ISSUE NO.54 June 2001
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 PM
Bird calls for high-security Caribbean prisons
Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister, Lester Bird, on 12th June
called for the establishment of one or two "high-security
prisons" for the Caribbean, as well as two special units to
deal with drug- related and other serious crimes in the region.
PM Bird made the recommendations to the fourth joint meeting in
Antigua of the Inter-Governmental Task Force on Drugs and Ministers
responsible for national security.
PM Bird offered three major recommendations for the regional fight
against drugs. "The first is the creation of a Regional Authority
that would deal with drug-related matters on behalf of the region
as a whole," he said.
"The second is the creation of a single well-trained, well-equipped,
single rapid response unit dealing with drug- related and serious
crimes throughout the Caribbean Community and Common Market.
"The third is the establishment of one or two high security
prisons for all of the countries of CARICOM."
Bird said the countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean
States (OECS) and possibly Barbados, the British Virgin Islands
and Anguilla could jointly establish a single high security prison
for serious drug offenders and other violent criminals.
"... Within CARICOM (the Caribbean Community and Common Market),
there may be a need for two such prisons," he commented.
"In any event, the purpose of the high-security prison would
be to isolate the worst offenders from non-violent, first offenders
who have a better chance of rehabilitation and reform.
"... our overcrowded prisons are now recruiting and training
grounds as low-risk young offenders are exposed to mature criminals.
What is more, the drug culture is being kept alive in many prisons
through lax security and even complicity. Our young offenders are
being deprived of the opportunity for reform."
Bird urged ministers responsible for national security to give
serious consideration to the creation of a a "Regional Authority
to effectively formulate and implement an anti-narcotic strategy".
"The Authority would be a Caribbean Drug Control and Crime
Prevention Office - working to a Council of Ministers of National
Security," he explained.
"Such an office would be charged with the responsibility
of devising and approving a regional anti-narcotics and crime prevention
strategy; managing the policy including supervising the drug enforcement
units; drafting common anti- narcotics legislation; negotiating
co-operation treaties with other countries; executing an educational
programme against drugs, and mounting a diplomatic démarche
on behalf of all Caribbean states."
Bird said that while the CARICOM nations are moving towards a
single market and economy "our governments have no agreements
that allow our police and coast guards to enter each other's territorial
waters to carry out arrests".
He suggested CARICOM nations have among themselves the "Shiprider"-type
agreement that allows US security forces to enter their waters
to arrest drug-dealers.
"... given the paucity of our own resources, I have come
to the view that so-called Shiprider agreement is important to
the fight against drug trafficking," he told the meeting. "But
why do we not have similar agreements among ourselves?"
Bird said the time had come for a common police and prison service
in the countries of the Eastern Caribbean, and possibly Barbados.
"But whether or not we achieve a common Police and Prison
Service in the OECS and possibly Barbados, there is now an urgent
need for a single rapid response unit in CARICOM to deal with serious
drug-related crimes," he added.
"Such a rapid response unit should ideally fall under a Committee
of Commissioners of Police who would themselves be an institution
of the Caribbean Drug Control and Crime Prevention Office. "However,
assuming that the creation of such a regional office is not possible
in the short term, then the existing Association of Caribbean Police
Commissioners should create the single rapid response unit. Then,
through a series of Memoranda of Understanding the unit would be
deployed into each member country to conduct investigations and
make the necessary arrests."
He said that "to expect ill-equipped, ill-trained national
police forces to successfully fight the sophisticated trafficking
of illegal narcotics is almost an impossibility".
Many of the Caribbean countries do not now have the resources
to equip and train their police forces individually, Bird told
the meeting. "It is unlikely that even in the medium-term
we will separately have the resources for such an undertaking.
"Therefore, we have to pool our resources to select the best
officers from all our national forces to form the special response
unit. They can then be trained and properly equipped to gather
intelligence, investigate crimes, and make arrests," he said.
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 Panday:
Use speech as working document
Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister, Basdeo Panday, has recommended
that the address given by Prime Minister, Lester Bird of Antigua
and Barbuda at the opening ceremony of the 4th Joint Meeting of
the Inter-governmental Task Force on Drugs (IGTFD) and Ministers
of national Security, be used as a working document for the two-day
meeting.
Mr. Panday was at the time delivering the Feature Address to regional delegates
who gathered at the breath-taking Jolly Beach Resort on Antigua's South-West
end, to share ideas and plan strategies for dealing with a number of issues
now affecting the region. These include increased crime and narco-trafficking
among others.
PM Bird and PM Panday were the only two CARICOM Heads attending the Meeting.
Both men are responsible for National Security in their countries.
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 ONDCP
to enforce laws
A third law enforcement department is soon to be established
in Antigua and Barbuda.
According to the Head of the Office of National Drug and Money
Laundering Control Policy (ONDCP), Mr Wrenford Ferrance, "An
Act has been written to give ONDCP law enforcement powers in Antigua
and Barbuda, dealing specifically with drug matters, financial
crime which involves forgery, fraud, money-laundering and intelligence
matters."
