Ministry of
National Security
Churchill Building
Rawson Square
P. O. Box N-3217
Nassau, The
Bahamas
Nassau, Bahamas - The
Ministry of National Security has confirmed that on Saturday, 6 February
2010, 78 Haitian migrants were intercepted in waters near the Exuma
chain when the sloop in which they were sailing was sighted by the Royal
Bahamas Defence Force on a routine patrol.
Defence
Force vessel HMBS P-45 spotted the 30-foot Haitian sailing sloop approximately
13 nautical miles southwest of Barreterre, Exuma. The Haitian
migrants, 64 males and 14 females, were transferred from their unseaworthy
vessel and taken aboard Defence Force craft P-45 and P-49.
The
migrants, all of whom appeared to be in fair health, have been transferred
to HMBS Bahamas. The United States Coast Guard is assisting the Royal
Bahamas Defence Force in returning the migrants to Haiti.
The
return of the migrants to Haiti is in conformity with enunciated policy
that Haitian migrants coming to The Bahamas illegally after the earthquake
will be apprehended and returned to Haiti.
8 February
2010
