Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Cubans denied water on the Brac

Cubans denied water on the Brac
Monday, June 5, 2006

Cuban migrants continue to arrive in Cayman waters
asking for help regardless of the MOU

Cuban refugees who begged for water on the shoreline of Cayman Brac were
turned away, but the next day, they were given water and fuel by the
residents of Little Cayman.

On Tuesday night, 30 May, Brac resident Jan Scott said she went to the
Spot Bay Park at the east of the Island to meet her friend, who was
returning from a day’s fishing. She saw a light to the east, which
turned out to be a Cuban vessel. This boat travelled past them, but then
turned back and came into the shore at the park.

Ms Scott said she called the police, but she and other Spot Bay
residents went home and collected water and canned food for the Cubans.

An immigration officer and two police officers who arrived at the scene
told them they were not allowed to give the Cubans anything, not even
water, claimed Ms Scott.

The immigration officer said that it was permissible to give them
medical attention, but they were not to be given basic supplies, and Ms
Scott said she took this to mean that this was against the law.
She claimed that if she had known the authorities were going to stop
people giving the Cubans supplies, she would not have called them.

“The Cubans begged for water and fuel. It broke people’s hearts to turn
them away. If we are willing to take food out of our house and share
with them, the Government has no business with that. It’s outrageous!
Suppose we turned them away and they died. What’s that going to sound
like for the Cayman Islands?”

Ms Scott believed that the Cayman tradition, as mariners, is to follow
the rule of the sea, that if somebody needs help, they should get it.

“How can we not give them bread and water?” she asked.

According to an official release, a Cuban migrant boat with nine males
aboard arrived off Cayman Brac during the night of 30 May. The group
remained in Brac waters, offshore West End, through the night and into
the morning of Wednesday, 31 May.

Cayman officials advised them of current immigration policy relating to
migrants at sea, which states that assistance cannot be provided to aid
the illegal migration of persons from one country to the next, the
release states, and concludes that the group was last seen west of
Little Cayman, heading southwest.

Residents on Little Cayman told Cayman Net News that a member of the
public on that Island did, in fact, provide the refugees with the water
and fuel they asked for before they continued their journey.

District Commissioner Kenny Ryan, who heads Immigration on the Sister
Islands, was asked whether the authorities who told residents that they
were not allowed to give food or water to the Cubans were referring to a
specific law (and if so, which one) or the current Government Guidelines
on dealing with migrants.

“This is the current policy which was given to us to follow in dealing
with requests for assistance,” Mr Ryan answered.

This policy referred to is outlined in the guidelines for dealing with
undocumented Cuban migrants entering the Cayman Islands, which was
passed by Cabinet on 11 January, 2005.

Under the guidelines, migrants encountered in Cayman’s territorial
waters or who come ashore any of the three Islands are refused
permission to land and are denied 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, as the
Government claims is allowed by the 1999 Memorandum of Understanding
with that country, unless they are determined to be refugees under the
1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees.

However, these guidelines have not been passed into law by in the
Legislative Assembly.
Meanwhile, Cuban migrants continue to reach these shores by various
means. Nine Cuban migrants rescued at sea Sunday night 28 May brought
the number of migrants to reach the Cayman Islands this year by cruise
ship to forty-two. None of these Cubans were given permission to
disembark by Immigration officers.

A Government release stated that the migrants arrived aboard the
Carnival cruise ship Imagination. The six male and three female migrants
all appeared to be in good health, according to Immigration officials.

“The ship docked at Grand Cayman this morning and has since departed, as
scheduled, at 3:30 pm. Following established immigration procedures,
the migrants remained onboard the cruise ship during its time in port,”
the statement said.

In addition, the release says that eleven Cuban migrants – seven males
and four females – were repatriated to Cuba on Friday, 26 May, without
incident. This small group had been detained at the Immigration
Reception Centre.

nicky@caymannetnews.com

http://www.caymannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000025/002525.htm

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