AMBASSADOR REVIEWS DRUG AND MIGRANT STRATEGIES IN TRI-LATERAL MEETINGS IN TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 NASSAU 000094



SIPDIS



SENSITIVE



INL/LP FOR KEVIN BROWN

WHA/CAR FOR JOSEPH TILGHMAN



E.O. 12958

TAGS: SNAR, PGOV, PREL, TK, UK, BF

SUBJ: AMBASSADOR REVIEWS DRUG AND MIGRANT STRATEGIES IN TRI-LATERAL

MEETINGS IN TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS



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SUMMARY

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1. (U) On December 11-12, 2007, the Ambassador and the Bahamian

Minister of State for Immigration traveled to the Turks and Caicos

Islands (TCI) at the invitation of its Governor to discuss illegal

migration and narcotics smuggling. The trip coincided with the

first port call by U.S. Coast Guard cutters in TCI. During a series

of bilateral and trilateral meetings, the U.S. The Bahamas, and the

TCI discussed the need to engage with the government of Haiti, ways

to improve the exchange of information and intelligence concerning

drug and migrant trafficking, agreeing to form a task force to

develop protocols for the real time exchange of information and

intelligence. They also agreed to cooperate in exchanging

information concerning potential terrorist threats and in disaster

preparation. The Ambassador offered to host a subsequent round of

trilateral discussions in March 2008. Embassy Nassau would welcome

the participation of representatives from U.S. Embassies in

Port-au-Prince and Santo Domingo in this effort to improve

information and intelligence sharing on drugs and migrants. End

Summary.



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BACKGROUND

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2. (U) On December 11, 2007, the Ambassador accompanied by the DEA

Country Attach, Narcotics Affairs Officer (NAO),Operations

Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Operations Center Commander and Coast

Guard Liaison Officer (CGLO) traveled to Grand Turk, Turks and

Caicos Island (TCI) at the invitation of TCI Governor, Richard

Tauwhare to discuss drug and migrant issues. Governor Tauwhare also

invited representatives of the Bahamian government. Minister of

State for Immigration, Elma Campbell, and the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs Drugs and Crime Officer, Godfrey Rolle, represented the

government of The Bahamas. The meeting was scheduled to coincide

with the first port call by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Turks and

Caicos. U.S. Coast Guard District Seven Commander, Admiral David

Kunkel, his Operations Officer and Adjunct traveled to TCI to mark

this first port visit and participate in the discussions.



3. (SBU) The Ambassador, Admiral Kunkel and their staffs first held

a series of bilateral meetings with representatives from TCI

followed by a trilateral meeting with representatives from TCI and

The Bahamas. TCI Governor Richard Tauwhare, The U.K. Law

Enforcement Advisor to the Caribbean, Larry Covington, the U.K.

Consul General in Miami, Keith Allen, the U.K. Military Attach, TCI

Premier, Michael Misick, Deputy Premier Floyd Hall, Minister of Home

Affairs, Gelmo Williams, Attorney General, the Director of

Immigration and the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Police

participated in these meetings. (Note: TCI is a British territory

with a Governor appointed by the British government. The Premier

and his Cabinet are elected locally. End Note).



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TCI: BRITISH OUTPOST ON PATH OF DRUGS AND MIGRANTS

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4. (SBU) During the bilateral meeting with TCI Governor Tauwhare,

the Governor provided an overview of TCI's relations with Great

Britain. He noted that when Great Britain granted independence to

The Bahamas, TCI was given the choice of joining The Bahamas,

becoming independent or remaining a territory, but chose to remain

part of Great Britain. Over the years, the British have given the

local government as much autonomy as possible. The British remain

responsible for security, both internal and external, ensuring good

government and maintaining international standards required by

treaty and other obligations.



5. (SBU) The Governor said that the Premier would like TCI to become

independent and that that the British government did not oppose

independence, but would only grant it after a popular referendum.

He mentioned the tensions that exist with the current governing

arrangement. The Governor relies on the Premier for funding. Great

Britain formerly provided financial assistance to TCI, but this

ended in 2005, when TCI became a middle income country. The

European Union provides limited support for infrastructure

improvements. Tauwhare described the TCI economy, noting that it

has enjoyed fifteen percent plus growth rates over the past ten

years. It seeks to attract high-end tourism and has recently

undergone a building boom in luxury homes and condominiums. He

mentioned that a small financial services industry exists and noted

that the opposition complained of corruption on the part of the

local government. The Governor stated that there was to date no

substantiation of corruption and that if there was evidence of

corruption, Britain would investigate.



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TCI Preoccupied with Haiti

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6. (SBU) In the bilateral meeting with the local government, Premier

Misick expressed concern about the stability of Haiti, noting that

TCI has suffered an onslaught of illegal Haitian immigrants. He

said that Haiti needed investment, not aid, to provide opportunities

for its people. In the wake of an incident in March 2006, during

which sixty Haitians lost their lives when their sloop overturned

while being towed by TCI police, TCI had engaged a team of outside

experts to review its Marine Branch. Misick said the team will be

making recommendations for improving the Marine Branch's operations.

He noted that TCI lacked equipment to patrol its waters and

training for its police force. Misick emphasized that his goal was

to ensure the safety of TCI, and he pledged to fight drugs, crime

and money laundering. He hoped that TCI would be seen as the "Monte

Carlo of the Caribbean."



