By Monique Hepburn, Staff Reporter 
A group of concerned Haitians gather outside the Montpelier Post Office in St. James to discuss the possibility of their being returned to storm-ravaged Haiti. Jamaican authorities later confirmed their fears yesterday evening when they were informed that their request for asylum in Jamaica was denied. - PHOTO BY CLAUDINE HOUSEN
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE 281 Haitians seeking political asylum in Jamaica were yesterday told that their request was denied by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and that none of them met the requirements for refugee status.
They now face the prospect of returning to their homeland, sections of which have been severely dislocated by flooding from Hurricane Jeanne resulting in the death of more than 1,500 persons with hundreds missing. In response to the crisis the United Nations has been spearheading a food relief effort.
HEAVY POLICE
PRESENCE
Yesterday under a heavy police presence, Ms. Carol Charlton, Senior Director for Immigration, Citizenship and Passport, and Paul Saunders, National Coordinator for the Haitian Crisis Response, addressed the Haitians who are being housed at the Montpelier barracks in St. James.
"We will be briefing them and they will receive letters detailing their current status. Following the meeting the camp manager will also meet with them," Mr. Saunders told The Gleaner prior to the start of the meeting
yesterday.
During the meeting the scene at the camp was one of order, as the Haitians with solemn expressions on their faces, gathered in an open yard in the compound to hear that their requests to remain in Jamaica had been denied. Heavily armed policemen kept watch over the gathering as the announcements were made.
POLITICAL UPHEAVAL
Scores of Haitians arrived by boats on the northeastern coast of Jamaica during the earlier part of this year following political upheaval in their country which resulted in the expulsion of president Jean Bet-rand Aristide. He is now exiled in South Africa, following several weeks in Jamaica courtesy of the government.
Yesterday a release from the Ministry of National Security (MNS) stated that in a letter dated September 29, 2004, "the Permanent Secretary in the MNS advised the Haitians of the decision and their right to appeal within seven working days from the date of formal notice."
"We will be making the announcements round about supper time so that everyone is in camp to hear the announcement and we are invoking security measures to maintain order," Gilbert Scott, Permanent Secretary in the National Security Ministry told The Gleaner. Mr. Scott further pointed out that at present he does not know when the Haitians will be repatriated following the appeal stage of the application process.
Responding to queries of possible outcry, given Haiti's current state, Mr. Scott contends that all the rules governing the treatment of refugees were followed.
BACKLASH
"We do not know if there will be any backlash of the decision because we have followed all the stipulations of the 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees as well as the corresponding 1967 Protocol," said Mr. Scott. "These stipulations have set out the conditions under which the arrangements have been made."
Following the meeting, from which the press was barred, Salvo Pierre, a Haitian man seeking
asylum, told The Gleaner that he is prepared to go back to Haiti if the Jamaican Government turns down his appeal.
TROUBLESOME
"We hear that everybody has to go. To be truthful some Haitians are known for giving trouble in the camp but if the (Jamaican) government wants to send us back I will go home if my appeal does not go through" he said.
In addressing the issue of babies born to Haitians in Jamaica, Mr. Scott advised that they would have to return to Haiti with their parents if asylum appeals are denied.
"The babies that have been born in Jamaica are regarded as Jamaicans and the relevant documents have been served," said Mr. Scott. "However, the parents are not Jamaicans and they are the ones we are dealing with."
Mr. Scoot added that if Haitians, whose appeals have been turned down seek to run away from the camp, they will be sought and apprehended.
"If they do not return to camp, they automatically become illegal aliens and we will apply the law in apprehending them."
