THE CHAIR of the CARI-COM Sub-Committee on security for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007 has responded to concerns raised in Australia about the seeming non-availability of special visas in that section of the world.

Peter Young, general manager of public affairs for Cricket Australia, had said in an Australian newspaper that the federal govern-ment contacted his organisation to express its concern about the delay in securing visas for fans last week.

"It's an issue we might need to raise with the International Cricket Council," Mr. Young is reported to have said.

Discrimination

Aside from screaming discrim-ination, Australians have said they are having problems accessing the special visa as they are not being distributed in the country.

On Wednesday, CARICOM security sub-committee chair-person Mia Mottley, who is also the deputy prime minister of Barbados, said the regional body was aware of the challenges being faced in accessing visas.

Ms. Mottley, however, snapped at the suggestions in the Australian media that the visa requirement is a money-making venture.

A release out of the Imple-mentation Agency for Crime and Security, based in Trinidad and Tobago, quoted Ms. Mottley as admitting CARICOM has "hit a snag" with the issuing of the CARICOM Special Visa in Australia.

She said, however, that the regional body has been seeking to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Physical presence

"I wish to assure our friends in Australia that this will be ironed out. We took the decision to establish a temporary physical consular presence in Australia to reduce the inconvenience to Australians and New Zealanders," she said.

Ms. Mottley added: "We believe that this is a gesture of good faith on our part in spite of the expense which we are incurring. This is especially since Caribbean people are unable to obtain a visa to enter Australia without sending their passports to Canada."

The CARICOM Special Visa is a critical component of the extraordinary security measures to safeguard both visitors to and residents of the region that are being created for CWC 2007.

The visa is intimately linked to the single domestic space that CARICOM Heads of Government, following much consultation, decided to create for the period January 15 to May 15, 2007.

Exemptions

The exemption of countries from visa requirements has been on the historical and existing patterns of visitor travel and investment that have allowed for cooperation on security arrangements, often on a reciprocal basis.

Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are among the countries that require special visas to visit the Caribbean for the CWC.

Persons from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Ireland, South Africa, Spain, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, and the United States will not require special visas.