Mr Ferrance pointed out that with the passing of this new piece
of legislation, the work of the police will be made a lot easier. "This
will take a great load off the police because the ONDCP personnel
will be trained in those fields."
The preparation of this Law is a further indication of the commitment
of the Antigua and Barbuda government to combat money laundering
and other financial crime. The country's legislation, and supervisory
and enforcement machinery is already ahead of all Caribbean countries.
This new Act, once passed by Parliament, will strengthen Antigua
and Barbuda's enforcement powers even more.
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Government calls fifth
Inquiry on itself: Unprecedented Commitment to Democracy
In an unprecedented show of its commitment to
democracy the Government of Antigua and Barbuda has called a fifth
Commission of Inquiry into itself.
Since the Antigua Labour Party has been in office, the Government
has had four Commissions of Inquiry into government related activities,
three of them called by Prime Minister Lester Bird. They were inquiries
into the Airport, into the sales of arms to Colombia, the prisons
and the shooting of a hostage and his captors by police.
In addition, the Lester Bird administration has called two special
investigations. The first, held in November 1994, was conducted
by retired High Court Judge Horace Mitchell into allegations that
passports were being sold illegally, and the second was held in
late 1995 into invoicing procedures at the Customs Department.
No other Government in the world has held so many public inquiries
into its own activities demonstrating an active interest in governance
in the Antigua and Barbuda society and a responsiveness by the
Government to transparency.
On 1st June, Prime Minister Lester Bird announced that that "after
taking account of the importance of maintaining public confidence
in the integrity and effectiveness of the Medical Benefits Scheme
which is so important to our community", he had decided to
proceed with the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry. He said
that he proposed "to consult with the Governor-General on
the procedures and other details to set up such an Inquiry, and
we will proceed to establish it as early as humanly possible".
Calls for a Commission of Inquiry into the operations of the Medical
Benefits Scheme came from the Opposition, United Progressive Party
(UPP) and several other organisations, long after the Outlet newspaper
had been suggesting that there were instances of wrong doing and
abuse of authority at the Medical Benefits Scheme.
The Prime Minister initially resisted the establishment of an
Inquiry on the basis that it would be lengthy and costly at a time
when the Treasury was strapped for cash. Declaring that he was
not interested in "covering-up any wrong doing", Mr Bird
instead commissioned a forensic audit of the Scheme. When he received
the Auditor's preliminary report in April, he immediately sacked
the Board of the Scheme and suspended several high ranking officials.
He then turned over the report to the Director of Public Prosecutions
for "appropriate legal action".
At that time, the Prime Minister continued to insist that a costly
Commission of Inquiry was unnecessary since the Director of Public
Prosecutions and the Court system could adequately investigate
wrong and bring culprits to justice.
The full report was of the Forensic Auditor was submitted to the
Prime Minister in May. Upon receipt of it, he sacked two Ministers
for what he termed "lack of judgement". The Ministers
were Health Minister Bernard Percival who had Ministerial responsibility
for the Scheme and Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs,
Dr Errol Cort.
The report stated that Dr Cort "conduct in the presentation
of the invoice (for EC$1.7 million) to the Minister of Health five
months after he became Attorney-General is highly indicative of
a breach of fiduciary duty to his clients. Dr Cort secured preferential
treatment for his firm by exploiting his position as counsel for
all of the parties". The report also found that Mr Percival "should
not have instructed the Scheme's accountant to pay the invoice… the
proper protocol was not followed".
The Prime Minister again handed over the final report to the Director
of Public Prosecutions and the Commissioner of Police with a pledge
that the Government would provide any additional resources required
including external assistance from agencies such as Scotland Yard.
He also instructed a junior Minister in the Government, George
Bernard Walker, to ascertain the extent of overpayments which may
have been made to him, as identified in the Forensic Audit Report,
and to arrange to make a refund. Instead of acting on the Prime
Minister's instructions, Walker offered himself as a guest on a
radio talk show and declared that he would not pay back the funds
and accused the auditor of picking on him. He also called for the
withdrawal of the Prime Minister's press statement informing the
public of the instructions given to him, failing which he would
act.
Following the radio show in which Mr Walker was ridiculed by callers
and taunted by the talk show host, the Prime Minister Bird relieved
Mr Walker of his portfolio.
Having decided that the Inquiry should go ahead to restore public
confidence in the Medical Benefits Scheme, the Prime Minister then
announced that he would accept unchanged the terms of reference
for the Commission of Inquiry as proposed by a Coalition of Organisations
including the Opposition United Progressive Party.
There is some debate in the country over who has the power to
Commission an Inquiry. Advised by British QC, John Macdonald, a
long-time advocate against the Government of Antigua, the Governor-General
is of the opinion that he has an absolute discretion to Commission
the Inquiry. This view is hotly disputed by Dominica-based, Senior
Counsel, Anthony Astaphan and leading British QC, Sir Godfary Le
Quesne both of whom contend that the Governor-General can only
exercise his powers on the advice of the Cabinet. Nonetheless,
the Governor-General has proceeded to Commission the Inquiry. This
issue may yet be tested in the Courts by the plaintiffs in the
Inquiry.
