 13
By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net
`THE massive oil spill in Grand Bahama caused by Hurricane Dorian should be incentive enough for the government to reject the controversial Oban refinery proposal, an environmental watchdog has asserted. Save The Bays (STB), in a pamphlet on the incident, said the 100,000 barrels of oil that spilled from the Equinor South Riding Point facility should ideally lead to a “definitive rejection of the notorious” Oban Energies proposition. STB’s Legal Director Fred Smith, QC, said the Minnis administration would be “insane” to continue “courting another dangerous and reckless facility” because if agreed to, a “disaster on the scale of South Riding
HARBOUR ISLAND PROJECT ‘UNLAWFUL’
SEE PAGE FIVE
“shoot from the hips” as it relates to Abaco and Grand Bahama in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. Raymond King was recently appointed deputy commander of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and is now acting as the commander of the organisation as Commodore Tellis Bethel went on three months vacation leave last week. Many observers have posed the same question as Mr Davis, noting the
‘TIME TO BIN OBAN AFTER HUGE SPILL AT REFINERY’
SEE PAGE SIX
‘WHY CHANGE RBDF TOP COMMAND NOW?’ By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
HOME
By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net
MAGIC DAY OUT
MAGICIAN Edwourral Daxon enjoying himself at the International Culture, Wine and Food Festival held at the Botanical Gardens over the weekend. More coverage - Page 3. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
A HARBOUR Island development must make an application to the “appropriate authority” and receive the requisite approvals “in compliance with the law” if work is to ever resume on the project, a Supreme Court judge has ruled. Justice Diane Stewart, in an October 17 written ruling, ordered the marina development by 4M Harbour Island Limited to be “stayed” pending an application and its consequent lawful approval by the relevant body. SEE PAGE 13
LIKE SO MANY MISSING - SILENCE By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
IT has been seven painstaking and worrisome weeks for relatives of Tanario Lowe, an Abaco native not heard from since the day before Hurricane Dorian destroyed the island. “We don’t know what to think or what to do, or where to go from here,” his sister Godydra Gardiner
MISSING: Tanario Lowe told The Tribune yesterday. Their grief is compounded by the thought that any
remains found now would be decomposed, needing DNA analysis for identification. Relatives are also unsure of whether he chose to ride the storm out at one of Abaco’s emergency shelters or at his home in Cooper’s Town. But at this point, Ms Gardiner, 28, said they have exhausted all options, having searched shelters in Nassau. A report was SEE PAGE FIVE
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
INSIGHT
WHY CHIPMAN’S LONE VOICE MAY BE AN EXAMPLE
SEE PAGE EIGHT
PAGE 2, Monday, October 21, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
OAS CHIEF CONGRATULATES PM LUIS Almagro, Secretary-General of the Organisation of American States, congratulated Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis on the government’s leadership and response to Hurricane Dorian during a courtesy call at the Office of the Prime Minister on Friday. Dr Minnis and Secretary-General Almagro discussed Hurricane Dorian recovery and reconstruction efforts on Abaco and Grand Bahama, including
the importance of adopting a renewable energy strategy as the country rebuilds with greater resilience. Dr Minnis also pointed to the need for additional psychological counseling for affected residents, especially among children. Mr Almagro invited Dr Minnis to make a presentation to the OAS Permanent Council on Hurricane Dorian’s impact in an effort to bring awareness to its member states and the wider global community.
The prime minister thanked Secretary-General Almagro and his team for their visit and interest in continuing to help the Bahamas. The OAS has already donated $25,000 to the Hurricane Dorian relief effort through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). A number of OAS member-states have also offered support and financial assistance. The Canadian government has made a
donation of $150,000. Costa Rica, Mexico and Dominican Republic provided assistance through emergency supplies. The Dominican Republic has also offered financial assistance in the amount of $100,000. Columbia offered technical and financial assistance, and the United States government was instrumental in providing emergency rescue and evacuation assistance through the US Coast Guard.
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SECRETARY General Luis Almagro with Dr Hubert Minnis. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
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THE TRIBUNE
Monday, October 21, 2019, PAGE 3
A WORLD OF FUN
HUNDREDS of people flocked to the International Culture, Wine and Food Festival at Botanical Gardens over the weekend where visitors enjoyed a variety of dishes from around the world. The festival was inaugurated 24 years ago to celebrate the anniversary of the United Nations and to also celebrate the diversity of cultures that have come together to make up The Bahamas. Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/ Tribune Staff
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THE TRIBUNE
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Government headstrong over immigration NEVER mind what other people are saying, the Bahamas government is going to do things its own way. Never mind local activists, international agencies or even the United Nations, the Bahamas government must be right. Mustn’t it? Sure, its tough line on immigration and shanty towns has stirred concerns from the likes of Rights Bahamas and Fred Smith QC. The sight of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis kicking a shanty town door down raised the worries of the Bahamas Christian Council. And sure, migrants who had just lost their jobs – along with everything else in their lives after Hurricane Dorian - might have been ordered by Attorney General Carl Bethel to leave the country. But the government persists in believing it is right and above criticism. So when the United Nations called on The Bahamas to halt deportations of Haitians and other undocumented migrants over a lack of individual assessments and guarantees of due process – which people are entitled to under international law – Carl Bethel came out blazing, saying it was unfortunate the UN applied standards to The Bahamas that were not enforced in their own countries. It’s a good job Mr Bethel doesn’t have a job in the diplomatic corps. Indeed, he goes on to claim that the UN should not prejudge an issue “based on something that they would’ve heard… from some social activist group”. Call us skeptical, but we doubt the UN issues a statement urging caution based on every complaint off Facebook. Mr Bethel is seeking to minimise the nature of the concern. What the UN acts upon is evidence – and statements from activists forms part of that. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has now responded, saying that the decision to resume the implementation of immigration laws was a “painstaking, conscientious, but necessary” one following “careful analysis”. That is indeed excellent to hear – not least of all because it must mean there is
considerable documentation relating to that decision that we would encourage the government to publish in full to demonstrate their reasoning. In fact, we would insist – it’s not enough just to say they thought hard about it, show us the communications that led to the reversal of the decision on deportations. For example, the government says that contrary to what has been alleged by the UN, they have received no reports of people leaving shelters for fear of arrest. That’s one of those statements that sounds good until you think about it. How many people leaving shelters would stop by the government desk on the way out and say oh, by the way, I’m leaving before you arrest me? “Our immigration officers do not deport persons willy-nilly,” insists Mr Bethel. We must assume then that all is well. That there really was no problem over Jean Rony Jean-Charles’ deportation from The Bahamas. That there was nothing wrong with the incident in July that saw the house of Rights Bahamas chairperson Mona Agenor raided. That in fact the government has rushed to put in place the protective measures demanded for Rights Bahamas activists by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights two years ago. That Kenyan Douglas Ngumi was perfectly well treated when he was illegally detained for six years and seven months at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre. There is a trust deficit when it comes to how matters of immigration are often handled, so it can be of little surprise that the UN pays attention when further concerns are raised. This isn’t just gossip and rumour. But one thing is certain. We are delighted to hear that the government insists that this is a country that strictly adheres to the rule of law. We look forward to the strict application of the law when it comes to MPs making their financial disclosures. We look forward to it with regard to the tabling of audits and reports as required by law. After all, we would assume that there is not one law for one and another for MPs.
Time to stop drilling for oil EDITOR, The Tribune I FIND it extremely disappointing and sad that our supposedly educated Prime Minister does not have the fortitude and strength to quash the idea of drilling for oil in The Bahamas, immediately. Does the money matter so much to these government officials, so corrupted them, that they cannot even mention the right and decent thing to do? It shines a light on our collective mentality, especially of those in government, that we are willing to beg the world community
for money and assistance in fighting the effects of climate change, mainly rising sea levels and increasing frequency and intensity of hurricanes, and yet refuse to acknowledge our own participation and responsibility in these events. As someone supposedly trained as a medical doctor, scientifically oriented, how can Dr Minnis refuse to accept, or even fail to mention what the overwhelming scientific community is saying? The burning of fossil fuels is driving climate change. What hope is there for a
country that remains so ignorant, or disinterested in the realities facing us? Is it not the epitome of hypocrisy to ask for help in putting out a fire when we are continuing to throw gasoline on it? Are we all that dumbed down, so helpless in thinking this through, so concerned only with our own salaries, that we cannot see what is going on here and speak out? I fear the answer. Jr
NORMAN TRABULSY Nassau October 17, 2019
Question of insurance EDITOR, The Tribune ARE vehicles and equipment of the RBPF and RBDF insured? Minister Dames advised the House last week that the combined group had a loss of numerous patrol vehicles and I believe fire trucks as a result of hurricane Dorian. Fire trucks are diesel vehicles even if flooded can
without too much trouble be returned in good measure to operate well...... Patrol cars are an issue if the computer system was flooded maybe the cost to replace them might be too high but... all vehicles that drive on public roads are required to be insured at least Third party by the Road Traffic Act. The Minister needs to confirm that the vehicles
involved and suggested are a write-off were insured and that all endeavours will be taken to obtain insurance satisfaction for their repair. Write-off, sorry, Minister No..... can he further confirm with which Insurance agency are the Police and Defence vehicles insured? S P MOSS Nassau October 14, 2019
When it comes to Haiti, follow the money EDITOR, The Tribune IN THE search for motive, reason or rationale to explain the travesties, mysteries or controversies of life it is usually wise to follow the money. In the current debate over illegal immigrants it would be wise to think in terms of dollars and cents in order to understand the problem, fix it, then control it. Money is the chief motivating factor that drives tens of thousands of Haitians to the Bahamas. Previously, Haitians ran away to escape the dreaded Tonton Macoute, the murderous goon-squad that protected Haiti’s dictator Duvalier family. We provided welcome to Haiti’s elite and moderately educated. They eventually assimilated and are today proud Bahamians contributing to business, medicine, politics, the arts, sports and education. But then in 1971 the Haitian economy went from dire to dismal. Millions left, not in fear of their lives, but in search of economic opportunity. The fact that they are mostly uneducated and destitute with manual labour as their only negotiable skill forced us to rearrange our society in order to dance around our Haitian chaos. Try and imagine a budget meeting in the Ministry of Finance, Health, National Security, Education or the Attorney General’s office that doesn’t have to navigate the Haitian problem and allocate millions of our tax dollars to addressing it. Haitians obviously contribute to our GDP but imagine the cost of taxpayer funded Haitian Creole interpreters in the Emergency Room, the classroom, the court room, the police station and on our Defence Force boats. The key impediment to fixing the problem is the Haitian government
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net itself. They are totally dysfunctional. They are a semi-presidential republic. They have an Executive President alongside a Prime Minister who is supposed to actually run the government. But it doesn’t work. Haiti is a failed state just 200 miles from Inagua. It would take the slowest, most overloaded Haitian sloop just 72 hours to illegally sail into our waters. As we deal once again with this vexing problem, we need to think in terms of money to better understand the problem in order to appreciate why the Haitian government cannot and will never be credible partners to control migration. Remittances – the money sent home by Haitians abroad – is the number one earner of foreign exchange for Haiti much like tourism earns foreign exchange for us. In 2018, Haiti received $2.5 billion in remittances. Put in context, this is $1 billion more than the budget for the entire country of 10 million people. By contrast for our population of 400,000 (including 80,000 Haitians) our budget is $2.6 billion. Although Haiti’s government is dysfunctional, few Bahamians appreciate that Haiti has a cabinet level position called the Minister of Haitians Living Abroad. This is a powerful Ministry in Haiti because it oversees remittances. If your economy depends on remittances from Haitians that make it out of the misery, then it stands to reason that your government policy must be to encourage more Haitians to leave the island, legally or illegally. Organized human smuggling agencies proliferate in Haiti, hiding in plain sight.
