NASSAU MONTHLY - JULY 2009

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NASSAU 000461 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON POL PGOV BF SUBJECT: NASSAU MONTHLY - JULY 2009 ¶1. This is a monthly report on a variety of topics of interest which do not merit full reporting cables. -- Containing Swine Flu -- 700 Haitian Migrants Apprehended in Two Weeks -- Land Profiteering: Who's to Blame? -- Controversy over Relocation of the Shipping Container Port -- Bahamas Breeds Super Sheep -- World's Largest Cruise Ship to Visit Nassau -------------- CONTAINING SWINE FLU -------------- ¶2. Local media reported a large increase in confirmed H1N1 infections in The Bahamas, jumping from six cases July 8 to 28 cases as of July 27. Minister of Health Hubert Minnis told reporters that the infections are scattered throughout Nassau and the Family Islands and attributed the surge to the summer travel season. Minnis confirmed that there have been no H1N1-related deaths in The Bahamas and expressed confidence that a mass distribution of anti-viral medicine was not needed. -------------- 700 HAITIAN MIGRANTS APPREHENDED IN TWO WEEKS -------------- ¶3. Over 700 Haitians were apprehended in Bahamian waters from July 15 to July 29, marking one of the busiest migration periods in 2009. The apprehended migrants are being held in detention centers, awaiting repatriation to Haiti. Prime Minister Ingraham visited Haiti on July 16 and appealed to Haitian President Rene Preval to address the increasing flow of Haitian migrants entering The Bahamas. Haitian Ambassador to The Bahamas Louis Joseph told local media that although Haiti is doing all it can to discourage people from attempting the dangerous journey, "no people will stay at home dying of poverty and hunger." In an effort to lend support to the struggling Haitian economy, PM Ingraham announced that The Bahamas will begin importing agricultural products directly from Haiti. -------------- LAND PROFITEERING: WHO's TO BLAME? -------------- ¶4. A committee headed by opposition Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) MP Fred Mitchell will investigate allegations of corruption over large areas of government owned land, known as crown land. At Mitchell's urging, Parliament unanimously voted to create the committee on July 15. The MP blamed the Department of Lands and Surveys for the alleged inappropriate land transfers. The Department of Lands and Surveys was led by Tex Turnquest who resigned earlier this year after allegations of corruption. Debate ensued in the local media as the government and opposition leaders pointed fingers at each other. PLP members have vocally accused the FNM administration of corruption and profiteering. Prime Minister Ingraham told local media that the PLP administration governed more than 20 of the 26 years in question, and encouraged the committee to complete investigations. The National Development Party (NDP) said that neither party can objectively investigate the matter, and encouraged the creation of a Freedom of Information Act to address such matters. In the meantime, the committee will continue to investigate whether corruption was involved in grants of crown land. -------------- CONTROVERSY OVER RELOCATION OF THE SHIPPING CONTAINER PORT CONTINUES -------------- ¶5. PLP Senator Jerome Fitzgerald launched a campaign on July 10 to educate Bahamians about what he believes are the negative environmental effects of the relocation of Nassau's main shipping container port from its current location in downtown Nassau to Arawak Cay. In addition to criticizing the FNM administration for the "secrecy" surrounding the port relocation, Fitzgerald said construction in Arawak Cay will result in environmental disasters for marine life. Minister of Environment Earl Deveaux told local media that the environmental impact of the port move will be minimal and noted that Fitzgerald was president of a firm that wanted to use the Arawak Cay location to construct a water desalinization plant in ¶2006. Fitzgerald indicated that he is looking for a legal option to halt the project until more information on the reasons for building on Arawak Cay is divulged. -------------- BAHAMAS BREEDS SUPER SHEEP -------------- ¶6. Representatives at the Ministry of Agriculture told local media that the purchase of $125,000 worth of "champion" goat and sheep embryos in 2008 was a highly successful move for the country. The Ministry reported that 108 surrogate Bahamian sheep and goats were NASSAU 00000461 002 OF 002 implanted with the embryos in January and today 95 top quality kids and lambs are now thriving. The Ministry said these "sons and daughters of champions" amount to almost a million dollars in quality livestock. The next step will see some of these "super animals" made available to Bahamian farmers who can breed them with their herds in the hopes of enhancing the quality and quantity of sheep and goat meat available in the country. Ministry representatives said this initiative will address the shortage of locally produced quality meat. The Minister of Agriculture told local media that the Bahamas "is now on its way to becoming self-sufficient in the production of goat and sheep meat within 10 years." -------------- WORLD'S LARGEST CRUISE SHIP TO VISIT NASSAU -------------- ¶7. The largest cruise ship in operation - Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas - will make its inaugural voyage to The Bahamas on August 15. This mega liner, which accommodates 4,000 passengers and crew, is scheduled to arrive only weeks after completion of the dredging of Nassau's cruise ship harbor. The dredging project, which began earlier this year, is being done to allow mega cruise liners to dock in Nassau. Royal Caribbean's Genesis class ship, which holds up to 5,400 passengers and crew, is scheduled to make its inaugural voyage to The Bahamas in December. The Government of The Bahamas (GCOB) has been working around the clock to accommodate the new mega class of cruise ships in the hopes that extra passengers on shore will provide a needed boost to the Bahamian economy. ELMO