The commissioners are former Vice Chancellor of the University
of the West Indies (UWI) Sir Alister Mc Intyre, Queen's Counsel
Dr John Anthony Roberts, who has been used by the British government
to hold inquiries overseas, and Dr Hayden Thomas who is Antigua
and Barbuda's Ombudsman and President of the Caribbean Ombudsman
Association.
The Governor-General also appointed Antiguan Oscar Frederick,
an auditor with a Master's Degree in Finance as a Consultant to
the Commission.
At the time of writing, there is some agitation about the regularity
of the Ombudsman serving on a Commission of Inquiry, and it is
not clear whether the Governor-General will decide to replace him
with another Commissioner.
The Commission is scheduled to start hearings on 16th July. It
will have as its legal counsel, Barbadian lawyer Dr Richard Cheltenham,
who was one of several names submitted to the Governor-General
by collation of non-governmental organisations.
In a demonstration of its openness, the Bird Government did not
question the appointment of the legal counsel.
The terms of Reference as proposed by the Coalition of Non-Governmental
Organisations and accepted by the Prime Minister are as follows:
To make general inquiry into the Conduct and Management of the
Medical Benefits Scheme from the coming into effect of the Medical
Benefits Act, Cap 271 of the Laws of Antigua and Barbuda on the
1st October, 1978, AND IN PARTICULAR
To inquire into the question as to whether there have been any
violations of the Medical Benefits Act and the Regulations made
thereunder and the Loans (Mount St. John Hospital Construction
and Equipping) Act 1998, and Standard Accounting Practices in respect
of:-
(1) The disbursement of funds from each account established and
operated under the Medical Benefits Scheme;
(2) The procurement policies and practices of the Medical Benefits
Scheme for administrative, medical and pharmaceutical supplies
and equipment, with special regard to weaknesses and abuses of
the said policies and practices;
(3) The disbursement of funds from any account held in the name
of the Medical Benefits Scheme to the Mount St. John Medical Centre,
or its order, under the Loans (Mount St. John Hospital Construction
and Equipping) Act 1998;
(4) The overall financing of the construction of the Medical Benefits
pharmacy building and Community Clinics, and in particular, to
make inquiry as to whether the projected costs were exceeded and
if so the reasons therefor;
(5) The disbursement of funds to persons not qualified for benefits
pursuant to the Medical Benefits Act and for purposes not intended
under the said Act;
(6) The overall operation of the Medical Benefits Scheme with
a view to making recommendations for the improvement in the management
of the Scheme.
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Another
cellular site for Antigua
APUA PCS has installed a new cellular site which has significantly
improved capacity and coverage in St John's.
PCS Manager, Julian Wilkins said business and residential customers
working and living in St John's now have an additional amount of
voice channels available for making and receiving mobile calls.
Wilkins noted that this now brings to 17 the number of cellular
sites. He explained that this means that APUA PCS offers the most
comprehensive network coverage in Antigua and Barbuda.
The PCS Manager declared that as part of the ongoing commitment
to improving service to customers, APUA PCS has also enhanced coverage
to the north of the island which includes Blue Waters, Crosbies
and Hodges Bay. APUA PCS will be announcing further major enhancements
shortly.
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Social Security Scheme
moves closer to goal of total inclusion
The Antigua and Barbuda Social Security Scheme
has now made it mandatory for self employed persons to contribute
to the Scheme.
Prime Minister Lester Bird, made the announcement while delivering
the feature address at the opening of the 7th Technical Meeting
of the American Commission of Organisation and Administrative Systems
at the Jolly Beach Resort on 20th June.
Mr Bird said the Scheme is "moving towards the realisation
of its ultimate goal of total inclusion."
Noting that there has been initial resistance to this effort,
Mr Bird said that government and the Social Security Board are
confident that this will prove to be a prudent and socially advantageous
decision as time advances. "And we are heartened by the prospect
of economic protection, not for some, but for all of our nation's
citizens, eventually," he said.
Also addressing the function was the Co-ordinator of Sub-Region
IV for International American Conference of Social Security, Reginald
Thomas. In supporting Mr Bird's statement, the co-ordinator said, "We
should also make it mandatory in other CARICOM countries to get
self employed persons on the boat and say that they must contribute,
because if they don't they will fall under the social arm and become
a burden to government."
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 OECD
withhold sanctions plan: Sanders welcomes move
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
has withheld its threat to impose sanctions against offshore tax
havens at the end of next month. The decision - taken on 13 June
at a meeting involving OECD and US tax officials - was welcomed
by Sir Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda's High Commissioner
to London, who has been actively involved in co-ordinating the
Caribbean's position on the issue.
'The removal of the threat of sanctions is, in my view, the removal
of a gun from our head and it allows for sensible negotiation and
discussion to take place', said Sir Ronald. He linked the change
in policy to "the very strong position of Secretary of Treasury
Paul O'Neill that the US is not in favour of the application of
sanctions in this way."
The OECD campaign against tax havens threatened to fall apart
last month, when O'Neill condemned attempts to 'dictate to any
country what its tax rates or tax system should be'.