The most Haitians abroad – two million – live next door in the Dominican Republic where they are not welcomed. There are 1.5 million Haitians in the US and 300,000 in Cuba. The Bahamas is home to more Haitians than France. But back to the money. Five countries send the most remittances to Haiti each year. The US is number one with $1.5 billion, followed by the Dominican Republic at $566 million, France at $149 million, Canada at $144 million and the Bahamas at $60 million. If each recipient family in Haiti receives just $400 per year, remittances from the Bahamas could support 150,000 families. It strains credulity to pretend that the illegal Haitians here who were so generously supporting kin back home, would not find welcoming arms when they are repatriated. The simple fact is that Haiti doesn’t want any of them to come back. Prime Minister Minnis must use his new-found friendship with the Secretary General of the United Nations to make this an international problem. If the world objects to our repatriation of undocumented Haitians, then let those countries accept them. We should simultaneously make this a Caricom problem and have the naval patrols of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago join us, the US Coast Guard, the British and Canadian navies in putting up a sea cordon off Inagua and Turks and Caicos (their Haitian problem is worse than ours). We must decide if we want to pay for interdiction now or for social disruption later. It’s all about the blue marlins. THE GRADUATE Nassau October 20, 2019
THE TRIBUNE from page one immigration laws will be handled. Last week, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) called on The Bahamas to halt deportations of Haitians and other undocumented migrants as it insisted there had been no individual assessments and due process guarantees – entitlements under international law. In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said deportations had been carried out consistent with international standards, specifically human rights norms. “The ministry wishes to inform that pre, during and post-Hurricane Dorian, the Bahamas government relaxed its immigration deportation and repatriation policies and procedures to ensure the safety, security and well being of all persons, irrespective of nationality, within its borders,” the statement issued on Saturday read. “During the search and rescue phase of the humanitarian efforts, all displaced persons were carefully
Monday, October 21, 2019, PAGE 5
No backing down on deportations accommodated in safe abode, whether with family members or an authorised shelter, irrespective of their immigration status. “All were accommodated at international standards, inclusive of three hot nourishing meals per day, bottled drinking water, clothing and medical attention by government board certified physicians, inclusive of free psychological evaluations afforded to any person thought to be affected by the trauma of Hurricane Dorian. “Once the urgent search and rescue phase had passed and a semblance of normalcy returned to the country, the Bahamas government made the painstaking, conscientious,
but necessary, decision to resume the implementation of its immigration laws.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued: “All illegal migrants, irrespective of their origin, removed from the Bahamas, were done so in compliance with the statute laws of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, in accordance with the Immigration Act, consistent with the international standards of the rule of law and in compliance with international human rights norms and standards. “The government of the Bahamas wishes to assure that there was adherence to all due process; and the requisite procedures for proper documentation via captured biometrics were followed to
determine every individual’s constitutional right to reside lawfully in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Persons found wanting and in violation of the Immigration Act were lawfully removed, in accordance with the requisite court orders.” Last week, the UN body also said that while Bahamian authorities had initially said immigration enforcement activities would be suspended in the affected islands, this position was publicly reversed at the end of September, when they announced that all migrants without valid documents would be apprehended and deported. This statement is correct, the ministry said, adding
The Bahamas resumed lawful implementation of its laws after careful analysis, at a time when it was deemed appropriately humane and necessary to do so. “Contrary to what has been alleged by OHCHR, the government has received no reports of ‘people leaving temporary shelters for fear of arrest and/or persons failing to avail themselves of necessary humanitarian services or fleeing into hiding.’” Last Thursday, Attorney General Carl Bethel told The Nassau Guardian that the UN body’s position was “unfortunate” as it had applied standards to small countries like the Bahamas that were not enforced in their own countries. “It is
Grief sessions held as more bodies found
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
HUMAN remains of two missing persons were recovered last week during post Hurricane Dorian searches conducted by Grand Bahama police, according to a senior police official on Friday, bringing the total number of the dead recovered here on the island to 11. Supt Brian Rolle, officer in charge of the island’s CDU, also reported that of the 11 bodies recovered, there is one unknown male or John Doe, and two unknown females or Jane Does. He indicated that DNA testing would have to be conducted to identify the unidentified remains. To date, police have received 33 missing persons reports on Grand Bahama in relation to the storm. Some 23 photos of those persons were submitted to police. A grief session was held on Friday at the Gerald Bartlett Police Headquarters complex in Freeport for relatives of the missing. Dr Dawn Gallagher, of GB Health Services, and Pastor Cedric Beckles, of Life Community Church, brought words of encouragement and hope to the grieving. While addressing the gathering, Supt Rolle vowed that police would continue to search for the missing to bring closure for families. “We know how hard this has been on you, how it has been on your families, and we will not take it lightly. It is our continued
effort to make you know we are there with you. We are not leaving you on your own in this,” Supt Rolle told the gathering, many of whom were emotional and teary-eyed. Shaniqua Bartlett, who has four family members still missing, said the session was not only informative, but gave them hope that their loved ones would be found. “The session was very good; it was very informative and very encouraging. Even though we have family members missing it still gives us hope; it makes us feel that all is not lost; it gives us a hope to look forward to tomorrow,” she said. Ms Bartlett’s two sisters, a nephew, and grandnephew from East Grand Bahama have not been seen or heard from since the storm. Special efforts are being made to find the missing as police have assigned two officers – Sergeant Lewis and Corporal Leden – who are team leaders of daily searches on Grand Bahama. “Our efforts have been and will continue to be relentless, making sure we leave none,” said Supt Rolle. “Dorian has already stolen the missing; it will continue to be our efforts to bring them where they can be properly (laid to rest).” Immediately after the storm, Supt Rolle said police deployed teams of six and eight persons on foot into different areas to rescue, and later recover persons. Additionally, he noted that the US Coast Guard’s Black Hawk helicopters assisted in flyovers from
A GRIEF session was held at the Gerald Bartlett Police Headquarters complex in Freeport September 5 - 25 checking the coastline and areas in the east. Thirty persons were also brought in from US Fire and Rescue from September 6 -14 to assist them in locating missing persons. “We discovered…this was not just a matter of flying over with helicopters or driving in a vehicle and looking for someone – this was a lot more than that. And we learned that pretty quickly to follow the debris, which was where persons missing would be located.” With the debris bed in the east about eight or nine feet high, consisting of pine trees and leaves, Supt Rolle said it presented a huge challenge in their search for victims. Cadaver dogs trained to detect human remains were brought in September 28-30. Said Supt Rolle: “They (the dogs) gave us 19 hits or different locations which we checked.” While the dogs were successful in locating dead animals, he said they were unsuccessful in locating any human remains.
