Castro dying but exodus continues

Castro dying but exodus continues

Monday, December 11, 2006

As more Cuban migrants land on Cayman Brac, news reports on the
declining health of Cuba's political leader, Fidel Castro, continue.

On Friday, 8 December, Government reported that fifteen male Cuban
migrants, including one that previously landed in the Islands in June
this year, arrived early Thursday morning, 7 December, at South Side,
Cayman Brac, in a sixteen foot Fibreglass boat.

On the same day, The Independent, a daily British newspaper, quoted
senior Western diplomatic sources on 8 December that the ailing Cuban
President Fidel Castro is battling terminal cancer and could be dead by
Christmas.

Observers close to the Cuban regime have reported that the leader is
suffering from an aggressive form of stomach cancer and has refused
radiation therapy or any other form of treatment.

Donovan Ebanks, Deputy Chief Secretary, Portfolio of Internal and
External Affairs, was asked if there was any reason to believe that, if
Castro died, there might be a surge in the arrivals of Cuban migrants.

Mr Ebanks replied, "I'm sure there are reasons to believe that (might
happen), as there are reasons to believe the inverse."

Mr Ebanks confirmed that there were contingency plans for a sudden
influx of refugees (Cuban or Haitian) to the Cayman Islands.

He noted, "Obviously it's a multi-agency arrangement and very dependent
on the numbers that are involved." However, he declined to elaborate
further.

During the last mass migration of Cuban refugees in 1994, in which
40,000 rafters headed for the Florida coast, a number ended up in the
Cayman Islands, most of them landing in Cayman Brac.

Almost 1,200 were interned in 1994 for up to a year in a refugee camp on
Grand Cayman known locally as "Tent City."

At times in 1994, the numbers of rafters on Cayman Brac equalled the
permanent residents. In total, more than 2,000 Cubans passed through
these Islands from 1993 to 1995.

One Cuban Caymanian, who has lived on Grand Cayman for twenty years,
told Cayman Net News he believes that Cubans will continue to leave Cuba
if they can, despite Castro's illness.

"Nobody knows what's going to happen (when Castro dies).

Things could get worse or could get better," he said.

Nine of the migrants that arrived Thursday continued their journey
unassisted, shortly after being advised of current Immigration policies,
according to Immigration officials.

Government policy, introduced in January 2005, states that migrants
encountered in Cayman's territorial waters or who come ashore any of the
three Islands are refused permission to land and are not given
assistance to enable them to continue their journey.

Those able to depart immediately and wishing to do so are allowed to
leave. Otherwise they are detained and repatriated to Cuba.

The remaining six in the group were said to have requested to be
repatriated. After a night on the Brac, they were transported at 1:10 pm
on a flight to Grand Cayman for processing.

The latest group of Cubans to arrive came a day after a vessel carrying
twenty-five male Cubans reached the Brac, bringing the total number of
migrants landing on or passing through the Cayman Islands since the
beginning of October to eighty-six.

nicky@caymannetnews.com

http://www.caymannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000092/009210.htm