Initial reports from the Paris meeting suggested that, following
'clarification' of a number of issues, the US had decided to back
the OECD campaign. However, it is now clear that, in addition to
the dropping of the sanctions threat, a set of new proposals have
been drawn up, which now await approval from OECD governments.
The OECD will likely announce changes to the plan at the 26-27
June meeting of the Committee on Fiscal Affairs, which is overseeing
the 'harmful tax practices' initiative.
These are thought to concentrate more on greater transparency and exchange
of information, and include proposals on how the OECD and US could co-operate
on reducing tax revenue lost to offshore havens.
However, Sir Ronald called for the OECD to first fully consult
with tax havens before adopting new initiatives: 'Our position
has always been that we want to be involved in what the definitions
of those two things (transparency and exchange of information)
are to be sure we were not put in any less favourable position
than any of the OECD countries which also operate what they call
tax havens', the diplomat said.
Last June, the OECD released a blacklist which included virtually
every Caribbean jurisdiction which it claimed engaged in "harmful
tax practices", and threatened to impose sanctions against
those jurisdictions that failed to meet its standards by July 2001.
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Antigua and Barbuda
on IMO 'White List'
Antigua and Barbuda has again been placed on the 'White List'
for shipping issued by the International Maritime Organization
(IMO).
At a meeting in London on 31st May, the Maritime Safety Committee
of the IMO agreed that Antigua and Barbuda gives "full and
complete effect" to the provisions of the 1978 International
Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping
for Seafarers.
Earlier this year, Parliament approved several amendments to
the Merchant Shipping Act to comply with the obligations undertaken
by Antigua and Barbuda as an international flag state, which resulted
in the country's recognition on the IMO 'White List'.
Being on the 'White List' means that all countries should accept
certificates issued by Antigua and Barbuda relating to training,
certification and watch-keeping standards for seafarers.
Commenting on the IMO's decision, Antigua and Barbuda's High
Commissioner to London, Sir Ronald Sanders, said, "This recognition
by the IMO, which is the public international body dealing with
world shipping laws, is a tribute to the quality of services which
Antigua and Barbuda as a flag state provides to our clients, the
shipowners".
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Diplomatic
relations established with Bulgaria
The Government of Antigua and Barbuda and Bulgaria established
diplomatic relations on 7th June at a brief ceremony held at the
Bulgarian Mission.
Signing for Antigua and Barbuda, was His Excellency Dr Patrick
Lewis and for Bulgaria was His Excellency Stefan Tafrov. Both Ambassadors
represent their countries at the United Nations. Assisting in the
ceremony was Conrod Hunte, Minister Counsellor of Antigua and Barbuda
and Zlatko Dimitroff and Maria Pavlova, both First Secretaries
of Bulgaria.
In a joint communiqué, Ambassadors Lewis and Tafrov declared
that the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and the Government of
the republic of Bulgaria, desirous of further developing relations
of friendship and co-operation between the two countries on the
basis of mutual respect for the principles of sovereignty, territorial
integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of States
in accordance of the United Nations Charter, were pledged to developing
bilateral co-operation in various fields of mutual concern.
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 Two
fish-landing projects for Antigua
Plans are proceeding to construct a fish-landing and distribution
facility in the villages of Parham and Urlings.
The Minister with responsibility for Planning, Gaston Browne,
revealed that construction work is due to begin shortly and EC$46
M will be spent on the projects which are being financed by the
government of Japan.
Minister Browne said, "These fish-landing and distribution
facilities will provide a significant amount of construction jobs
and several fulltime jobs upon completion.
It is estimated that in the first instance there will be approximately
150 jobs generated and in the construction phase there will be
about three hundred jobs."
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Former
AG to serve on OAS
Former Attorney-General, Clare Roberts, has been elected to serve
on the Organization of American States Human Rights Commission.
Roberts was elected by the OAS General Assembly in Costa Rica
on the 5th June, and is the first Antiguan, and only the fourth
Caribbean National elected to serve on the Commission. He will
serve a four-year term as a Commissioner on the OAS Inter-American
Human Rights Commission.
Commenting on his election Roberts said, "I am very pleased
to be able to represent Antigua and Barbuda and, indeed, the entire
Caribbean on this important Human Rights Commission."
Five candidates from Chile, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Peru, and Antigua
and Barbuda sought to win the three vacant seats on the Commission.
Antigua and Barbuda, Chile, and Peru were successful candidates,
with only Peru securing a greater number of votes.
Roberts will be required to travel to Washington twice per year,
at the Commission's expense, to listen to complaints from citizens
of any of the 34 OAS member states.
Petitions to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission may only
be heard after the citizen has exhausted all domestic remedies.
The Inter-American Human Rights Commission received more than
900 petitions from citizens of Latin American countries last year.
Only a few petitions came from the Caribbean, and they were all
appeals against death sentences.
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 New
era in entertainment for Antigua and Barbuda
The Government of Antigua has given the green light for 'Dolphin
Fantaseas' to set a dolphin park on the north-western end of Antigua.