LIKE SO MANY MISSING - SILENCE from page one
also filed with the Central Detective Unit, which is now handling Dorian related missing persons. “Everybody is at this point worried,” she said. “We tried to reach out to persons who are at the shelter – nobody has seen him. No one on the island has seen him. “We are just worried at this point and don’t know what to think. If he is still out there alive somewhere we just want know where he is and that he is okay.” She continued: “He’s already on the missing list at CDU. They said they would contact us if they get any leads.” But that was three weeks ago. Last week, police said four more bodies were recovered in Abaco. Two of those bodies were found on Tuesday, while remains of another
two bodies were recovered Wednesday on the island, bringing the total to 65, police said last Wednesday. This is not comforting news. “The death toll makes us more worried,” she said, “We don’t know if he is a part of that. They are saying bodies are decomposed and they can’t tell now and that DNA testing will have to be done. “We don’t know what to think, or what to do, or where to go from here.” In its latest update Friday, the National Emergency Management Agency said 876 persons were declared found in the weeks following Dorian. However, the agency did not provide updated information on how many remained missing. Nearly two weeks ago there had been confusion over the number of missing persons with Social Services Minister Frankie Campbell and National
Security Ministry Marvin Dames giving conflicting information. At one point Mr Campbell said 1,208 were still unaccounted for following Hurricane Dorian while Mr Dames later clarified that police have reports of just 282 people still missing. Two hundred and fiftytwo of them are from Abaco and 20 from Grand Bahama, he said at the time. On September 11, NEMA said 2,500 were reported missing following the storm. That dropped to 1,300 on September 12. During his address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said the number of people still missing was about 600. Earlier this month, NEMA said 424 people were still missing. This was before Mr Dames announced the newer figures.
unfortunate sometimes that international organisations – with all respect – apply standards to little countries like the Bahamas that they do not enforce in their own countries,” he said. Mr Bethel added, “How would they know that this is not happening? Our immigration officers do not deport persons willy-nilly. In fact, the Immigration Department does not have the power to deport. “It is the court that deports.” The Attorney General said the UN should not “prejudge an issue based on something that they would’ve heard…from some social activist group”. Editorial view - Page 4
PAGE 6, Monday, October 21, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
‘Time to bin Oban after huge spill at refinery’ from page one or even greater is not a question of if, only a question of when.” “The situation in Freeport today, where the coastline is polluted with heavy, dirty fuel oil, the water table is contaminated and residents have been told they must avoid the water supply, should serve as a dire warning,” he said. “The time has come to close the door on this potentially disastrous flirtation with the Oban proposal.” He added: “The government will have to ensure Equinor urgently cleans up the South Riding Point and High Rock area. They
would be insane to create an even larger threat to the pristine and ecologically invaluable eastern end of the island.” The government and Oban are renegotiating extensive changes to a heads of agreement with Oban Energies for a $5.5 billion oil refinery and storage facility in East Grand Bahama. The government initially signed the HoA in February 2018, but after it became a lightning rod for public controversy decided to review it. Last week, Environment Minister Romauld Ferreira said some 119,000 barrels of oil – more than five million gallons – were spilled at the Equinor facility during
the passage of Hurricane Dorian. The Norwegian oil terminal had 1.8 million barrels of crude oil stored there prior to the storm. The terminal has a capacity of 6.75 million barrels. The dome-shaped lids of two storage tanks – numbers six and ten – at the facility were blown off, and oil was dispersed in the area as Hurricane Dorian unleashed 185mph winds and pummeled Grand Bahama for about 40 hours. To date, over 35,000 barrels of oil have been recovered from the East Grand Bahama site. Speaking in the House of Assembly, Mr Ferreira said four thousand acres of
forest have been surveyed and 175 acres have been confirmed as affected in some way by crude oil. Meanwhile, STB and other environment watchdog groups like Waterkeepers Bahamas and Waterkeeper Alliance said the oil spill has contaminated water in critical wetland habitats, including an area more than one mile away from the spill. The groups noted in a joint statement that they tested water samples at five locations near the Equinor spill site and sent 54 individual water samples to an environmental chemist to a certified water testing lab in Wilmington, NC. The water samples
analysis displayed distinct petroleum components. Thus, Mr Smith asserted in the STB pamphlet that oil refineries are, and always have been a “lose-lose scenario for Bahamians”, as they are “bastions of an outdated and defunct form of energy production” that produce “very few jobs for locals”. Conversely, Mr Smith said all of the profits from such operations ultimately end up “being shipped overseas into the bank accounts of foreign owners.” “It is, and has always been a lose-lose scenario for Bahamians and the time has come to put an end to it. The government must tell Oban to take a hike,”
he said. “Climate change means that storms will only get stronger and more frequent; a disaster on the scale of South Riding Point or even greater is not a question of if, only a question of when.” In view of the Equinor oil spill, STB Chairman Joe Darville asserted that any talk of the government entertaining the proposed Oban oil refinery project would be adverse to the best interests of east Grand Bahama. “This is a warning that we need to permanently shelve this foolish, asinine, ignorant proposal for good,” Mr Darville said. “It would be unconscionable for the government to move forward with this proposal now.”
Abaco airport security staff in walkout By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
A SMALL group of Leonard M Thompson International Airport security officers walked off the job last week, but the situation never compromised the already strained operations of the facility, Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday. According to the minister, the industrial action did not exceed the involvement of 10 people, adding that currently only about 13 regular Abaco staff remained. He explained that regularly there are about 43 staff members, including management, at that airport, but since Hurricane Dorian’s passage around 30 staff now work at other airports in the country. His comments were in response to a press statement from Englerston MP Glenys Hanna-Martin, opposition spokesperson on transport and aviation, who raised alarm about
the situation yesterday. She insisted that not only did the walkout potentially jeopardise airport security, but there were also complaints that officials of the Airport Authority had given workers no support in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. Mrs Hanna-Martin said they were mandated to return to work within days of the natural disaster, despite their own personal devastating circumstances. However, according to the minister, the complaints had emanated from those people who opted to stay on the island despite the option to be placed anywhere they chose. Others, he said, stayed because they didn’t have family elsewhere and believed they could rebuild homes that did not sustain substantial damage. He admitted that working conditions on the island were challenged, but officials were working as best they could to address the issues.
The airport has been running off a back up generator for several weeks and mechanical issues with the unit resulted. There was also no running water. To address the issue, Mr D’Aguilar said Bahamas Power and Light assured him another generator would be provided shortly and water had been restored. He said: “So there was some industrial action taken at that airport I believe on Thursday or Friday where security personnel walked off the job and complained that the Airport Authority was not compassionate in dealing with them given the catastrophic loss that they would have suffered. “Now it’s important to note that first and foremost the former minister made the allegation that security was compromised when these persons walked off the airport and that never happened at all. There was always sufficient security officers there, number one
TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar and number two, additional security officers were flown in from Nassau to make sure that the posts were always manned, never a problem. “After the storm, as you can imagine a number of officers from the Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay airport would have suffered catastrophic loss having been devastated by the storm. “The Airport Authority flew them out off the island and brought them to Nassau to Exuma to Eleuthera – wherever they wanted to go to continue working. The Airport Authority accommodated them. “Just last Wednesday I met with a group of airport workers in Nassau where
the Airport Authority was making available to them counseling and assisting them in as many ways as they can.” He continued: “Obviously a number of them were traumatised by the event and the Airport Authority was dealing with it as best as they could. “There were a number of personnel in Abaco who elected to remain in Abaco, for example, those that lived in Sandy Point or other parts of the island where the homes were not damaged. They elected to remain because they didn’t have family or other places and they figured their homes weren’t that damaged and they could repair them or they had none at all. “So, yes, the working conditions in Marsh Harbour are quite challenging, but Marsh Harbour suffered an enormous devastating blow and a lot of things have been turned upside down.” Speaking on the issue, the former transport and aviation minister called on aviation officials to guarantee the integrity of the airport’s security. “The airport workers say
there has been absolutely no support forthcoming from either the Airport Authority or the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation even though they were mandated to return to work within days of the natural disaster and despite their own personal devastating circumstances,” Mrs Hanna-Martin said. “We are advised that in the face of their homelessness and traumatised condition, the authorities appear oblivious to or even worse, unconcerned with, their suffering and their general plight. As a consequence, airport security officers left their posts. “We are forced to call upon Hon Dionisio D’Aguilar to step up and ensure the necessary support is being provided to all airport workers impacted by this deadly hurricane. It is very unfortunate that there has been no support of these victims of Hurricane Dorian until now, yet they have been required to protect our national interests. “The lack of empathy and sensitivity displayed by leadership is shameful.”
BPL SPENDS $1.6M TO HELP RESTORE POWER
By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Power and Light has spent just over $1.6m on equipment and materials as teams work to fully restore electricity in Abaco and its cays following Hurricane Dorian. According to Works Minister Desmond Bannister, there was substantive damage to BPL’s infrastructure in the wake of Dorian, including the loss of 3,000 utility poles. Despite the damage there, Mr Bannister was optimistic that “Abaco is on its way back”. He gave the update on Thursday afternoon during his contribution to the House of Assembly’s debate on the Disaster Preparedness and Response Amendment Bill 2019. He said: “BPL has three generating facilities in the Abacos. Wilson City has four engines that generate 12 megawatts each, for a total of 48mw of power. Normally this is twice the amount of power that Abaco needs. This facility suffered only minor damage in the hurricane. “There is an additional facility in Marsh Harbour, which is ordinarily capable of generating 8mw of
power. This facility suffered extensive damage during Dorian. Additionally, BPL lost in excess of 3,000 poles. “The challenges that are attendant in restoring power on Abaco relate to the complete destruction of the infrastructure in Marsh Harbour, which utilised most of the power load from Wilson City. “Today Abaco is on its way back. BPL along with members of CARILEC are working together to quickly rebuild Abaco’s infrastructure and restore power in microgrid fashion until BPL is capable of rebuilding its entire network. “To date, BPL has spent just over $1.6m in equipment and materials.” He continued: “Today more than 30 linesmen are on the ground in Abaco. Those 30 linesmen do not include BPL generation and support teams helping the rebuild effort.” In South Abaco, Mr Bannister said 40 poles were replanted over a 60-mile stretch of land. “South Abaco really only requires about two megawatts of power, which is insufficient to fire up the Wilson City generators. BPL, therefore, brought in a two megawatts generator from Exuma to service South Abaco. ”
MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019
THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS
Will we learn from the Equinor oil spill?
