RTC Director

Speed Boat with illegal migrants makes landfall

Officers of the Royal Turks & Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) in conjunction with Immigration Task Force have launched an investigation after the discovery of a speed boat in the North West Point area of Providenciales earlier this morning.

At approximately 7:46 am on (Saturday, January 30th, 2016) the 911 center received a call indicating that five (5) unknown persons believed to be illegal migrants were apprehended by a Security Officer at the Amanyara Resort. A joint operation was undertaken immediately, where officers went to the area and discovered a 15-18 foot speed boat partially submerged in the sea. The five (5) persons were handed over to officials and are currently being processed at the South Dock Detention Centre.

There's no clear indication as to how many people were on board. Therefore, the search for more passengers of this vessel is ongoing

The Enforcement agencies of the Turks and Caicos Islands are asking that anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of any illegal migrants who came off the speed boat or the planned arrival of other sloops to contact the Police anonymously on 911 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1-800-8477. Tips can also be submitted anonymously in English, French or Spanish on either www.crimestoppers.tc or on Facebook as a fan of Crime Stoppers Turks & Caicos.

Crime Stoppers tips are received in the USA.

by RTC Director

TURKS AND CAICOS 3RD POST CABINET MEETING STATEMENT

His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the 3rd meeting of the Cabinet on Thursday, 28 January 2016, at the Hon. N J S Francis Building on Grand Turk.

All Ministers were present at this Cabinet meeting:

·         Noted the recommendations of the Procurement Board to award contracts in line with the Public Procurement Ordinance 2012 as follows – TR15/59 Road Development (Glass Shack Road) Construction; TR15/64 IT equipment and network installation for Invest Turks and Caicos, Providenciales;

·         Approved the appointments to the Board of Governors of the TCI Community College of Ms Sonia Williams (Member) and Ms Rachael Harvey (Secretary);

·         Agreed to allocate $50,000 from contingency funds to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing to carry out emergency repairs at the Ianthe Pratt Primary School in Providenciales;

·         Agreed in principle, subject to finalising funding arrangements, to split the Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs (DEMA) into a dedicated Department of Environment and Coastal Resources and a separate Maritime Department to strengthen capacity and improve the Maritime Department’s management of TCI’s maritime obligations and risks;

·         Received an information paper on progress to formalise a Friendship Agreement between the TCI Government and the Government of Canada and noted engagement with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) of Canada including a visit by a parliamentary delegation of the CPA of Canada to TCI in February 2016 to meet the TCI CPA to further discussions on parliamentary engagement;

·         Agreed a draft paper for wider consultation to establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) for TCI to create a mechanism for setting aside a proportion of future budgetary surpluses to improve fiscal resilience, assist in financing large infrastructure developments and to ensure the future prosperity of TCI;

·         Approved the terms and conditions of the Policy Based Loan (PBL) Agreement for $5 million from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and authorised the Hon. Minister of Finance to proceed to execute the Agreement with the CDB;

·         Approved the Terms of Reference to establish a Project Implementation Framework to improve standards of project management and delivery which is a condition of the disbursement of the Policy Based Loan of the Caribbean Development Bank;

·         Noted the financial performance of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government in the 3rd Quarter Financial Report covering the period October-December 2015 and approved publication of the report as required by Section 46 of the Public Finance Management Ordinance 2012;

·         Approved a reduction in the value of the performance bond for the maintenance dredging licence for the Thompson Cove entrance channel in accordance with the schedule developed by DEMA to reflect the relative low risk and volumes of the dredging project;

·         Also discussed and approved was the financial year 2016/17 budget estimates, subject to some amendments, and agreed these to be progressed through the prescribed process for laying these before the House of Assembly in accordance with the Public Financial Management Ordinance.

by RTC Director

Wetlands for our future "World Wetlands Day 2016"

Wetlands for our Future: Sustainable Livelihoods is the theme for World Wetlands Day in 2016. The Department of Environment & Maritime Affairs (DEMA), in collaboration with the Turks & Caicos National Trust and the Turks and Caicos Reef Fund (TCRF) will be highlighting the vital role of wetlands for the future of humanity.

World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2 February. This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

"DEMA, and its partners, hope to educate the community at large about the importance of wetlands to our Islands' ecosystems as a whole. Wetlands are often neglected, or worse: filled for building, however these sites are very diverse providing habitats for marine and terrestrial fauna as well as important floral species. If we understand this, conservation of our wetlands would come automatically," said Amy Avenant (DEMA Environmental Outreach Coordinator).

Recently a number of mangrove seedlings were removed from Wheeland pond after a school planting. On February 2nd Students from the Clement Howell High School will be assisting DEMA and the National Trust by replanting mangroves in the area.

Youth between the ages of 15 and 24 are encouraged to participate in the International World Wetlands Day Photo Contest. The contest will run from 2 February to 2 March, 2016. The winner will win a free flight to a famous wetland of their choice courtesy of Star Alliance Biosphere Connections, and other prizes will be given to runners up. To enter the competition Young people are invited to take a photo that shows "people making a living from wetlands" Upload up to 3 photos on the World Wetlands Day website www.worldwetlandsday.org  Other members of the public can participate by voting for their favourite photo and help contribute to the selection process.

