Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09NASSAU764
2009-12-15 17:44:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Nassau
Cable title:  

Nassau Monthly - November 2009

Tags:  ECON EFIN PREL PGOV BF 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0003
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBH #0764/01 3491744
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151744Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY NASSAU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0086
INFO RUEHBH/AMEMBASSY NASSAU
UNCLAS NASSAU 000764 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EFIN PREL PGOV BF
SUBJECT: Nassau Monthly - November 2009

UNCLAS NASSAU 000764

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EFIN PREL PGOV BF
SUBJECT: Nassau Monthly - November 2009


1. (U) This is a monthly report on a variety of topics of
interest which do not merit full reporting cables.



-- Retirements, Cabinet Shakeup Leads to New Appointments

-- Airport Wait Times Cut as Secondary Screening Checkpoint
Demolished

-- Tourism: Hotel Deals Hurt Revenues; Cruise Travel Up, Air
Travel Still Down

-- GCOB Begins USD 850 Million Capital Works Program, Promises 2600
jobs

-- Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Workshop A Success

-- Police Force Attacked for Soaring Murder Rate, Accused of
Brutality and Indifference

-- Embassy Reading Program Inspires Love Of Books

-- New Coroner's Bill Would Mandate Inquests Into All
Police-Custody Deaths



-------------- --------------
--------------

Retirements, Cabinet Shakeup Leads to New Appointments

-------------- --------------
--------------




2. (U) Minister of Education Carl Bethel was named the new Free
National Movement (FNM) Chairman during last month's FNM
convention. Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and other challengers
to the position, including incumbent Chairman Johnley Ferguson,
nominated Bethel. Bethel said that he volunteered to take on the
position "for the good of the party." The nomination of Bethel is
rumored to be a counter against the election of Opposition Party
PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts, who has made unceasing attacks
against the Government since his election in October. Member of
Parliament (MP) Desmond Banister will assume responsibilities as
Minister of Education. Bannister, previously the Minister of
Youth, Sports, and Culture, will be replaced by first term MP and
Minister of Culture, Charles Maynard. In addition, the Royal
Bahamas Police Force Commissioner Reginald Ferguson will retire in
January 2010. He will retire on the day that the new Police Act
comes into effect, mandating retirement for all officers once they
reach age 60, or complete 40 years of service, whichever comes
first. A new commissioner has not been named. Finally, the Prime
Minister announced November 22 that attorney John Delaney will be
appointed the next Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs.
Delaney's appointment has been criticized by the opposition because

he does not have a background in criminal law. The Attorney
General's office is facing a formidable backlog of criminal cases,
and clearing the log is seen as key to improving the administration
of justice. Delaney has a background in commercial and financial
litigation, and will also oversee regulations of the financial
services sector.



-------------- --------------
--------------

Secondary Screening Checkpoint at Airport Demolished

-------------- --------------
--------------




3. (U) The secondary screening checkpoint at Nassau's
International Airport was demolished less than 24 hours after
airport officials received official notification from the
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) that it had passed TSA
inspections. Airport officials report that the elimination of the
second checkpoint on November 27 has significantly improved
passenger flow and has made "a tremendous difference" in the amount
of time it takes a passenger to process through from check-in to
gate arrival. Post worked closely with TSA and the GCOB Airport
Authority officials to facilitate delivery of the letters to
Minister of Tourism and Aviation Vanderpool-Wallace.

-------------- --------------
--------------

Tourism: Hotel Deals Hurt Revenues; Cruise Travel Up, Air Travel
Still Down

-------------- --------------
--------------




4. (U) Preliminary statistics from the hotel industry and The
Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation indicate that hotel
occupancy in New Providence for October 2009 increased by 9.5
percentage points compared with 2008. However, an eighteen dollar
decrease in the average daily room rate eliminated any gains in
hotel room revenue. Overall room revenue fell 5.3 percent in
October due to an increase in promotional deals among the major
hotels. In September 2009, tourists arriving by air fell an
additional 12.8 percent from September 2008, while sea arrivals
increased 15 percent. These numbers support a consensus among
industry experts in the country that value-oriented cruise tourism
will continue to dominate the market until several months after a
global economic recovery is perceived to have taken place.



