WESTERN BUREAU:
AFTER ALMOST two years in Jamaica, the future of six Haitians who washed ashore on the island in November 2001, seems assured when their application for work permits was yesterday approved by the Ministry of Labour.
The six were among a boatload of about 120 Haitians who landed in Falmouth, Trelawny, in a tiny boat on November 18, 2001, after being at sea for about five days.
In an interview with The Gleaner yesterday, Father Jim Webb, of the Justice Commission of the Catholic Church, said that a letter was received from the Ministry which said that the Church's application for work permits for the Haitians had been approved.
GAIN ASYLUM
The Justice Commission of the Catholic Church has been working together with the Independent Jamaica Council for Human Rights in assisting the Haitians to gain asylum here.
Father Webb stated that his organisation learnt that the Haitians were granted asylum when he received a letter from the Ministry of National Security dated May 6, 2003. "The letter said that Cabinet has accepted recommendations of the Immigration Appeals Tribunal to grant asylum to the Haitian citizens," he said.
He told The Gleaner that the Haitians have been doing quite well on the island. "They are fairly well integrated into the Jamaican society," he said.
The other 114 Haitians were sent home days after arriving in Jamaica while the remaining six claimed that they were fleeing political and economic upheaval in their homeland.
