The Tribune

PRIME Minister Perry Christie said his government is obliged to take action to determine what happened to two Turkish nationals who disappeared in March 2012 as an attempt was made to smuggle them into the United States.

Speaking to reporters on the steps of his Cabinet office, Mr Christie said the country can rest assured that his administration will take “whatever action we can” to see that some kind of clarity and resolution is brought to the matter.

“The Foreign Minister (Fred Mitchell) spoke to me about it yesterday indicating the Turkish government’s interest. He indicated that he would be taking the necessary steps together with the Minister for National Security (Dr Bernard Nottage) who I am sure would be discussing the matter with the Americans and that there would be a shared approach in seeing if we can bring resolution to this. The great difficulty is that when people are in pursuance of illegal activities we can’t account for it. It’s an underground sort of effort and it is very difficult under the circumstances for law enforcement officers. They have to rebuild the path of these people to see if they can trace them to wherever they might be.

“When foreign nationals come to the Bahamas and in this case as a part of an illegal process where people were intending to breach the laws of our country and the laws of the United States of America in terms of smuggling themselves into the United States of America, it is a difficult position. But anyone who comes to the Bahamas and, so to speak, is declared missing and not heard from drives us to action and we are obliged to take whatever action we can to see if we are able to bring some kind of clarity and some kind of resolution to the matter and so you can rest assured that is exactly what we are doing to do,” he said.

Hearing of the Prime Minister’s remarks, Turkish-Canadian national Nayif Gumus, who has been leading the charge in the search for his missing cousin and nephew said that he was “extremely happy” and pleased with the help from the government of the Bahamas.

“I am so very happy right now. I feel that we are going to find these people. I believe that they have been kidnapped and they may be in Jamaica, and right now I am very grateful to the government of the Bahamas. I believe that I will see them again. I thank The Tribune, ZNS, and the Prime Minister so much for helping us. I believe that they are going to help us and we will find them,” Mr Gumus said.

Veysi Oral, and Huseyin Oskan were a part of a group of 19 individuals who disappeared at sea as they attempted to illegally enter the United States by way of Grand Bahama in March 2012.

Both Oral and Oskan had reportedly been working illegally in Grand Bahama for some time when they were approached by a Grand Bahama businessman who persuaded them that they could make “more money” if they worked in the United States.

Promising them safe passage into Miami for $6,000, the men paid the fee and were bundled into a go-fast boat with 10 Dominicans, and seven Jamaicans. None of these men has been seen since.