By FREDERICK R M SMITH, QC
O
N August 31 Hurricane Dorian slammed into Grand Bahama, ravaging the landscape, devastating communities and tearing lives apart. It destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, ruined vital infrastructure and left so many families grieving for their loved ones. The monster storm also hit the Equinor oil bunkering facility head on. Five million gallons of oil were spilled, poisoning the delicate ecosystem for seven miles north of the facility and no doubt polluting the underground water supply in the process. Though it has been downplayed by both the Government of The Bahamas and the Norwegian company, [and nary a whisper from the Grand Bahama Port Authority responsible for our water supply] this is a major disaster and the long-term consequences for the environment, and the health and safety of the population, are likely to be severe. Serious questions abound regarding the role of Equinor. Was Equinor really as prepared for a major natural disaster as it should have been? Has our government ever inspected or supervised its maintenance and or disaster preparedness protocols? Were the tanks built and maintained according to international standards? Why doesn’t the Bahamas even have its own standards? Was there an up-to-date emergency response plan in place, and if so, why did it take so long to mobilise a meaningful clean-up operation? If the oil spilled over the top of the tanks, as is claimed by Equinor, how and why did two of the tanks remain full to the brim throughout the storm, despite having their lids torn off like the others? Is Equinor absolutely sure that a breach of one or more tank hulls was the real cause of the spill? And if so, what would it mean for Equinor’s liability? ASSESSING EQUINOR’S PERFORMANCE A Category 5 hurricane brings extremely powerful forces to bear upon physical structures. Nevertheless, the roof of each tank
should have been designed to withstand such wind force, particularly in light of the fact the tanks are in an environmentally sensitive area and GB is in Hurricane Alley. The tank roofs must and should have been able to withstand 200mph plus winds. Some of the tanks were only half full. This probably prevented additional spillage, however, if there had been more storm surge, these half-filled tanks would have collapsed. To negate this risk, as the hurricane approached the tanks should have either been filled to capacity with oil, or better yet, emptied and filled with water. Neither approach was taken by Equinor. Once the crude oil has spilled, a clean-up and restoration process must be initiated immediately. As late as September 8, there was no evidence that clean-up had commenced. When work did begin, it was sparse and not in accordance with international best practices. The Ministry of Environment only reported on September 18 that international clean-up crews had arrived on-site and said that only “one goat and three birds” were impacted. On September 12, Save The Bays president Joseph Darville visited the site and noted a number of Bahamians were engaged in clean-up exercises without having been issued any protective gear. The Health and Safety at Work Act, passed decades ago, has never been enforced for the protection of industrial workers in Grand Bahama. The company has since denied that any workers were in danger. What does our Government say about this? The Equinor tank farm is located in an environmentally sensitive location and in reality should have never been built there, especially in a country that experiences frequent hurricanes. No matter how strong the tanks are made, there is always a danger they will rupture and that collapse will occur, causing severe damage to both the onshore and aqueous ecosystems and endangering the human population. And for what benefit? How much taxes are earned from Equinor by the people of the Bahamas to expose them to this risk of irreversible toxic and hazardous disaster? Taking into account the high risk of having any oil processing or storage facility at this location (particularly the environmentally sensitive east side of the island), the Equinor facility must be strengthened and the secondary containment must be improved significantly. Removing the facility entirely would really be the best option.
WHERE THE BUCK STOPS At the end of the day though, we cannot expect to rely on the good will of foreign corporations to protect our interests. They will only do as much as they are made to do by the authorities. And so the buck stops with our political leaders. The real story in this human and environmental tragedy is: How could any government of The Bahamas have allowed oil bunkering facilities to be established in the first place, in the absence of an Environmental Protection Act that gives regulators real teeth? Currently, there are no protocols for prior planning for a disaster, no rules for maintenance of such a facility and no mandatory disaster management plan. Given these circumstances, it is no surprise the government was paralysed, caught like a deer in the headlights, by this dangerous spill. When responding to a disaster, time is of the essence and the days it took to mobilise any kind of cleanup effort in this case will dictate how much damage has been done to the underground water supply, the pine forests, the wetlands. All of which could have been prevented. PLANNING FUTURE
FOR
THE
Finally Parliament is getting ready to debate a suite of Environmental Protection Bills. Before doing so, MPs should pause and make sure that the many lessons of Hurricane Dorian are reflected in the legislation. For example, as regards oil spills, the law should include both Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations and a Facility Response Plan (FRP). An SPCC helps facilities prevent a discharge of oil into navigable waters or adjoining shorelines. An FRP requires facilities to submit a response plan and prepare to respond to a worst-case oil spill or threat of an oil spill. The SPCC regulations should cover two types of secondary containment requirements: general and specific. General secondary containment requirements should address the most likely oil discharge from a facility; specific secondary containment requirements should address a major container or tank failure. All facilities must be required to meet the general secondary containment requirements, while bulk storage containers and tanks should also meet the specific containment requirements. All areas of all facilities with the potential for oil discharge should be required to be designed with appropriate containment or diversionary structures to prevent harmful discharges.
IN SEPTEMBER, Save The Bays president Joseph Darville visited the site and noted a number of Bahamians were engaged in clean-up exercises without having been issued with any protective gear.
A good model for current SPCC and FRP regulations is provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For petroleum products, the most-widely recognised and instructive standard on secondary containment in the United States code NFPA 30, the Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code. This code provides that Class I through Class IIIA liquids (liquids with flash points below 200 degrees F, including most petroleum liquids other than heavy fuel oils) shall be contained in the event of a spill or rupture, and that the volume of the containment system be large enough to hold the contents of the largest tank. It further specifies that the containment area be constructed of earth, steel, concrete or solid masonry designed to be liquid-tight. Finally, tank owners should bear the financial responsibility of spills and be required to respond to and mitigate a worst-case discharge of oil or other hazardous substances. THE SPECTRE OF OBAN In the wake of the Equinor spill, Grand Bahama is haunted by the spectre of Oban. The $5 billion oil refinery proposal for East Grand Bahama cannot in all good conscience be allowed to move forward in light of what has happened. While Equinor is at least a reputable international oil company with a public image to uphold, Oban appears to be a wildly opportunistic venture whose principals have little experience in operating complex facilities such as refineries. Hopefully the spill has opened government’s eyes to the risk they would be taking with the island’s fragile ecosystems and finite water supply, were they to sign off on this foolhardy proposal. In fact, it would be better for The Bahamas to get out of the oil business on the whole.
Around the world, fossil fuels are declining as a source of primary energy, from 29 percent of world primary energy use today, to a projected 17 percent in 2050. This reduction is largely due to the rapid electrification of the world’s road transportation fleet. In aviation and shipping, biofuels will drive de-carbonisation. Oil is expected to peak in 2022 and fall off sharply from there. In light of this, it would only make strategic sense for Grand Bahama, and the country in general, to begin to change its relationship with oil bunkering and refining facilities, and evolve its energy policy to focus on investing in renewables instead. But will this ever happen, given that politicians at the highest echelon‘s of both the PLP and the FNM have historically been the dominant investors in the oil supply business in The Bahamas? This should also be the case when it comes to production of the domestic energy supply, which should move to incorporate solar and other renewable options as soon as possible. Certainly, the government should cease granting approval to all potentially hazardous industrial projects until the current proposed suite of environmental Bills is amended to take into account the lessons learned from Hurricane Dorian, and then passed by Parliament. Finally, Grand Bahama, the industrial capital of the country, should have its own fully staffed and equipped Department of Environmental Health and Safety, Freeport its Environmental Health and Safety Bye Laws and Department together capable of both aiding in disaster response and ensuring that all such facilities adhere to the standards set out in the laws. It’s time The Bahamas grows up and takes its responsibilities seriously if it wants to play on the industrial world stage.
PAGE 8 MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
Chipman’s lone voice may be an example for others to follow By MALCOLM STRACHAN
A
MID the political fallout from the government’s handling of Hurricane Dorian was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. Former chairman of the Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corporation (AMMC) and Centerville MP Reece Chipman’s resignation from the FNM – the party that his family helped to build – sent shockwaves through the nation. Having been critical of the government for some time, the “king slayer” who unseated
former Prime Minister Perry Christie found his days were numbered in the party. After he was unceremoniously relieved of his post as AMMC chairman following Prime Minister Minnis’ request for his resignation citing internal discord at the corporation – the seeds had been planted for an eventual separation as questions surrounding Chipman’s future quickly emerged. Later in 2018, Chipman joined other colleagues in voting “no” to the government’s decision to increase value-added tax to 12 percent. Firebrand Pineridge MP Fred McAlpine, Bain and Grants Town MP Travis Robinson and Golden
Aisles MP Vaughn Miller all voted against increasing the tax burden on the Bahamian citizens – costing them their posts in government. The decision to fire these MPs from their posts was a very sobering reality that things were business as usual in the government of The Bahamas. If you were not aligned with the Cabinet, you had to be willing to pay for it financially and with your reputation. The polarising views on McAlpine and Chipman around the nation, in particular, have been quite interesting. When they campaigned for the FNM, staunch supporters of the party praised them and ushered them into Parliament.