DEMA and the National Trust would also like to invite members of public to join them for a brief walk-through of Wheeland Pond, on Providenciales, on Saturday 6 February 2016. The walk will begin at 08:00 am sharp. Come along and learn why wetlands are important!

by RTC Director

VALUING OUR PAST - A MUSEUM FOR ALL OUR SCHOOLCHILDREN

Following a recent visit to the National Museum in Grand Turk to open a new exhibition, Governor Peter Beckingham commented:

“I've always been a big fan of museums, and working in the Caribbean hasn't changed my view. The Museum of Slavery in Nassau presents a detailed, and disturbing, account of the impact of slavery in the Bahamas, and museums in St Kitts and Nevis portray a fascinating picture of life before independence. Nelson's Dockyard in Antigua is renowned for a superb collection of memorabilia and historic buildings.

But for my money, although of course I am biased, our National Museum in Grand Turk takes some beating for its variety of history. In a 90 minute visit it is possible to see remains from a 17th century Spanish galleon sunk off our shores, a short account of the impact of European settlement on local inhabitants, and gauge the extraordinary achievements of some of America's first astronauts, including John Glenn's famous splash down in our waters in Friendship 7 in 1962 prompting a visit by no less than the then Vice-President Lyndon B Johnson to Grand Turk.

I was at the Museum again this month, to see the opening of a new exhibit designed to illustrate how the role and style of Governors here has changed.  The display inevitably includes the famous plumed hats beloved of a former era, and shows how dependent former Governors were on mail and postage. No internet links for them.

As well as casting off the archaic symbols of an earlier era, Governors in our Overseas Territories now have much easier access to guidance, advice and indeed instructions from London. For example, when we and London were considering recently the impact of TCI's extraordinary economic turnaround, and its success in paying off the UK guaranteed loan, it was possible for representatives of a range of interested officials from different Departments like the Treasury, Foreign Office and International Development in London to gather by teleconference with TCI. Ministerial views are known almost instantly.

Similarly, when an event like the arrest of Dominican Republic fishermen or Haitian migrants in our waters takes place, the BBC can carry the news within hours. This means that TCIG or UK Ministers or Governors no longer have the luxury of days, or even hours, to fashion a public statement.

Our National Museum gives a great flavour of how our history and culture has been influenced by surrounding events. The sinking of a Spanish ship, or even the return to earth of John Glenn, were not known about as rapidly as they would be today. But by understanding our history, and seeing exhibits like those at our National Museum, we are in a much better place to interpret and respond to the different events which impact on Turks and Caicos.

Congratulations to the Museum, not least as it celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, on being such an integral part of TCI's history and culture. Its director Pat Saxton, the many volunteers who give hours of their time to welcome visitors, and its sponsors  deserve all the support we can give. I hope every school in Turks and Caicos will have on its itinerary a visit to the Museum as well as TCI's other historic landmarks, like "Waterloo", Duke Street and The House of Assembly.”

by RTC Director

LIME ASSISTS STUDENTS FROM WESLEY METHODIST

ast week Thursday, January 21st, a total of fifteen (15) enthusiastic fifth form students visited LIME’s Main Retail Office, as a practicum and means of gathering information for their final report to be presented as part of their Building and Design Technology School Baseed Assessment (SBA) for CXC.

Accompanying the students on their industrial visit to LIME was their subject teacher, Mr. Chartlon Walkin who thoroughly enjoyed the experience himself. LIME’s Marketing and Communication Exec, Darron Hilaire Jr, facilitated the visit as the tour guide for the day, taking on questions and concerns from each of the students regarding LIME TCI/C&W brand identity, products, services, and processes.

“This is a report for CXC. They are required on their second to last term that a report be done on an industrial visit. And, every year around this time I would speak to my principal, giving her two or three names of companies, and she would tell me this one would be better this year”, explained Mr. Walkin.

He added that his principal encouraged the visit to LIME saying, “They’ve been here a long time and they can give the children a lot of information to allow them to do a thorough report.”

Fortunately the students had an opportunity to visit almost every facet of LIME from marketing to corporate sales to managed services, including Ericson’s head end.

“The students asked very informative questions that I believe would assist them in determining a suitable career path. These sort of trips gives them an inside look to how industries work at a micro and macro level and help to steer their young minds in the right direction to choose the career that best fits them,” said Ronald Gardiner, Managed Services Manager, who facilitated the technical aspect of the tour with the students.

Thanks to the Corporate Sales Division each of the students walked away not just with an abundance of information to reduce into a final report, they also were given 2016 C&W Business Branded Journals as a gift.

Sixteen (16) year old, Bernard Capron shared afterwards he now has a better understanding of the systems and processes LIME uses to achieve their success on an annual basis.

“I wasn’t even aware that LIME was this big”, Bernard Capron.

The only female in the bunch, Ms. Arielle Neely, said, “I have learned a lot today, it’s a lot to process and I hope that LIME continues to build and grow themselves even more.”

It is always a pleasure for us at LIME to assist with request of this nature as we continue to be champions in the industry for youth and education. We wish each of the students success in their finals.

by RTC Director