Gareth Davis, Gleaner Writer
EIGHTEEN HAITIAN refugees who claim that they are fleeing political persecution and civil unrest in their homeland, landed at Alligator Pond, San San, Portland, yesterday.
The group which comprised 15 males and three females were escorted to shore at 5:00 a.m. yesterday by local fishermen who handed them over to the San San police. They were later transferred to the Port Antonio Police Station for processing by immigration officers.
Police inspector at the Port Antonio station, Wilfred Penn, says the Haitians claimed to have left their homeland four days ago, aboard their 28-foot fishing boat.
"They appeared to be in good health," said Mr. Penn. "They are being held here at the station yard as a place of housing for them has not yet been identified."
Last month, 15 adult males were housed under deplorable conditions on the verandah area at the Port Antonio station lock-up. The Haitians were also forced to share one bathroom with seven inmates who were also at the lock-up. As a result, there were reports of tension between the Jamaican and Haitian parties.
The police have pointed out that they are awaiting instructions from the National Security Ministry as to where the Haitians will be housed, as the verandah area at the station lock-up is currently populated by local inmates.
ANARCHY IN PORT-AU-PRINCE
Captain of the Haitian vessel, 48-year-old Pierre Jean, who spoke English, told The Gleaner yesterday, that sections of the country's capital, Port-au-Prince, are still in a state of anarchy. According to the boat captain, their only means of survival was to flee Haiti in search of better opportunities in Jamaica as "all hopes for a better social and economic living have been lost".
The Haitians are also expected to undergo medical check-ups to be conducted by the local health department.
Thousands of Haitians have fled their homeland since 2004, with more than 600 of them landing on Jamaica's shores since the ousting of then President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from power. The first such group to arrive here comprised 10 heavily-armed police men who landed in Manchioneal in February 2004.
