a557: 37 Haitians Captured at Nassau Harbour (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Daniel Schweissing <dan_schweissing@hotmail.com>

  Haitians caputerd at Nassau Habour

  Released Saturday, January 26, 2002 at 10:01 am EST by Perry Scavella


  37 more Haitians captured

  By PERRY SCAVELLA

  Guardian Staff Reporter

  Thirty-seven illegal Haitians onboard a 65-foot freighter called the
"Philomene Express," were captured
  by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) shortly before 1 a.m on Friday
in the vicinity of Nassau
  Habour.

  They were arrested for illegally entering into the Bahamas without proper
travel documents.

  RBDF officials reported on Friday that 31 males and six females were found
on the vessel without
  proper travel documents. Immigration officials said deportation of the
immigrants to Port-au-Prince,
  Haiti, would take place next Tuesday or Wednesday.

  According to Vernon Burrows, director of Immigration, the male Haitian
national who captained the
  vessel would probably be charged $5,000 per passenger and sentenced to
two-years in prison for
  assisting in an illegal landing.

  Additionally, he said the vessel would be confiscated.

  Under the command of Leading Seaman Kermit Turnquest, the HMBS P-110
intercepted the vessel,
  arrested the Haitians and turned them over to Immigration officials for
processing.

  Immigration officials said 169 of the 216 illegal immigrants at the
Detention Centre, Carmichael Road
  were Haitians.

  Yesterday's interception followed an incident at sea Wednesday when 14
Haitians drowned while
  seeking to enter The Bahamas.

  They were onboard a sinking 35-foot vessel along with 93 other Haitians
who were rescued by RBDF
  marines 13 miles south of New Providence.

Copyright (c) 2001 by Nassau Guardian

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