MP Reece Chipman at his resignation press conference at his constituency office in Centreville. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff But when they began to share dissenting views, they had somehow gone rogue. Ironically, Members of Parliament speaking out for the public good is frowned upon in Bahamian politics. How dare Chipman, Miller, Robinson (at the time) and McAlpine challenge the government to do what it said it would? The nerve of them to consider how certain policies or lack thereof would affect their constituents and the wider Bahamas and challenge the government to do better! They should be like the rest of their colleagues and beat on tables and chuckle at the buffoonery we consistently witness in the House of Assembly. That is after all what we are paying our hard-earned tax dollars for, right? Certainly, that notion is ridiculous. This isn’t student government. We’re trying to advance a nation. And when we’re trying to recalibrate after the worst storm in Bahamian history where the ineptitude of the Bahamian government – past and present – stares us right in the face, the last thing we ought to be doing is patronising grown adults. Just as we call the child who has life handed to them spoiled, what can we say of a government that seems to require the same from the Bahamian people? Any critique of the government is viewed as those aligned with the Opposition, which
by default falls on deaf ears or is met with resentment. The country is only digging its heels and moving nowhere fast as long as that backwards mentality prevails. And if the country’s leader only wants to be surrounded by ‘yes’ men, then all hopes of him ever maturing to the prime minister we hoped he would become when we gave the FNM a landslide victory on May 10, 2017, are unfortunately futile. The good book says “iron sharpeneth iron” – a lesson our prime minister can benefit from greatly. Minnis has to be willing to remove his blinders and open himself up to the criticism of his leadership without contempt for the messengers. His trusted few within the ranks of Cabinet have also damaged their reputations for not being able to call a spade a spade in reference to the government’s performance on some matters. Particularly, the selfcongratulatory nature of government post Hurricane Dorian has been gravely disappointing. While we are all doing our best to be patient with the government, as weeks go by and it continues to be more apparent that the government may not be working from a strategic plan, frustration continues to mount. Having already suffered through an energy crisis on Nassau, which was dwarfed, but also to a certain degree
exacerbated by Hurricane Dorian, there has never been a time in the history of The Bahamas when the people needed the comfort of knowing a stable hand was steering the ship of governance. Chipman’s frustration coming to a head and leading to his resignation should be no surprise. Likewise, his stinging rebuke of the government in his first appearance in Parliament looked as if it was a long time coming. While some of his contemporaries on the backbench remain vocal, many wonder if there will be others following in Chipman’s footsteps. It has been refreshing to see Chipman’s convictions shine through the dark cloud party politics has placed over the country’s political landscape. And while the whispers of what this will mean leading into the next election – whether Chipman joins the PLP or he and others form a new party – for now, it is good to see this level of boldness on display. Would it not be grand to see other bright minds who are frustrated with the status quo continue to challenge the broken construct of party politics in this country? Imagine if each member was truly loyal to their constituents, rather than the government – what that would mean for The Bahamas. We would truly be maximising our potential.
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
INSIGHT
MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 PAGE 9
Donovan Moxey, chairman of Bahamas Power & Light, writes in The Tribune IT is every bit as frustrating to us that we cannot fix these problems overnight, says BPL chairman Donovan Moxey. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff
This is an inherited crisis that we are trying to clear up T
HIS summer, customers of Bahamas Power and Light have yet again endured frustrating periods of load-shedding as generation capacity has failed to meet demand for electricity. Prime Minister, Dr Hubert Minnis, was correct – this was a crisis for families who could not cook meals, small business owners who could not complete transactions, and every Bahamian who had their daily life disrupted by these periods without power. We want to clearly say everyone at BPL, from the leadership down, understands the anger and frustration this has caused. From people stuck at the grocery store check-out lines when the power goes out, to drivers who can’t pump gas when they pull into the station, we understand that load-shedding has adversely impacted the daily lives of our customers – and we apologize. It is every bit as frustrating to us that we cannot fix these problems overnight. We would if we could. In August, BPL began disseminating a Daily Fact Sheet to update the public on the state of affairs day by day. We are committed to improving our communication with the Bahamian people to help you understand what we are doing to put an end to load shedding once and for all. But as we endeavour to address these critical failures in the short term and develop long-term solutions, it is important to understand how we came to the present-day failures. These problems have been many years in the making. Over the last few decades, our generation plants have decayed. Our generation fleet in some cases is almost 40 years old. From a practical standpoint that means when parts are needed they can be difficult to procure
or simply may no longer be available. In some cases, the demand on the assets was so great that they could not be taken offline for full repairs, leading to further decay and degradation of already ageing equipment and systems. In addition, many years passed where preventative maintenance was not a priority and funding was not available to maintain BPL’s assets to industry standards. At the same time, demand for electricity has grown dramatically in New Providence. Unfortunately, this growing demand was not matched by a parallel investment to increase generation capacity. This means that today, while our peak demand has now grown to about 250 megawatts(MW) a day we only have the capacity to generate about 210MW of power each day. The 40MW shortfall in generation led to load shedding throughout the summer. The good news is that, despite a number of setbacks, BPL has returned the first of the two failed generators at Blue Hills Power Station to service, making up about half the 40MW shortfall. The second unit is under the inspection of a specialist even now, and we will continue to update the public on that unit’s return to service. The bad news is that even with both of these generators back online, we still have no excess capacity in the system. That means that if another one of the ageing generators fails, load shedding may need to resume. While this is certainly not an ideal situation in the near-term, the longer-term outlook for BPL and our consumers is much brighter. Soon BPL will complete construction of the new Station A power plant at Clifton Pier. This is the first phase of our generation turnaround strategy. The new 32MW plant will begin to give BPL excess capacity
in our system to help prevent future load shedding. Over the next two years as phase two (the Gas-toPower Plant by Shell North America) and phase three (the Terminal Facility for LNG Regassification) are brought to completion, our capacity will grow
and consumers will see the benefits of cleaner, less-expensive, and more environmentally-friendly electrical generation on New Providence. As customers of BPL, we know your patience has run out and we do not expect your sympathy.
At the end of the day, we know we can only share with you the facts as we focus on growing our electrical generation capacity and hope you can appreciate the magnitude of the situation we are trying to fix. We know that BPL can only expect to regain your trust
when you can walk in your door, turn on a light switch, and know with confidence that the light will turn on. We promise you that day is coming and the leadership and employees of BPL are doing everything in our power to make it happen as quickly and safely as we can.
PAGE 10 MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019
H
AITI is in turmoil again. This time the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) cannot be criticised for inaction, but questions must be asked about others in the hemispheric community who have been silent about the political and humanitarian situation in the country. For instance, apart from an unusually vague statement issued by Luis Almagro, the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS) on 15 October, the Organization which has been active in other countries has been conspicuously silent. Over the last few months, there have been continuous protests in Haiti by large groups of people expressing dissatisfaction over the governance of the country. The president, Jovenel Moïse, has been unable to establish a stable government. Persons whom he has named to the posts of Prime Minister and Ministers have been roundly rejected by the Senate whose approval of their appointments is necessary. In July this year, at their Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government, CARICOM Heads discussed their concern about mounting protests in Haiti. President Moïse had made his usual cameo appearance at the conference, turning up for the formal opening ceremony and departing before the business of the meeting took place. This time he left Foreign Minister Bocchit Edmond with the responsibility to explain the situation in Haiti. When the Heads expressed a desire to send a three-man Prime Ministerial team “to inform the Community of the situation in that country”, the Haitian Foreign Minister attempted to dissuade them, contending, incorrectly, that the OAS had already sent a team to Haiti and, since CARICOM countries are
INSIGHT
EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net
CARICOM cannot abandon Haiti despite its president’s failure members of the OAS, CARICOM had no need to send a team of its own. Of course, the truth is that no authorised OAS team has been sent to Haiti since 2015. The team to which Foreign Minister Edmond referred was a self-appointed visit by the US Ambassador to the OAS, Carlos Trujillo, as the outgoing Chairman of the OAS Permanent Council. He announced to a working group at the OAS, on a subject that had nothing to do with Haiti, that he was accepting an invitation from Edmond to visit Haiti. To date, no official invitation has ever been seen by the Permanent Council of the OAS and that Council – the only body with the power to do so – has never authorised Ambassador Trujillo’s visit. In any event, CARICOM Heads were insistent that a visit should be made and the CARICOM SecretaryGeneral was instructed to write to President Moïse, indicating their wish to send a Prime Ministerial team to explore steps that could be taken, including mediation, to help resolve the political impasse and the civil disturbances. To date, Moïse,
has not responded, even though Haiti is a member state of CARICOM with binding obligations to the Organization. This led the current Chair of the CARICOM Heads of Government, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet of St Lucia, to tell a Jamaica newspaper on October 15 that CARICOM is deeply concerned over the protracted political crisis in Haiti and is awaiting the country’s imprimatur for a good offices Prime Ministerial delegation to visit. To be clear, CARICOM countries, acting as a group, adhere to a strict policy of non-interference and nonintervention in the internal affairs of states, as set out in the Charters of the United Nations and the OAS. Therefore, CARICOM Heads were careful to seek the agreement of President Moïse to accept a visit by three of his colleagues. Their objective was to serve the best interests of Haiti, including by engaging members of the Senate, political parties, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. In the absence of any response by President
Moise to their request to visit Haiti, CARICOM Heads clearly must assume that they would be unwelcome. This has implications for Haiti’s membership of the Community, and, in time, that should be a matter for review by CARICOM governments. In the meantime, the situation in Haiti worsens. On October 16, four members resigned from a seven-member commission President Moïse had appointed earlier this month to “lead discussions” to find a “concerted solution to the crisis”. Significantly, the four who announced their resignations were: former prime minister Evans Paul (20152016); Josué Pierre-Louis, general coordinator of the human resource management office attached to the prime minister’s office; Liné Sainphor Balthazar, president of the ruling Parti Haïtien Tèt Kale (PHTK); and former defence minister Jean Rodolphe Joazile (2012-2014). This clearly demonstrates deep schisms in the governing party and the government itself. As the reason for their resignations, the four pointed to declarations, made by Moïse at a press conference, on October 15, which appeared to contradict claims by Paul that, as part of the discussions, Moïse’s continuing as President would be on the table for discussion. But, Moïse told the media that
HAITI’s President Jovenel Moise resigning would be “irresponsible”. Remarkably, he also blamed the constitution and parliament for the current crisis. The resignations effectively end the commission. No means of dialogue now exist between the President and opposition groups that want him to resign as a precondition for talks. In the meantime, 30 people have been killed during five weeks of protests, and there is no sign of the turbulence easing. On the same day that Moïse announced that his resignation is not an option, the UN Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (Minujusth) left the country. There is now no peacekeeping presence in Haiti. A smaller, non-peacekeeping force, the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), is now in place, but how effective it can be is left to be seen. It is operating in an atmosphere in which the
opposition forces do not trust the role of powerful countries that have intervened in the country for their own purposes in the past, including by installing governments they favour. What is certain is the CARICOM countries cannot and should not abandon the people of Haiti. CARICOM, therefore, should continue its efforts to get a team into Haiti to talk with all parties – government, opposition and the private sector. The writer is Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own. Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, October 21, 2019, PAGE 11
Officer justified in killing man who shot at him By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net
A POLICE officer was justified in killing a man who shot him and his partner with a high-powered weapon after leading them on a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle two years ago, a jury determined on Friday. The jury unanimously found that 22-year-old Akeem Thompson’s death at the hands of Detective Constable 2071 Avard Rolle in the Fire Trail Road area in May 2017 was a lawful killing. During the inquest before Coroner Jeanine WeechGomez, the jury heard how shortly after 3pm on May 20, 2017, police were conducting a traffic stop on Shrimp Road off Carmichael Road, when they saw a dark grey Honda Stream, licence plate number 252587, occupied by two armed male suspects.