-------------- --------------
--------------

GCOB Begins USD 850 Million Capital Works Program, Promises 2600
Jobs

-------------- --------------
--------------




5. (U) Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing Announced
that the GCOB will launch a USD 850 million capital works program
over the next two years in order to stimulate the economy and
address a growing unemployment rate thought to be at 17 percent.
Laing said that at least 2600 jobs will come from the redevelopment
of the International Airport, road improvement projects throughout
the country, the construction of several new government complexes,
power plants and the Arawak Cay container port as well as a New
Providence Cleanup and Beautification project. Laing noted that to
date, 13,000 people have received USD 18.5 million in unemployment
benefits.



-------------- --------------
--------------

Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Workshop A Success

-------------- --------------
--------------




6. (U) Post partnered with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
and the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) to host a two-day
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement workshop at the
Police Training College on November 17-18. Twenty-five participants
from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Bahamas Customs Office,
the Department of the Public Prosecutor, and the Registrar
General's Office shared ideas and developed strategies to enforce
existing legislation protecting IPR in The Bahamas. DOJ trainers
ran several practical exercises as well, include a search and
seizure drill for pirated material. Participants developed a
"brick and mortar" protocol to interdict businesses that produce
pirated goods and heard from a Bahamian filmmaker who suffered
financial losses from internet piracy of his work.



-------------- --------------
--------------

Police Force Attacked for Soaring Murder Rate, Accused of Brutality
and Indifference

-------------- --------------
--------------


7. (U) The Bahamas stands poised to surpass their highest murder
rate ever recorded; the current total of 78 matches the record from

2007. While other violent crimes are also at an all time high, the
embattled Police Force has come under increasing attack over
allegations of brutality and other improper behavior. A rape
victim has alleged that investigators treated his case poorly
because he is gay. He claimed that he had to wait hours to report
his case or be seen by a medical examiner, and that the
investigating authorities treated the case as a joke. In a
separate case, a man charged with serial rape was ordered to the
hospital by a Magistrate after he showed her welts on his torso,
and alleged police brutality. He claimed that he had been beaten
by detectives into signing a statement. Two Police Force officers
were arrested in early November after an unauthorized bar-raid.
They remain on active duty while the Force decides whether they
will be disciplined. If they are disciplined, they may face a
court-martial or a criminal trial. A ruling is also expected soon
in the case of a Police Officer accused of having sex with two
female minors.



-------------- --------------

Embassy Reading Program Inspires Love Of Books

-------------- --------------




8. (U) Ambassador Nicole Avant participated in a ceremony in
honor of the Embassy and Ministry of Education's Read to Lead
program on November 25. Woodcock Primary School honored the
Ambassador with a special assembly in which the students discussed
the importance of literacy and showcased their musical abilities.
In her remarks, Avant reaffirmed her commitment to education and
the literacy reading program and told the students that the Embassy
was committed to inspiring and encouraging them through books. The
Ambassador's visit received wide press coverage.



-------------- --------------
--------------

New Coroner's Bill Would Mandate Inquests Into All Police-Custody
Deaths

-------------- --------------
--------------




9. (U) The GCOB has proposed a new Coroner's Bill which would
replace the 1909 Coroner's Act and grant new powers and
responsibilities to the Coroner's Court. Among the changes, the
Coroner's Court would be required to launch an inquest into any
death that occurs while in custody. Deaths will be investigated if
they occur while the person is in prison, when attempting to evade
capture, or while attempting to escape custody. Investigations can
also be pursued if the Coroner deems them to be in the "public
interest." The Coroner's Court was set up in 1909 to deal with
deaths involving police and other government personnel. It has
been the subject of continual controversy as investigations are
launched at the Coroner's discretion, fueling allegations about
unfair treatment of police.
AVANT