7. (SBU) The Premier said his government had committed to purchasing

a radar system which will be able to detect vessels as soon as they

leave Haitian waters. He stated that the government would equip its

forces within its means. He plans to invest millions of dollars in

a closed circuit television system in order to prevent crime and

mentioned that the legislature is considering laws allowing

wiretaps, something the DEA indicates would greatly expand drug

related intelligence gathering capabilities. He mentioned that the

government had banned wooden-hulled sailing sloops from ports in

TCI, as U.S. law enforcement authorities had recommended in recent

Joint Task Force meetings, but lacked the assets to fully enforce

this ban. He expressed concern about the possibility of a mass

migration from Haiti and noted that disaster preparation was an item

high on his agenda. He asked for U.S. assistance with revamping the

Marine Branch, suggestions about suitable vessels for the upgrades,

as well as appropriate equipment and training.



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WORKING TOGETHER TO COMBAT ILLEGAL DRUGS AND MIGRATION

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8. (SBU) At the trilateral meeting, the Governor reviewed the issues

facing TCI, including the threat of crime, illegal migration and

narcotics smuggling. In discussing illegal migration, the Governor

commented that there are an estimated 35,000 people living in TCI,

only 10,000 of whom are "belongers," the local term for citizens.

He added that TCI planned to expand its Police Force, upgrade its

detention center, and was negotiating an MOU with the government of

Haiti to address issues surrounding illegal Haitian migrants in TCI.

Tauwhare explained that TCI has only twenty-five police officers.

He mentioned that the review of the Marine Branch would recommend

that it merge with Fisheries, increasing manpower to eighty-two

officers. He stated that the Marine Branch currently has only two

vessels. Bahamian Minister Campbell observed that The Bahamas faces

challenges similar to those confronting TCI, and said the GCOB

remained committed to working with the U.S. and TCI to overcome

these common challenges. She pointed out that the GCOB was in the

process of upgrading the capabilities of the Royal Bahamas Police

Force (RBPF) and Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) through

increased resources and additional assets.



9. (SBU) The Ambassador noted the importance of engaging Haiti more

effectively to combat its increased role in migrant and narcotics

trafficking. He said the U.S. sought to enhance the integration and

coordination of assets from OPBAT, the U.S.C.G., RBDF, RBPF and the

TCI Police so as to fully cover the sea lanes and make it more

difficult for smugglers to use these areas to move their illicit

cargos. He discussed the need for all of the law enforcement

agencies that work in the area to have common communications systems

so they can immediately pass along information and intelligence to

their counterparts. He suggested that future meetings might

usefully include representatives from the governments of Haiti and

the Dominican Republic so that all countries in the region can

develop common strategies and enhance cooperation in combating the

flows of illegal drugs and migrants from Hispaniola through the

Bahamas and Turks territories.



10. (SBU) All the parties recognized the need for better

intelligence concerning migrant and drug trafficking through the

region and shared ideas about how to do so. Other areas of

discussion included the threats of terrorism in the region, disaster

preparation, and a possible mass migration from Haiti or Cuba. The

GTCI reiterated its intention to purchase an over-the-horizon radar

system that will be able to detect vessels as they leave Haitian

waters, and the parties discussed how information from this radar

could be shared in real time and how placement of each country's

assets in the area could be better coordinated.



11. (SBU) In concluding the meeting, the three parties -- who meet

together biannually as part of the Joint Task Force of Operation

Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) -- committed themselves to

continuing to work together in a close, co-operative spirit and to

strengthen their individual and collective efforts to ensure the

security of their borders. In particular, they agreed to: regular,

real time exchanges of information on migration and drug flows in

the region; exchanges of information on potential terrorist threats;

developing mutual co-operation in preparing for and responding to

disasters; exploring possible engagement with the Governments of

Haiti and the Dominican Republic in future discussions; encouraging

legitimate trade with Haiti while also tightening measures to

prevent illegal activities. The parties to the OPBAT agreement

agreed to work within the existing Joint Task Force process to

develop protocols for the exchange of operational information; take

forward areas of mutual assistance and co-operation including

requests for training; integration of operations, and improvement of

Bahamian and TCI law enforcement capabilities. Finally, the parties

agreed to meet again in three months to continue to exchange

information in preparation for the June Joint Task Force meeting.

The Ambassador offered to host the next meeting and expressed an

interest in inviting representatives from U.S. Embassies in Santo

Domingo and Port-au-Prince to participate in the discussions.



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COMMENT

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12. (SBU) The meetings in TCI were the most substantive and in-depth

discussions we have had to date with the GTCI within the framework

of their participation in OPBAT. Both the British representatives

and local government officials expressed genuine concern that crime

and illegal Haitian migration could threaten the luxury tourism that

has become the backbone of the territory's recent economic growth.

The Bahamas shares similar concerns. A strong spirit of cooperation

and a willingness to share information and intelligence pervaded the

discussions, and we look to the March follow-on meeting to maintain

the momentum and strengthen the involvement of TCI in the

consultative process we maintain with them and the GCOB through our

semi-annual Joint Task Force meetings. All parties agreed that the

participation of Embassies Santo Domingo and Port-au-Prince in this

dialogue would be useful and could serve as a prelude to engaging

the governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic more directly in

a broader regional effort to combat the narcotics and migrant

trafficking originating in Hispaniola. Embassy Nassau would welcome

the participation of Embassies Santo Domingo and Port-au-Prince,

including NAS officers, DEA Country Attach, and Coast Guard Liaison

Officers, in the follow-up meeting tentatively scheduled for March

in Nassau. We will coordinate with your offices to assess interest

and availability.



HARDT