D/C Rolle signaled to the driver to stop, but he refused and sped off, driving recklessly as he tried to evade the officers through several shortcuts. A chase followed that ended when the Honda Stream crashed into a fence in the Pride Estates community. Thompson and another man got out of the vehicle and opened fire at the officers, the former with an AK-47 and the other man with a handgun. D/C Rolle consequently returned fire. Thompson and the other man then jumped a nearby fence that led to a track road. However, Thompson, who was dressed in a white t-shirt, blue jeans and white tennis shoes, was shot in the process. Thompson fell and his weapon dropped to the ground. He tried to flee again, but fell a few feet from his weapon. D/C Rolle and another officer subsequently pursued the other man, who was
TRIAL FOR PAIR ACCUSED OF KILLING MOTHER By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net
THE remaining two women accused of murdering teenage mother Breanna Mackey last year will stand trial tomorrow. Dervinique Edwards and Zaria Burrows will be tried before Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson over allegations they murdered the 19-year-old on January 25, 2018. Burrows and Edwards, who are both represented by an attorney, remain on bail until that time. On January 31, Burrows, Edwards, Thea Williams, Davanya Lawes and two minors were charged with Mackey’s death. According to reports from police, shortly before 6pm on the date in question, police control room was contacted about reports that a female was stabbed about the body in the Key West Street area off Cordeaux Avenue. Police officers were dispatched to investigate. Upon their arrival, a female who was identified as the victim’s sister, Latisha Woodside, directed officers to a brown and white apartment complex on the eastern side of Key West Street. On the porch, just in front of door number nine, officers discovered a semiconscious female lying face down suffering from four stab wounds to the upper back and two stab wounds to the right arm. The woman, later revealed to be Mackey, was subsequently transported to Princess Margaret Hospital where she died around 8.28pm. Further investigations led officers to arrest Williams who, when interviewed on the matter, admitted to killing Mackey. Williams is serving 25 years for the crime in pursuance of a plea agreement her attorney reached with the Crown. She is further ordered to undergo one year of counselling, inclusive of anger
management lessons, and another year of probation upon completion of her sentence. In April, Lawes was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to causing grievous harm to Mackey as part of a plea deal. The time Lawes has already spent on remand, a year and some four months, was ordered to be factored into her prison sentence. She is also ordered to perform community service and undergo counselling inclusive of anger management classes. An 18-year-old woman, whose name has been withheld because she was charged as a minor, admitted her involvement in the offence in that she knew of the weapon used to kill Mackey, and that she also kicked the deceased during the fatal altercation. She pleaded not guilty to murdering Mackey, but guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter. That teenager is serving 12 years in prison as part of a plea deal, non-inclusive of any further time deductions. She is also ordered to serve one year’s probation after completing her sentence. However, another 18-year-old woman involved in the matter, whose name has been withheld because she too was charged as a minor, is now a free woman. In August, Justice GrantThompson sentenced the teenager to two years in prison pursuant to a plea agreement she reached with the Crown. The sentence was ordered to run from the date of her incarceration, January 25, 2018. However, because prison terms are not calculated on a full calendar year, her time expired on May 25 of this year. Prior to being sentenced/ released, the woman, who turned 18 on August 21, pleaded not guilty to murder, but guilty to causing grievous harm to Mackey.
POLICE REPORT MALE SHOT DEAD A man was confirmed dead at Buttonwood Street, Pinewood Gardens last night. Two men are in hospital after separate shooting and stabbing incidents on Friday. In the first incident, a man was on George Street off Bay Street, shortly before midnight, when he was attacked by another man armed with a sharp object. The man
stabbed him about the body. The injured man was transported to hospital where he is listed in stable condition. Around the same time, another man was shot, police said. Shortly before midnight on Friday, a man was sitting outside a residence in Jubilee Gardens when a man armed with firearm exited a grey vehicle and opened fire on him.
dressed in a green shirt and dark-coloured trousers. However, that man escaped. Meanwhile, D/C Rolle’s superior, Assistant Superintendent Keith McDonald and another officer, tried to communicate with Thompson, who was conscious at the time, in a bid to ascertain his name and the nature of his injury. However, Thompson only replied “I got shoot.” Police Control Room was subsequently contacted and a paramedic responded however Thompson died some time later on the scene. According to Dr Caryn Sands, a pathologist at the Princess Margaret Hospital, Thompson died from two gunshot wounds, one that entered his lower back and passed through his lung before stopping in his lower neck, and one to his left thigh. Sergeant Laurence Smith, a crime scene
investigator, said when he arrived on the scene, and after having received information, he went over to where the assault weapon was and made a few observations. He said he observed 16 live rounds in the weapon’s magazine, and an additional round in the chamber. Charles Bain, an RBPF firearms examiner, said a bullet purportedly fired from the firearm Thompson was brandishing, a Zastava 7.62x39 auto-loading pistol was submitted to him for analysis. However, he said due to the bullet’s “severe mutilation”, he could not determine its calibre, “total number of lands and grooves” and whether it was fired by that gun. Mr Bain said the firearm functioned “satisfactorily” when he examined and tested it out, and was fully capable of firing the 17 unfired rounds of 7.62x39 ammunition found in its
detachable box magazine. Another officer, Detective Constable Andrew Deveaux, an investigator attached to the Central Detective Unit (CDU), said when he checked the RBPF’s system, he found that the vehicle was registered to a woman, and was reported stolen some 19 days before the incident on May 1. Corporal Frederick Delancy, a firearms instructor with the RBPF, suggested that D/C Rolle was “outgunned” because he went up against a gun that was three times more powerful than the service pistol he used to ultimately kill Thompson. Though D/C Rolle ended up killing Thompson, Cpl Delancy said D/C Rolle engaging in a shootout with a gun that shoots some 2,400 feet per second faster than his handgun “wasn’t a fair fight”, due to the sheer “potential for destruction” the AK-47 has.
He also said that should officers on mobile patrol encounter a suspect with an AK-47, their only “safe haven” is the vehicle’s rear axle where the car’s transmission and other “heavy, metal gears” are located. Otherwise, he said, the AK-47’s bullets will “walk” through the car. “It will walk through the engine, it will walk through the doors,” Cpl Delancy said. “…If someone has some degree of training (in using an AK-47), it’s over for the policeman. “Only persons with criminal intent and the intent to deprive people of their lives would be in possession of AK-47’s,” he added, as he agreed with suggestions that the AK-47 is a “weapon of war” that has no place in civilised societies. Attorney Bjorn Ferguson represented D/C Rolle during the inquest.
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PAGE 12, Monday, October 21, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
‘Ragged Island needs work to start’ By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net WORKS Minister Desmond Bannister has admitted that construction needs to begin on Ragged Island. However, the delay in this regard, he said, was because there had been challenges with design submissions. He made the
remarks more than two years after Hurricane Irma devastated the small island in September 2017. “It is quite appropriate for the member for Exuma (and Ragged Island Chester Cooper) to raise the issue of Ragged Island,” the Carmichael MP said Thursday during debate on the Disaster Preparedness and Response Amendment Bill 2019. “Quite frankly,
Ragged Island needs the reconstruction to start, and it will. The challenges have come from the submissions of designs, redesigns and re-redesigns.” Before these remarks, he said the country had reached a point where national unity was required, adding it was regrettable that the opposition had made Hurricane Dorian a political issue.
“History will judge them harshly for that,” Mr Bannister told the House. Earlier last week, Mr Cooper criticised the government for the lack of progress in one of his constituencies. According to Mr Cooper, the Minnis administration has shown “blatant reckless neglect” for Ragged Island. The government’s failure to act had led to mistrust
from residents. For this reason Mr Cooper said he was worried and left with a heavy heart over the fate of Abaco and Grand Bahama residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian. Government essential services, a school, clinic or police station, among other things, are still absent there. Given the continuous grim outlook on Ragged Island, Mr Cooper has
urged the government to extend to his constituency the same tax concessions that have been given to both Grand Bahama and Abaco, allowing residents to further rebuild. At the same time, he urged the government to table a comprehensive report of the donations given for Ragged Island, noting “people are asking where the hurricane money gone.”
AN EPIC VOYAGE RADIO Y98’s Loyal Listener Sail Away took place on Saturday night onboard Nassau’s newest and only pirate ship Blackbeard’s Revenge. Guests set sail on a new adventure with Y98’s Queens of the sea Saraan Bonny and Mary Jane Read along with Bosun DJ DOM! Loyal Listener guests enjoyed complimentary drinks from Jimmy’s Wines & Spirits. They also sampled Y98’s signature
drink the Black Y-Cat made with the sophisticated taste of Mewkow Cognac along with other specialty drinks. One guest said, “Going on the Y98 Loyal Listener Sail Away on Blackbeard’s Revenge was incredible! My sister and I were fortunate enough to gain tickets. We drank, talked, lived and danced ‘til our feet hurt and loved every single minute of it. It was an event of epic proportions. We hope that Y98 does it every year.”
