POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander speaking yesterday. Photo: Moise Amisial
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander made a strong appeal yesterday for family members of deceased victims from Sunday’s boating tragedy to come forward to assist with the identification process, saying they need not fear any arrest or deportation from the police.
“We have not identified any of the victims of the deceased persons as yet,” Mr Fernander said yesterday.
“We have in our possession only two identifications that was found on persons of two of the individuals. So, we are appealing especially to the Haitian community to please assist us in trying to identify any family members.”
Seventeen Haitians, including a young girl, were found dead on Sunday after their boat capsized near Blackbeard’s Cay.
“We note that most of the victims were female who died and it is believed that based on our investigation, the cabin which was to the front of the boat, all of the females were crammed in that area and then when the vessel overturned, they were trapped in there so they couldn’t move and couldn’t get up so they perished and it’s so sad,” the commissioner said.
According to Mr Fernander, many of the survivors were staying in New Providence for some time, while some had travelled from the Family Islands and others from Haiti.
“What I can say to you based on our investigation is that the majority of the victims, they were staying here in New Providence for a while and when I say a wild guess, I would say over a month,” he added.
“Some of them have been from various Family Islands and we have identified at-least three of them who came by plane from Haiti about two weeks ago.”
He also said police continue to seek those responsible for harbouring foreigners who enter the country illegally.
“We know that there have to be some safe houses,” he said. “People who are harbouring them and have them secured until the timing is right for them to move out and the press conference on Sunday past, you would see the Defence Force in our marine, we will continue to work closely and it is happening right in out harbour so we have to step up our games in terms of not only stopping search on land, but you’re looking on sea.”
On Tuesday, Labour and Immigration Minister Keith Bell told reporters that only two Haitian survivors in custody had work permits to be in the country, which he said will likely be revoked.
He also revealed work permit holders along with those in custody are expected to be repatriated once investigations are completed.
Comments
GodSpeed 1 year, 9 months ago
I've never seen a single PSA or anything encouraging Bahamians to report people under suspicion for harboring illegals. No way the government is serious about it. They should be giving out cash rewards, putting up posters, running radio, tv and internet ads with contact numbers/emails to send tips to....most importantly punishing those that engage in importing illegals so severely that others don't even think about it for a second. They know the government and law enforcement are slack about it and that's why they do it. Not just Haitians either but Jamaicans and Chinese are funneled into here regularly by their respective groups.
tribanon 1 year, 9 months ago
Quote: "POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander made a strong appeal yesterday for family members of deceased victims from Sunday’s boating tragedy to come forward to assist with the identification process, saying they need not fear any arrest or deportation from the police." {bold emphasis added}
Our dumber-than-dumb gesticulating and most Incompetent Fernander has obviously forgotten the undertaking (sworn oath) he recently made at his swearing in ceremony as the new police commissioner to enforce and uphold the laws of our Bahamaland.
mandela 1 year, 9 months ago
Give them 2 weeks if no one comes forward then lay them to rest.
tribanon 1 year, 9 months ago
It would not trouble Tyrant Minnis any if these unidentified corpses were treated like the Hurricane Dorian corpses, i.e., stored in a trailer for at least 6+ months.
JokeyJack 1 year, 9 months ago
"...that only two Haitian survivors in custody had work permits to be in the country, which he said will likely be revoked."
Likely????? Likely???????? LOL. So jokey - even jokier than me - wow.
Then he says they will be deported. Of course, they won't be fingerprinted before they are deported, neither will their fingerprints be ran in the database before they are deported because we know illegals are never fingerprinted so there would be no records of them.
Only Bahamians have to be fingerprinted to get our passports, and of course we have to provide 2 photo IDs for everything we do, and the drivers license is not sufficient to prove your NIB number even though it is written on the back. Every stumbling block for Bahamians, and red carpets for illegals. This is happening all over the world.
Wonder if they are gambling that the general public will never have enough of this? Probably.
Anyone know when the next Junkanoo is? Bread and circuses.
TalRussell 1 year, 9 months ago
Yes, I'm being street talked to and about why after five-days still not even a single colony's officials feelin' sufficiently good vouch for the authenticity of 'work permits'. ... **No, not one soul in authority has admitted to seeing 'work permits' fingerprints ― Yes?
sheeprunner12 1 year, 9 months ago
Fernander is already sounding like he is clueless.
Why would he admit that his officers cannot undertake the necessary intelligence to ID the dead based on the information that is available? Why do we pay them and send them afield to get training? Ridiculous. Sounds like he is grasping at straws.
Fernander will lose any credibility he has very soon.
tribanon 1 year, 9 months ago
Fernander has never had any credibility and is generally well known to be about as dense and incompetent as they come.
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