'Dolphin Fantaseas' operates a number of dolphin parks, including a recently
opened centre in Anguilla. The company describes itself as being committed
to increase public education, maintain vital conservation and inspire individuals
to obtain an appreciation for marine life. Keeping marine mammals in public
display facilities creates dual responsibilities: natural dolphin habitat,
and "real life" education for the public.
There has been opposition to the project with some individuals
arguing that the dolphins ought to be left freely in the wild.
However, a release from the Public Relations Office for 'Dolphin
Fantaseas', noted that, "a handful of very vocal extremist
groups feel that humans should not make any use of animals for
food, clothing, sport, display or education. Some individuals within
these groups attract much media attention, by charging the issue
with deliberate misinformation."
Recently 'Dolphin Fantaseas' opened a facility on the 35 square-mile British
Dependency of Anguilla.
In an interview Permanent Secretary, in the Office of the Chief Minister of
Anguilla, Mr. Allister Richardson said, ".... it has certainly provided
jobs for the citizens. In addition, the hotels are doing brisk business as
the tourists come to visit the park, taxi drivers make money on tours around
the country and everyone continues to benefit. I must tell you also that Anguillans
did not have any objection to the project, there was some opposition from a
very small group of expatriates who preferred see the dolphins left in the
wild."
According to Mr. Richardson, the Anguilla Government had a thorough
feasibility and environmental impact study done and was convinced
that such a programme would bring no harm to the dolphins and there
would be no negative impact on the country as a whole.
Meanwhile, two officials from 'Dolphin Fantaseas' visited Antigua recently
and engaged in radio and television appearances in a bid to inform nationals
on the operations of the 'Dolphin Fantaseas' and its caring programme for the
animals.
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Special committee
to manage Dolphin Project
The Government has put in place a special committee to oversee
and manage the proposed dolphin project which is due to come on
stream shortly at Marina Bay.
According to Chairman of the Committee, Mr Daven Joseph, his
group will be responsible for managing not only the care and welfare
of the dolphins but for ensuring that there would be no damage
done to the environment and the country's ecosystem.
The Government has recently granted permission to Dolphin Fantaseas
of the United States to operate a dolphin park in Antigua
Mr Joseph said his committee will be doing everything possible
to ensure that the park will be run under strict environmental
and other guidelines which will result in the safety and well-being
of the dolphins.
The full committee is made up of Mr. Daven Joseph Chairman, Mr.
Eustace Royae, Mrs. Cheryl Jeffery-Appleton, Mr. Aldin Crump, and
Mr. Brian Gonsalves.
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Government
to claim compensation for coastal damage caused by oil tanker
The Antigua and Barbuda government is preparing to make a claim
for US$8 million in compensation for coastal damage caused by the
Liberian-registered oil tanker, Knock Dun, when it ran aground
last October.
"The matter is being handled through the Attorney General's
office but we are also going to secure the services of a legal
expert in this kind of a claim " Environment Minister Molwyn
Joseph said.
Prior to the release of the 247-metre long vessel, the ship's
principals lodged a US$3 million deposit, binding them to conclude
a settlement for the damage to the coral reef located about 9.5
nautical miles, northwest of St John's, the Antigua capital.
Minister Joseph did not rule out an out-of-court settlement of
the claim, now that the report of a government-commissioned assessment
from the Miami-based Marine Resources Incorporated (MRI) has been
received.
"What's likely to happen is that the owners themselves will
get their own experts and sit around the table with the people
we hired, our experts, and they will discuss this matter and hopefully
within a very short period of time we'll get a resolution so that
we can begin the process of restoring the reefs," Joseph said.
The MT Knock Dun, which was built in Northern Island in 1994,
is owned by the Isle of Man-based Dun Shipping Limited, a subsidiary
of First Oslen Tankers Limited.
Haggling between the ship's principals and government is likely
because scientific studies by the two sides vary significantly. "As
we suspected, the damage to the reef was far more extensive than
was originally thought and actually claimed by the owners of the
vessel," Joseph said.
The multi-million dollar claim is hinged on government-commissioned
assessment of the area where the vessel had ran aground with 130,000
tons of West African crude oil bound for St Croix.
Details of the government-commissioned study are not known but
the Environment and Tourism Minister observed that the findings
confirmed government's suspicion that the damage was far more extensive
than the MT Knock Dun study claimed.
Hired by authorities of the oil tanker, Dr Walter Goldberg, coral
reef biologist and professor of biological sciences at Florida
International University in Miami, conducted an underwater assessment
and found the damage to be "small" relative to the size
of the vessel involved in the incident.
The primary area of damage, he had said, was a 271-square-metre
rectangular area where the tanker's hull came to rest and there
was considerably less damage in a second area, measuring 316 square
metres.
Goldberg had predicted that the re-growth of organisms in that
area will begin immediately and "in about two years, you won't
know a ship was there."
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 Bird:
Insurers and Government must co-operate
Prime Minister, Lester Bird, has expressed the view that insurers
and regional governments have a major role to play in the fight
against the AIDS epidemic now sweeping the Caribbean.
He made the point, as he delivered the feature address to over 600 delegates
at the opening of a Conference of the Insurance Association, of the Caribbean
(IAC) at the Jolly Beach Hotel.