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By LEANDRA ROLLE lrolle@tribunemedia.net THREE men were arrested after police recovered illegal drugs in two separate incidents on Thursday. In the first, Mobile Division officers on patrol in the Carmichael Road area stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation shortly after 10am. As officers were questioning him, the driver began to act suspiciously. Officers then conducted a search of the vehicle and found five small plastic bags of suspected marijuana. The
drugs weighed 1.6lbs with a street value of $1,060. Then shortly before 6pm, in a separate incident, Berry Island division officers were on patrol in Bullocks Harbour when they observed two men in a black car. Police searched the vehicle and recovered from the trunk, a box containing a quantity of suspected marijuana valued at $2,000. Police on New Providence are also looking for men responsible for armed robberies that occurred in the capital on Thursday. Shortly after 7pm, a
juvenile was walking in Excellent Estates, when he was approached by a man, who robbed him of cash and a cell phone. In the second incident, police said a woman was in her vehicle near a community park on Bahama Boulevard when she was approached by a man, who robbed her of her handbag containing cash and other items before running away. And in another incident shortly after 10pm, two men were in the parking lot on West Bay Street when they were robbed by two men.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, October 21, 2019, PAGE 13
Judge rules Harbour The Tribune Weekend Island project ‘unlawful’ A1MAIN
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from page one Justice Stewart simultaneously quashed the project’s site plan approval by the Town Planning Committee (TPC) and “any decision which flowed directly therefrom,” as it was “unlawful and without jurisdiction”. The judge’s decision effectively confirms Harbour Island hotelier Benjamin Simmons’ and Briland Island Responsible Development’s (BIRD) successful bid at an order quashing the TPC’s decision to approve the construction of a new 55-slip marina at Harbour Island, which would form part of a new development called the Briland Residences and Marina. Mr Simmons and BIRD had sought a declaration that the development had commenced without the requisite approvals; a “mandatory order” requiring the TPC to “exercise its powers” to require 4M to cease development and “restore the land to its condition before the unauthorised development took place”. Mr Simmons and BIRD also sought an order requiring the TPC to compel 4M to bring the development into conformity with any permit lawfully granted. It all started on August 11, 2017, when 4M made a formal application to the Department of Physical Planning (DPP) for site plan approval of a marina expansion/improvement. The proposed development included the
construction of cottages, a small marina village, boutique hotel, multiple guest rooms and support buildings. Government notices were published in the major newspapers notifying the general public that a consultation meeting would be held on November 16 of that year at the Harbour Island All-Aged School. The government notice also informed the public that the design plans would be available at the DPP in New Providence and at the office of the Family Island administrator where the public was allowed to review the documents. The meeting was held on November 16, 2017 and the minutes of the meeting, recorded by the Bahamas Investment Authority (BIA) indicated that more than 100 people were in attendance. Additionally, a cross-section of people from various government ministries and agencies made presentations as well as 4M. Minutes from the meeting further recorded that Acting Director of Physical Planning Charles Zonicle “stated that the developer submitted the plan for approval and a part of the reviewing process is to have a public meeting to gather views of the community.” Following the November 16 meeting, the island’s district council convened a special meeting on November 20. A motion was moved and seconded to agree that the 4M project be approved, and for 4M to adopt Harbour Island Community Centre. All
councillors in attendance unanimously agreed. The district council subsequently communicated its decision to Mr Zonicle. On November 21, the TPC considered 4M’s application and resolved to grant 4M site plan approval. By letter dated November 21, 2017, Mr Zonicle wrote 4M representative Alban Rolle, informing him of the TPC’s decision to grant 4M site plan approval. Mr Simmons and BIRD consequently filed for a judicial review of the decision, on the primary allegation that there was no compliance with Section 37 of the Planning and Subdivision Act (PSA), particularly in failing to hold a public meeting to hear and decide the application. Alternatively, Mr Simmons and BIRD contended that if the PSA did not apply, the TPC had no jurisdiction to make the decision it did. When the matter came on for hearing, all of the parties agreed that the site plan approval was invalid and worthy of being set aside. However, they disagreed over why the approval was invalid. The TPC maintained that the approval was unlawful because it was made by the wrong body. The TPC submitted that because the PSA was not extended to Harbour Island, it had no authority to approve the development. The TPC contended that the Local Government Act (LGA) provided that the district council can exercise the powers of the TPC under the TPA. However,
Why change RBDF top command now, asks Davis
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• Harbour Island residents split over marina plan • ‘Boutique’ $45m project explodes in size • Frontman given work permit despite record
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net A HARBOUR Island development is set to become five times larger than initially planned and is sparking outrage from high profile guests and some locals on the island. If the expansion plans are approved, the development will expand across the width of the island, driving fears that the pristine environment and quaint charm of the community will be eroded. As scrutiny intensifies, focus has started to centre on the development’s project manager, Bernard Ross, an American who was convicted of drugrelated crimes in the 1970s and served 11 months in prison. Celebrity Lenny Kravitz, star of the Ministry of Tourism’s recent promotional campaign for The Bahamas, appears to be
among those concerned. “We must respect and preserve Eleuthera and the rest of our islands,” the singer, who has a home on Eleuthera, wrote this month under an Instagram post criticising the advertised expansions. “When we destroy it, we won’t get a second chance.” The project has raised transparency concerns: work began on a marina even though the heads of agreement and an environment impact assessment have not been publicly released. The Tribune obtained the EIA and the environment management plan from the developer yesterday. A government official said the heads of agreement will be tabled in the House of Assembly soon. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis promised the release of the document more than a year ago, but never followed through. SEE PAGE THREE
EXPANSION PLANS: The initial footprint, on the left, and the land the planned development covers now.
HOW The Tribune covered the story last April ‘RESERVES ISSUES HISTORIC SITES DEAL
NEED MORE STUDY’ ‘WILL EARN $1.5BN’
since that act has been Family Islands) Order 2012 repealed the PSA must and that Parliament did be substituted in its stead. not intend for the PSA to Any decisions the TPC is extend to Harbour Island. empowered to make under Rather, the provisions of the PSA must thus be made the TPA were to continue SMITH TRIAL WITNESS LOSES PHA CONTRACT to govern developments in by the district council. Meanwhile, 4M main- Harbour Island. Justice Stewart ultimately tained that the PSA was A COMIC’S VIEW TPA, not extended to Harbour ruled that under the WHY IT’S TIME TO THE US district Island by the Planning Harbour Island’s FOLLOW ON MARIJUANA Subdivision (Extension to council is “empowered to By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net
THE Reserves arm of the Royal Bahamas Police Force was used as a “dumping ground” for retired officers, highlighting that management and leadership was a challenge, opposition leader Philip “Brave” Davis has said. While he said he didn’t agree with all of the findings
of a recent report into the division, the Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador MP seemed to side with the Reserves, telling reporters it was clear they had been broadsided by the findings of the investigation which suggested they cheated the public purse. The report further brings to light tensions between the Reserves and the SEE PAGE SEVEN
By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
THE cleaning contract for the Princess Margaret Hospital and its Eye Care Clinic, previously held by Barbara Hanna’s Magic Touch cleaning company, has now been split between two companies. While their contracts are still being vetted, EBCO Cleaning and Cartwright Enterprises (CE) are expected to start work on
BARBARA HANNA
May 1. The split is a return to a former arrangement utilised by the Public Hospitals
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
A BAHAMIAN investor group believes it can generate $1.5bn in gross revenues during the 25 years in which it plans to transform key Nassau heritage sites into “world-class” landmarks. Olvin Rees, a member of the Public Private Investments group, yesterday said it planned to invest between
$30-$50m to restore and revitalise many locations. It is aiming to make all the facilities financially selfsustainable by enhancing the visitor experience and pre-selling packages to both cruise ship passengers and hotel tourists, reversing perceptions that Nassau is “boring” with little of interest to do amid “run down” attractions.
FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
Authority (PHA) before Magic Touch successfully bid for the $500,000 annual contract in 2016, which later increased to nearly $2m, according to Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) Deputy Managing Director Lyrone Burrows yesterday. EBCO’s contract is reportedly valued at $422,216.55, while the CE contract is valued at $1,512,496.30, The Tribune was told.
SEE PAGE FIVE
SEE PAGE TEN
make decisions, including granting approvals for town planning matters for Harbour island utilising the powers, rights and obligations under that statute.” But as no decision was made by the district council—something that was accepted by both the TPC and 4M, the site plan approval to develop the marina as granted by the TPC to 4M was “unlawful and without jurisdiction.” “Their approval and any decision which flowed directly therefrom must be quashed and I so order,” Justice Stewart ruled. “The TPC had no jurisdiction to make the decision as the PSA does not apply to Harbour Island for the reasons set forth above. “I further order that the marina development be stayed pending an application being made to the appropriate authority and a decision made in compliance with the law. All further relief is denied.”
