WESTERN BUREAU:
SOLDIERS ROUNDED up Haitian refugees at the Montpelier Camp in St. James yesterday and whisked them to the Sangster International Airport, from where they were flown back to their homeland.
A statement later from the Ministry of National Security said the Government repatriated 283 Haitians who have been living here for the past 18 months. This has pushed to 306 the number of Haitians who have been sent back to the troubled Caribbean state. The security ministry disclosed that 190 Haitians remain at Montpelier. They are still awaiting word from a government tribunal which is considering their requests for permanent asylum in Jamaica.
According to the statement, the Haitians were sent back in large numbers to prevent any instability at the camps where they were being accommodated, namely, the Winnifred Guest House in Portland and Montpelier in St. James. There have been several reports of fighting between Haitians, particularly in Portland.
Most of the Haitians arrived in dilapidated boats off the coast of St. Thomas and Portland and were initially housed at Winnifred, where they were assessed by local health authorities and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
MANY SOLDIERS IN THE CAMP
"We wake up this morning and see many soldiers in the camp," related Eli Daniel, one of the just over 100 Haitians remaining at Montpelier. "They called out some names and those people were put on buses and taken away to the airport."
"I don't want to go back to Haiti - Haiti is a dangerous place," a Haitian woman at the Montpelier camp in St. James told The Gleaner. "They will cut your throat and spill your blood in the street. I want asylum - I want to stay in Jamaica."
"We expect to hear about asylum but instead they come and kidnap Haitians," said a seemingly frustrated Mr. Daniel. "I don't like what happen because Haitians are being sent back into danger."
The influx of Haitian refugees to Jamaica began in early 2004 at the height of fighting between rebel forces and supporters of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He was eventually forced to flee the country in February last year, stopping briefly in the Central African Republic in west Africa before settling for three months in Jamaica. Aristide and his family now reside in South Africa.