The Prime Minister pointed out, "No nation's health can any longer be
considered only within the confines of national boundaries. Infection and disease
enter nation-states by means that cannot be controlled by immigration officers.
The most worrying of these is HIV/AIDS. The Commonwealth Secretariat
now estimates that the magnitude of the epidemic in the Caribbean,
including Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is second only to that
of sub-Sahara Africa".
Prime Minister Bird observed that in 1999 alone, it was reported
that some 57,000 adults and children were newly infected. This
compares with 44,000 in all of North America whose population is
ten times the size of the entire Caribbean.
 "Of
even greater concern is that the epidemic is more prevalent in
younger age groups. Seventy percent of the diagnosed cases are
between 15 and 44 years old, with 50 percent of that number between
25 and 34.
The flower of our youth in the region is being decimated by the HIV/AIDS virus".
The Antigua and Barbuda leader pointed out that the prospect of what such decimation
will hold for the region's economic future is "alarming."
"I believe that, as Insurers of the Caribbean, you have an obligation to
assist our governments to deal with the factors that drive the spread of this
epidemic.
If the epidemic continues at its present rate, there will be
fewer people to whom you could offer health insurance, and your
profitability in this region will decline significantly.
All Governments in the region need to improve and intensify their programmes
for coping with the epidemic. We need more resources, both human and financial.
While all governments must continue to allocate resources to
prevent the epidemic and to help infected persons, Insurers should
consider creating and executing a joint programme with government
that helps to address the issue in a meaningful way", Mr.
Bird concluded.
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Ministry of Foreign
Affairs establishes Internet presence
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda established
its presence on the World Wide Web. The web site www.foreignaffairs.gov.ag
was constructed by the Communications Unit of the Ministry headed
by Senior Foreign Service Communications Officer, Joy-Dee Davis.
Other members of the unit are Foreign Service Communications Officers,
Ms. Karen Cabrall and Ms. Sharon Mullin.
Available on the website is information relating to the services
provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as passport,
travel and citizenship matter and local news.
Also featured are links to the Overseas Missions of Antigua and
Barbuda, The Prime Minister's Office and regional Organisations
such as the OECS and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The web site is hosted by Antigua Computer Technology.
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Antigua gets first
Lotto millionaire
An Antiguan woman is the country's first ever Lotto millionaire.
The winner, who remains unidentified, has collected her EC$1.8
million prize. She was the only person to have the numbers drawn
on 19 May. The numbers were 2-19-25-36-37-38 and the letter K.
According to Joan Underwood, General Manager of the Antigua Lottery,
the woman was very excited. "After presenting her ticket,
which takes a week to validate, the excited winner explained that
she had previously planned to leave Antigua briefly and would officially
claim her prize on her return."
She is the first Antiguan to win the Caribbean Lotto jackpot since the Lottery
started. Previously two other winners had won jackpot prizes of over $3,000,000
each, one from Nevis and the other from St. Maarten.
Caribbean Lotto is an innovative, multi-country, state and currency
game operated by the Leeward Islands Lottery Holding Company, Inc.
(LILHCo), a St Kitts & Nevis Company with Executive Offices
in St. John's, Antigua.
It is the only lottery in the world that offers entertaining
lottery games across countries over its retailer online terminals.
The Lotteries are separate, independently-managed companies in
Anguilla, Antigua, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Kitts & Nevis,
Aruba, and Bermuda.
LILHCo's subsidiary, the Caribbean Cricket Lottery Inc. also
has an agreement with the Barbados cricket Association to manage
an additional online lottery in Barbados.
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No
ALP, AT&LU split: Union scoffs at report of severing its
ties with ruling party
The Antigua Trades and Labour Union is deeply concerned about
attempts in sections of the Antigua press to place a wedge between
itself and the ruling Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party.
A release from the AT&LU notes that ALP is the offspring
of the Union and, as in all families and sister organisations,
there are times when disagreements will develop.
"However, these disagreements will not be allowed to rupture
the close relationship which has been painstakingly nurtured over
a number of years between such organisations and families," the
release said.
The Daily Observer newspaper dated, 12 June, in an article captioned "AT&LU
may cut ties with the ALP," claimed that "the president
of the Union, Wigley George, said that the union's involvement
in the coalition of non-government organisations and their protests
of the reduction of the work week has caused a rift in the relationship
between the ALP and the AT&LU."
But the release issued by President George said the Union has
never contemplated, nor is it considering, severing its ties and
relationship with the ALP, an organisation of its own creation.
"Both the AT&LU and the ALP are inextricably bound and
no one should ever be so misguided as to think that the Union will
walk away from its ties with the ALP, especially during difficult
and trying times," George said.
The release further states the political party has its work to
do and the trade union also has its obligations to fulfil, and
together both organisations will continue to act responsibly and
prudently in the interests of workers in particular and the country
in general.
The Union reiterated its undiluted support for the ALP, but continues
to maintain its obligations to advise and lead the membership of
the Union. Its general support for the ALP remains solid, undiminished
and constant.