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ROYAL Bahamas Defenxe Force Commodore Tellis Bethel. Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff from page one swap in leadership came too soon after Hurricane Dorian wrecked Abaco and Grand Bahama. “I am trying to understand the connection of his being sent on leave and the impact it will have on the continuing efforts that are ongoing,” Mr Davis told The Tribune yesterday. “The issue of leadership has been bedevilling throughout this whole restoration and relief effort and they need to have some coherency as to what’s going to be happening. What is the plan and the relationship between the various agencies that will bring relief? “So it does beg the question whether his departure would impact this very fundamental and important initiative that requires urgent leadership attention.” He continued: “You would not expect at this time that you would be engaging in the stripping of leadership of persons who
may have the competence and capability to bring the kind of assistance you need to bring normalcy back to communities and to lives of people affected by the hurricane. “We would quite naturally ask how is this going to impact the exigencies of the defence force and will it suffer in any way by these actions of the commodore.” The Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador MP said the change in RBDF leadership further attested to the government’s reactionary actions post Hurricane Dorian. “You hear them talk about tent cities and rebuilding homes,” Mr Davis said. “Have they met with the displaced residents to find out what it is that they may want on the land that they have and where are they building the tent city? “Those persons displaced, will they want to live there or do they want to go back to their homes? I know a number of displaced persons from Abaco
who still have their property even though the homes on the property have been damaged. “Have they done an assessment to determine whether a person like that would want to repair and restore or move before you then say ‘I built this tent city for you go and live there?’ “And what are the arrangements for acquisition or occupation for the residents? There is no coherent plan and how do we determine people will buy into the plan?” He continued: “Today it’s one thing, tomorrow it’s the next and people have no trust of the government. They can’t because there is no plan and no vision and it seems they are attempting to wish this away and allow international partners and Bahamians to do what they want without proper leadership. “And again it just exposes that everything seems to be reactionary and that they are continuing to shoot from the hips and being led by knee jerk reactions.”
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PAGE 14, Monday, October 21, 2019
THE TRIBUNE
CHILE PROTESTS CONTINUE DESPITE GOV’T RETREAT ON FARE HIKE SANTIAGO, Chile Associated Press PROTESTS and violence in Chile spilled over into a new day yesterday even after the president cancelled a subway fare hike that prompted violent demonstrations. Officials in the Santiago region said three people died in a fire at a looted supermarket early Sunday — one of 60 Walmart-owned outlets that have been vandalised, and the company said many stores did not open during the day. At least two airlines cancelled or rescheduled flights into the capital, affecting more than 1,400
passengers. President Sebastián Piñera, facing the worst crisis of his second term as head of the South American country, announced on Saturday night that he was cancelling a subway fare hike imposed two weeks ago. The fare boost had led to major protests that included rioting that caused millions of dollars in damage to burned buses and vandalised subway stops, office buildings and stores. After meeting with the heads of the legislature and judicial system Sunday, Piñera said they discussed solutions to the current crisis and that he aims “to reduce excessive
inequalities, inequities abuses, that persist in our society.” Jaime Quintana, president of the Senate, said that “the political world must take responsibility for how we have come to this situation.” Troops patrolled the streets and a state of emergency and curfew remained in effect for six Chilean cities, but renewed protests continued after daybreak. Security forces used tear gas and jets of water to try disperse crowds. Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick reported that 62 police officers and 11 civilians were injured in the latest disturbances
PROTESTS in Santiago.
and prosecutors said nearly 1,500 people had been arrested. With transportation frozen, Cynthia Cordero said she had walked 20 blocks to reach a pharmacy to buy diapers, only to find it had been burned. “They don’t have the right to do this,” she said, adding it was right to protest “against the abuses, the increases in fares, against bad education and an undignified pension, but not to destroy.” Long lines formed at gas stations as people tried to fill up for a coming workweek with a public transport system depleted by the destructive protests.
BOLIVIANS PICK BETWEEN EVO MORALES AND CHANGE
BIG CLEAN-UP ON BRAZIL’S NORTH COAST THOUSANDS have taken part in a huge clean-up operation to remove oil and tar from beaches along Brazil’s north-eastern coast. Volunteers, as well as government workers, used wheelbarrows, spades and plastic gloves to remove the thick tar from the sand and water. The source of the spill, which was first detected on 2 September, remains a mystery. Experts say this could be the worst disaster for the region’s coral reefs. It has affected wildlife and popular beaches including Praia do Futuro in Ceará, Maragogi in Alagoas, and Itacaré and Ilhéus in Bahia. At least 15 sea turtles, two seabirds and one fish have been found dead, the environmental agency Ibama said.
LA PAZ, Bolivia Associated Press
VOLUNTEERS work to remove oil on Muro Alto beach in Tamandaré, Pernambuco
US plans to reduce forces in Afghanistan KABUL, Afghanistan Associated Press
MARK Esper sought a firsthand assessment yesterday of the US military’s future role in America’s longest war as he made his initial visit to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief. Stalled peace talks with the Taliban and unrelenting attacks by the insurgent group and Islamic State militants have complicated the Trump administration’s pledge to withdraw more than 5,000 American troops. Esper told reporters traveling with him that he believes the US can reduce its force in Afghanistan to 8,600 without hurting the counterterrorism fight against al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. But he said any withdrawal would happen as part of a peace agreement with the Taliban. The US has about 14,000 American troops in Afghanistan as part of the American-led coalition. U.S. forces are training and advising Afghan forces and conducting counterterrorism operations against extremists. President
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, right, arrives in Kabul Donald Trump had ordered a troop withdrawal in conjunction with the peace talks that would have left about 8,600 American forces in the country. US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad had a preliminary peace deal with the Taliban, but a surge in Taliban violence and the death of an American soldier last month prompted Trump to cancel a secret Camp David meeting where the peace deal would have been finalized. He declared the tentative agreement dead.
“The aim is to still get a peace agreement at some point, that’s the best way forward,” said Esper. He visited Afghanistan in his previous job as U.S. Army secretary. He would not say how long he believes it may be before a new peace accord could be achieved. A month after the peace agreement collapsed, Khalilzad met with Taliban in early October in Islamabad, Pakistan, but it was not clear what progress, if any, was being made. Esper’s arrival in Kabul came as Afghan government leaders delayed the planned announcement of preliminary results of last month’s presidential election. Esper met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other government officials. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was visiting Afghanistan with a congressional delegation at the same time. Her office said in a statement the bipartisan delegation met with top Afghan leaders, civil society representatives and US military chiefs and troops serving there. Pelosi says the delegation emphasized the
importance of combating corruption and ensuring women are at the table in reconciliation talks. Both Ghani and his current partner in the unity government, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, have said they believe they had enough votes to win. The Sept. 28 vote was marred by widespread misconduct and accusations of fraud. Officials said the announcement of preliminary results has been delayed due to problems with the transparency of the process, delays in transferring ballot papers and delays in transferring data from a biometric system into the main server. Esper planned to meet with his top commanders in Afghanistan as the U.S. works to determine the way ahead in the 18-year war. Trump, since his 2016 presidential campaign, has spoken of a need to withdraw U.S. troops from the “endless war” in Afghanistan. He has complained that the U.S. has been serving as policemen in Afghanistan, and says that’s not the American military’s job.
POLLS closed in Bolivia yesterday after a calm election as President Evo Morales sought an unprecedented fourth term in what was regarded as the tightest race of his political career. The 59-year-old leftist who has been in office for nearly 14 years was favored to win the first round vote. But polls suggested South America’s longest-serving leader would likely be forced into a December runoff in which he could be vulnerable to a united opposition. Voting, which was mandatory, was mostly calm, though police said they arrested more than 100 people for violating the country’s rigid electionday rules against drinking, large gatherings or casual driving. Morales voted early and said he remained confident of the results. Polls closed at 4 pm and early quick counts were expected Sunday night. Morales came to prominence leading social protests and won election as Bolivia’s first indigenous president in 2006. The president, a former leader of a coca growers union, allied himself with a leftist bloc of Latin American leaders and used revenues from the Andean country’s natural gas and minerals to redistribute wealth among the masses and lift millions out of poverty in the region’s poorest country. The economy has grown by an annual average of about 4.5%, well above the regional average.
PRESIDENT Evo Morales
RESEARCHERS FIND SECOND WARSHIP FROM WORLD WAR BATTLE OF MIDWAY Associated Press A CREW of deep-sea explorers and historians looking for lost World War II warships have found a second Japanese aircraft carrier that went down in the historic Battle of Midway. Vulcan Inc. director of undersea operations Rob Kraft said a review of sonar data has captured shows what could be either the Japanese carrier Akagi or the Soryu resting in nearly 18,000 feet of water in the Pacific Ocean more than 1,300 miles northwest of Pearl Harbor. The researchers used an autonomous underwater vehicle, or AUV, equipped with sonar to find the ship. The vehicle had been out overnight collecting data, and the image of a warship appeared in the first set of readings yesterday morning. To confirm exactly which
THE BATTLE of Midway in 1942 ship they’ve found the crew will deploy the AUV for another eight-hour mission where it will capture highresolution sonar images of the site. The initial readings were captures using lower resolution sonar. The high resolution scans will allow the crew to measure the ship and confirm its identity. The find comes on the heels of the discovery of another Japanese carrier, the Kaga, last week. The crew of the research vessel Petrel is hoping to find and survey all lost ships from the 1942 Battle
of Midway, which historians consider a pivotal fight for the U.S. in the Pacific during WWII. The battle was fought between American and Japanese aircraft carriers and warplanes about 200 miles off Midway Atoll, a former military installation that the Japanese hoped to capture in a surprise attack. The US, however, intercepted Japanese communications about the strike and were waiting when they arrived. More than 2,000 Japanese and 300 Americans died.
THE TRIBUNE
Monday, October 21, 2019, PAGE 15
TWO men were rescued after a cargo plane crashed just off New Providence on Friday afternoon. According to reports, the Douglas DC3 plane had departed Opa-locka, Florida and was heading to Lynden Pindling International Airport at around 4.45pm when an engine failed and it crashed into the sea. It was reported to be approximately two-anda-half miles from land. The two men on board were rescued by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and are said to be in good health.
PAIR RESCUED AFTER PLANE CRASH
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