MAY 4 REPATRIATON OF 195 HAITIAN MIGRANTS

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 000867 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/EX AND WHA/CAR S/CRS SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD STATE PASS AID FOR LAC/CAR INR/IAA (BEN-YEHUDA) WHA/EX PLEASE PASS USOAS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM HA SUBJECT: MAY 4 REPATRIATON OF 195 HAITIAN MIGRANTS ¶1. On May 4, the US Coast Guard (USCG) transferred 195 Haitian migrants into the custody of the GoH in Cap Haitien, Haiti. On May 1, the USCG intercepted a sail freighter carrying 139 Haitian migrants 1.5 nautical miles off of Long Island, Bahamas. On May 2, the USCG intercepted a sail freighter carrying 56 Haitian migrants 37 nautical miles west of Great Inagua, Bahamas. The migrants from the vessels informed the USCG that they were bound for the United States. The migrants on both vessels were leaving Haiti for economic reasons. One migrant claimed to have paid 500 USD. It was her fifth attempt to reach the U.S. ¶2. In a separate incident on the same day, Turks and Caicos authorities rescued 78 Haitian migrants after their sail freighter capsized while being escorted to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. Sixty-one migrants perished. Since the survivors told authorities that roughly 160 migrants were on the vessel, the authorities presume that the other 21 missing migrants are dead. ¶3. Comment. The Haitian and international media released reports and articles on the migrants' deaths which highlight the authorities' and migrants' different accounts regarding when and how the sail freighter capsized. Given this news coverage, the GoH appears to be on the defensive, wanting to be seen as a defender of the migrants' rights. End comment. TIGHE