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Update
on Carnival 2001
Plans for the 40th Annual Jaycees Queen Show are moving ahead.
Public relations Officer, Fitzroy Carr says 12 countries have
already confirmed their participation in the show which will be
held at Carnival city on August 4th. The main highlight of the
supporting show will be the Spice Dancers from St. Maarten.
The Jaycees Caribbean Queen show is considered a major fund-raiser
for the Antigua Jaycees for many years. Proceeds will go towards
the development of the local organization and other community projects.
*************************
The Antiguan Public can expect a special treat for Carnival 2001
from King Short Shirt who will release his new CD in mid-July.
The CD, which will feature 11 songs, comprises such hits as "The
Message", "Bleeding Heart", and "The handwriting
on the wall", as well as a tune specially written for the
steelband.
In a recent interview, the born-again, King Short Shirt, was
asked to share his feelings on singing calypso once again. He responded
by saying that it was something that he often prayed about and
he has come to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with
singing calypso. This does not confirm the rumour that he will
be entering the calypso monarch competition, but it gives the public
something to look forward to.
Short Shirt was crowned calypso monarch of Antigua a total of
15 times. He last entered the competition in 1993.
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Police
investigates allegation made by Dr Cort and his wife
The following Statement was issued by the Commissioner of
Police on 4th June 2001
"The police have investigated an allegation made by former
Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Dr.
Errol Cort, and his wife, Cherilyn Cort, to the effect that someone
wanted to kill Dr. Cort.
In their statements to the police on 2nd June 2001, Dr. Cort
and his wife stated that a woman came to their home on Friday 1st
June and Saturday 2nd June and told them "something".
Neither Dr. Cort or his wife identified the woman in their statements.
They also did not say in the statements what the woman told them
except to say she told them "something".
However, Dr. Cort telephoned Assistant Commissioner of Police,
Rawlston Pompey, on Saturday 2nd June and invited him to his residence
to speak to the person who reportedly had told them something.
The Assistant Commissioner declined the invitation. Instead, he
suggested that they meet at police headquarters on American Road.
This was not accepted. As an alternative, he suggested that the
person meet with him at the Longfords Police Training School. This
was agreed upon.
Having arrived at the said Police Training School, the Assistant
Commissioner met with and interviewed a Miss Lucien Millette. During
that interview she said she was in the vicinity of Barclays Bank
near her mother's vending area on Friday 1st June when she overheard "T.C.
Crump" saying loudly and publicly that he "would want
Lester Bird to give him a down payment of $5,000 to deal with Dr.
Cort.
Miss Millette said, "There was nothing from what I heard
that Mr. Lester Bird was involved in any plot to do anything to
anyone." She continued, "I saw Cherilyn Cort with whom
I have been very friendly for years and told her to be careful
because of what "T.C." was saying. My intention was not
to create any public stir. If I knew that a simple warning would
have escalated to national proportion, I would not have said anything."
Miss Millette also said that she knows T.C. Crump and according
to her, "He always made very loud statements in public regarding
violence and politics."
Assistant Commissioner Airall conducted an interview with Mrs
Viola Millette, Lucien Millette's mother, about the remarks made
by Mr. Crump while he was talking with her. Mrs Millette said, "when
I spoke to "T.C. Crump", I did not hear him say that
he got a job to deal with Dr. Cort." She also said that she
did not hear him say that he is 'going to collect $4,000.00 from
Lester Bird'. She added, "If I hear "T.C." used
those words, I would say so because I am a Christian."
Inspector Hodge reported that he picked up and interviewed Sylvester
Crump. Mr Crump admitted to talking with Mrs Viola Millette, the
mother of Lucien Millette, who is a vendor under the Harper's building,
but he denied saying the words attributed to him by Lucien Millette.
He went on further to say that while he knows Lester Bird is the
Prime minister, he has never spoken to him. He added that he does
not know Dr. Errol Cort.
It is obvious that the Corts were either misled by the remarks
made to them by Ms. Millette or that they have misinterpreted what
she had told them.
Police investigations revealed no evidence of any threat to the
life of Dr. Errol Cort. The allegation is completely baseless and
without foundation."
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 First
Female Attorney General takes oath
Antigua and Barbuda's first female Attorney General, Mrs. Gertel
Thom, took the Oath of Allegiance during a sitting of the House
of Representatives on 21st June.
Mrs. Thom, a highly qualified attorney who has also served as
Acting-Governor of Montserrat, among other senior positions, was
born in Guyana.
Prime Minister, Lester Bird, said he was delighted to have Mrs.
Thom in his Cabinet, adding that, he knows she will make Antigua
and Barbuda proud.
Members on both sides of the House also welcomed the new Attorney General and
wished her all the best in her term of Office.
Mrs. Thom said she intends to make Electoral Reform her first priority.
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Caribbean Star announces
$50M history-making expansion
An ambitious aviation plan was unveiled on 24th May to employees
of Caribbean Star Airlines.
Entrepreneur and owner of Caribbean Star Airlines, R. Allen Stanford,
told his employees that they were on the threshold of being "the
first real Caribbean airline."
