Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
HAMATY
MORE THAN 126 Jamaicans have been denied entry to the Cayman Islands since last month, according to Robert Hamaty, Jamaica's honorary consul general to Cayman.
"Reports are that 70 of them arrived on Cayman Airways and 56 on Air Jamaica," said Mr. Hamaty.
Among the latest batch of persons affected is a Jamaican chef who has been living in the Cayman Islands for the past nine years. On Monday night, he was sent back to Jamaica by immigration authorities in the British-dependent territory.
The 35-year-old chef, Milton Johnson, was returning from Jamaica where he represented the Cayman Islands' prison team in a tri-nation cricket series when he was denied re-entry, although his travel documents were legitimate, he said.
"I applied for a work permit. I have been working here since 1996, travelling to and fro. All that I own is in Cayman; my bank account is there, I recently purchased a piece of land to build my house," added Mr. Johnson, who resides there with his wife.
Jamaica's Commissioner of Corrections, Major Richard Reese, confirmed that Mr. Johnson was a member of the Cayman contingent which participated in the triangular cricket series with Jamaica and Bermuda.
This was further confirmed by the Deputy Director of Her Majesty's Prison in Cayman, Daniel Grieves, who explained that Mr. Johnson was an invited guest of the Cayman prison team.
Several Jamaicans living in Cayman said there seemed to be a developing trend for the Cayman authorities to deny Jamaicans entry and re-entry into that country.
TREATED UNFAIRLY
Arthur Edwards, a businessman who transport goods to and from Cayman, said a month ago immigration officers in Cayman jailed him for three days. He said when his lawyers intervened, he was released without charge and sent back to Jamaica.
There are other reports of a recent incident in which a Jamaican national, who is now a naturalised Briton, was taken off a flight, pepper-sprayed and then jailed.
"The gentleman has given a statement and I have forwarded the file to the governor's office," said Mr. Hamaty.
Attempts to contact Deputy Chief Immigration Officer, Dennis Brady, were futile as he was said to be unavailable for comment.
Effective November 1, the Cayman Islands Government imposed visa restrictions on Jamaicans, who have been blamed for the growing crime rate there.
Reports are that of the 229 persons incarcerated in the Cayman prison system, 30 of them are Jamaicans.
