November 2 - 8, 2013
NEWS
TURKS AND CAICOS WEEKLY NEWS
9
Remainders of second boat being brought in by marine police
Police officials arrive on the scene at The Mansions in Grace Bay
Tourist found dead on bed in Grace Bay hotel BY DAISY HANDFIELD A MAN was found dead in a Grace Bay hotel room on Tuesday (October 29). At about 10.30am police responded to a call from the resident manager of The Mansions hotel who said that he realised something was not right when he noticed an odour coming out of one of the rooms. He decided to go and check out
the room and found the body of a male who did not appear to be breathing. According to the police report his body looked discoloured and swollen. The Weekly News contacted Peter Stingl from Grace Bay Realty, who was in charge of running the Mansions, but he refused to comment. An autopsy will be conducted to further investigate the cause of death.
Dominican to be tried for allegedly uttering false banknotes
AFTER reappearing before the courts for the second time in three months, the judge found sufficient evidence to submit Dominican, Hector Capellan to trial. Capellan, 42, appeared in Providenciales Magistrate’s Court #1 on October 16, before Judge Clifton Warner, and his trial date was set for January 20, 2014. The former business owner is being charged with uttering false banknotes. He was charged with possession of two counterfeit $100 bills and is alleged to have used the currencies twice at two different location in April. Two businesses in the TCI complained about receiving $100 bills in counterfeit money and notified the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF). Inspector in charge of Financial Crime Unit for RTCIPF, Paulin Nemours confirmed that these new notes were similar to those that floated around the island in previous months.
They are said to be one of the smartest forms of counterfeit money seen so far with a presidential face inside the note. Capellan is on a $3,000 bond and his surety is Dominican national Agapita Martinez-Howell who has resided in the Turks and Caicos Islands for over 15 years. Early this year, police discovered more than $4,000 in fake notes within the space of three weeks which were used at local gas stations, banks and other popular businesses on Providenciales. In prior months, Nemours, noted that there was insufficient evidence to tie Capellan down to all of the notes, but there was enough to charge him for two. The accused was allowed to keep a hold of his passport, but is ordered to report to the Five Cays police station in Providenciales every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The lawyer of the accused, advised his client to not make any comments to the media. (DAISY HANDFIELD)
Image of first sloop after illegal immigrants transported to the detention centre
More than 230 Haitian migrants attempt to enter TCI in one day BY DAISY HANDFIELD THE NUMBER of Haitians attempting to enter the Turks and Caicos Islands illegally on sloops is becoming a notable problem in the TCI. In one day the Ministry of Border Control and Labour tallied 237 illegal Haitians that attempted to gain access to the country. These numbers included 203 men and 34 women in total. On Tuesday (October 29) TCI radar operators detected a Haitian sloop carrying a total of 120 migrants into South Dock, Providenciales. The Ministry of Border Control and Labour confirmed the arrival of the sloop and said that the vessel carried 106 men and 14 women The second vessel was spotted at about 9am that Tuesday and was intercepted by Marine Police at 10.22am who brought it in at about 1pm that day. This sloop carried a total of 117 migrants with 97 males and 20 females on board. The Weekly News attempted to contact Haitian consul, Karlo Pellissier to find out what the Haitian government was planning on doing about illegal immigration, but up to press time he was unresponsive. There were reports about several illegal boats trying to come into the TCI last week, but no official word on the figures. The newspaper was also unable to get in contact with the Minister of Labour and Border Control, Donhue Gardiner to confirm the numbers.
Haitian nationals being escorted off the bus into detention centre
On Friday (October 25) the Opposition met with Haitian officials to address the matter of registering Haitians living abroad. The delegation informed the Opposition members of the Haitian government’s intentions to implement a project to register Haitian nationals living in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Opposition made inquiries as to the role of the TCI Government in this exercise, the use of the information, the frequency of the exercise as well as a history of this practice, the actual process of the registration, the use of the Haitian church leaders in TCI, the Haitian law as it relates to those living overseas and their ability to acquire documents. This was described as a pilot project - the timeline for the exercise and all the intricacies are yet to be
finalised. The Opposition however believes that this can be a worthwhile and useful exercise and requested an update when plans are firm should the exercise proceed. The courtesy visit was arranged by the consulate’s head, Karlo Pellissier while the Opposition delegation was led by the Leader of the Opposition who is also the Shadow Minister for Border Control, members of the Haitian delegation including Prime Minister’s advisor, Jacques Myrthil, General Director of National Archives, Jean Bertrand, General Director of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fortune Dorlean, General Director of Justice and Public Safety, Jean Aly, General Director of National Office of Identification, Jean-Baptiste Saint-Cyr, and General Director of Ministry of Haitians Living Abroad, Marc Nelson.