He announced that Caribbean Star was going to service destinations
from Suriname to Cuba to Cozumel and every little island in between.
He explained that he would do so by expanding the airline's present
fleet of Dash-8s, acquiring several twin Otters and introducing,
for the first time, regional jets, bringing the fleet size up to
25, with 14 being jets.
The cost of the expansion is expected to be in the vicinity of
$50M.
Stanford said, "Any island that has at least a 2000-foot
runway, will, with the necessary governmental approvals, see a
Caribbean Star plane at its airport."
Work is also going on apace in setting up Caribbean Star's Puerto
Rico operations, where several of the jets will be based. This
company is expected to be up and running before the end of the
first quarter of 2002.
Stanford also disclosed, that soon Barbados would play an important
role in the future of Caribbean Star. While he did not identify
exactly what would happen, he said, "Barbados has to be developed
as a major hub, as will some other locations in the Caribbean." He
insisted however, that Caribbean Star would remain an Antiguan-domiciled
airline.
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Caribbean
Star is regional carrier for Carnival 2001/2002
Caribbean Star and the Carnival Ministry have officially signed
a $125,000 agreement that recognises the airline as the regional
carrier for Carnival 2001/2002.
The deal will see Caribbean Star offering special fares for the
Summer Festival as well as promoting Carnival for 2001 and 2002.
Consultant to the Minister of Carnival, Vaughn Walter, said that
the agreement could only make Carnival greater than it already
is.
"This contract shows that Caribbean Star is interested in
ensuring that Antigua's Carnival is the greatest Summer Festival
in the region," he said.
Caribbean Star's Marketing Director, Sandra Scotland, said that
the airline was pleased to be associated with the Ministry of Carnival.
"We view our contribution as an opportunity to participate
in one of the country's most enjoyable and exciting celebrations," she
said.
According to Ms. Scotland, the airline also intends to provide
additional capacity and competitive fares in order to generate
demand for increased regional travel.
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Swiss
American sponsors schools for Carnival
Swiss American has sponsored three schools to take part in
this year's children Carnival as a direct request from Ali and
Associates' founder, Allister Thomas, who will not be putting a
troupe on the road this year.
Mr. Thomas, who has been working with the School Carnival programme
said, "We have a working arrangement with Swiss American,
who sponsors us every year and I thought that it would help the
Schools I am assisting by securing the sponsorship for them."
The three schools who will have the benefit of Swiss American's
sponsorship are Cobbs Cross, Old Road and Bolans.
"What I plan to do is have the three schools amalgamated
into one troupe with three sections. This will make for a troupe
of about 100 school children, and of course it will make a bigger
impact on the road," Thomas said.
Speaking on behalf of the Bank, Chairman and Managing Director,
Brian Stuart-Young, said that the bank is pleased to be involved
in Carnival.
"We are pleased to be supporting Carnival again this year.
In the past years we have worked with Allister Thomas, but are
particularly pleased that we can be of assistance to the Children's
Carnival," he stated.
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Antigua reviews whaling
position
Antigua and Barbuda is still reviewing its position with regard
to how it will vote at a July meeting of the International Whaling
Commission in London.
According to the country's commissioner at the International
Whaling Commission, Daven Joseph, revision will take into consideration
the advice the country will receive from the scientific committee
of the IWC.
He said that while "we are in sympathy with Tonga and other
South Pacific countries, we believe that any sanctuary should be
within territorial waters, and not in international waters."
"We also believe that before the IWC considers another sanctuary,
there should be a review of the terms of the Southern Ocean sanctuary
that is now being enforced to assess its usefulness as a resource
management tool.
We also have to look at the whole question of a moratorium against
commercial whaling that was put in place in 1982 and review its
effectiveness," Joseph said.
Australia and New Zealand have proposed the establishment of
South Pacific Sanctuary, which would safeguard reproduction areas
of whales that are already protected in their feeding grounds by
the Southern Ocean Sanctuary, which was adopted by the IWC in 1994.
Conservation groups say the sanctuary is necessary, to complement
and improve the effectiveness of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary in
protecting migratory whale species.
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More planes for summer
travels
The first of three Dash-8 aircraft acquired by Caribbean Star
Airlines were expected at the VC Bird International airport before
the end of June. The other two are expected some two weeks later
in mid-July.
Deployment of these aircraft is the beginning of the airline's
massive expansion plan announced in May by owner Allen Stanford.
The additional aircraft is expected to allow Caribbean Star to
introduce a heavily expanded schedule for the upcoming peak travel
months of July through September.
To ensure that the expansion gets off solidly, the airline has
contracted 15 crews to operate the additional aircraft.
In its expansion, Caribbean Star plans to introduce 14 regional
jets, which would service particular destinations in and around
the rim of the Caribbean, including Mexico and Belize in Central
America and Cuba and Jamaica in the western Caribbean.
Additionally, the expanded fleet of Dash-8 aircraft will allow
the airline to better serve the islands States stretching from
the British Virgin Islands in the North to Guyana in the South
American mainland.
Another phase of the expansion would necessitate setting up a
major hub at Grantley Adams International in Barbados, providing
close to 200 jobs in that country.
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