Zoya Faessler

GOVERNOR REMEMBERS THE CRIMES AGINST MARY PRINCE - AND DESCRIBES MODERN DAY SLAVERY ACROSS THE GLOBE

The Governor Peter Beckingham described the account by a slave on Grand Turk, Mary Prince, as one of the most significant events involving Turks and Caicos, in his address at the Emancipation day service at St. Thomas Church, Grand Turk on Monday 1 August.

The Governor stated: “Mary Prince’s description of her shocking treatment on Grand Turk for nearly ten years as a salt worker, had a major impact on attempts to ban slavery in the UK, Europe and the United States. Her account repays rereading for its moving impact and descriptions of what was one of the worse crimes committed against human beings.

“But sadly, despite the end of slavery from Africa to the Americas, the world still permits an horrendous amount of “Modern Day Slavery” across numerous countries and continents” the Governor continued. “There are estimates that there are still as many as 45M people affected by one sort of slavery or another, ranging from the sea industry, where thousands of workers are impelled to work in dreadful conditions, especially in Asia, to the sex exploitation industry, common in hundreds of countries, and awful practice of forced begging, especially among children, which I have certainly witnessed firsthand.

“Regrettably, the UK is still not immune from some of these practices” , the Governor said “and our new Prime Minister Theresa May announced this weekend a new campaign to dry and drive out modern  day slavery from Britain, where there are estimates of over 10,000 people affected. These are people working in brothels, on construction sites, nail bars, cannabis farms and in agriculture.

The Governor concluded: “TCI has of course a far smaller population, but I hope that anyone who has any concerns about modern day slavery here will alert the Human Rights Commission or the Police Force. It would be an injustice to Mary Prince to allow her memory to be scarred by the continuation of practices outlawed over 200 years ago.”

The Governor ended by reading a passage from Mary Prince’s book, which he said he had first read in Bermuda earlier this year: of her slave master she says: “nothing could touch his hard  heart – neither sighs, nor tears, nor prayers, nor streaming blood: he was deaf to our cries, and careless of our sufferings.”

by Zoya Faessler

VICTORY FOR TCIG IN JUDICIAL REVIEW

Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands, Thursday July 28, 2016

Victory was recorded for the Turks and Caicos Islands Government this week, when Chief Justice Margaret Ramsey-Hale awarded a favourable judgment in the Supreme Court in respect to a judicial review that was initially filed by the plaintiffs, developers of the Venetian and the Tuscany resorts, back in 2015.

Her Ladyship Chief Justice Ramsey-Hale noted in her judgement that the question of whether or not the Governor in Cabinet could lawfully amend regulations or policy was not a matter for the judiciary to decide but that the intent of a review was to ensure that due process was followed and that the Government had duly considered the possible environmental impacts that such amendments could have and that the evidence before her demonstrated that it had.

The nearly year-long dispute arose amidst the announcement by Cabinet that it had made amendments to the planning policy to increase the permissible height of apartments, condominiums and hotel buildings and increasing the density of the number of bedrooms per acre and based on the type of development in certain areas on Providenciales.

The arguments put forth by the developers of the sister properties located in Leeward Providenciales were that their properties would be adversely affected by the Government's amendments to the policy and they further accused the Government of not holding widespread stakeholder consultations prior to making the decision to increase the permissible height and density of tourism related development.

However, the Government was and remains satisfied that consultation was in fact widespread and that interested persons were given ample opportunities and means to communicate and engage with the Government on the proposed amendments via stakeholder meetings, email, letters as well as through public town hall meetings.

The Premier, Hon. Dr. Rufus W. Ewing on receiving the judgement remarked, "while this is a victorious day for the Government and indeed the people of these islands, who have waited long enough and are deserving of the many opportunities that development brings, I must also register my displeasure with the amount of resources that have had to be utilized to defend the Government's position.

"I would like to register my government's gratitude to the technical support teams in the planning department and the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Planning, and the Attorney General's Chambers and outside counsel Helen Mountfield QC for their diligence and dedication in this matter."

by Zoya Faessler

NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL CONSIDERS CCTV AND RADAR PROTECTION

The Governor, Premier, Police Commissioner,  Minister for Border Control and Attorney General held their fifth meeting of the National Security Council on Tuesday 26 July. They agreed to recommend to Cabinet  an RFP as soon as possible for the first phase of closed circuit television cameras in Providenciales and Grand Turk. They noted the value of systems in other jurisdictions, and proposed that a steering group be formed as soon as possible, chaired by the Director of the Premier's Office, to take forward proposals, including considering possible private sector collaboration. They noted that it would be necessary for the AG to consider the need for some data protection legislation.

Members of the Council also discussed the radar detection centre, and the need to collaborate with the RTCI Police Force, especially after the acquisition of new high-speed vessels, and possibly drones,  for the protection of TCI's borders. The Council agreed to recommend to Cabinet that, to ensure as effective a detection unit as possible, members of the existing team should be transferred to become members of the Police staff under the direction of the Commissioner once the appropriate administrative steps have been taken.  

The Council will invite members of the wider NSC Advisory Group to a meeting soon in Providenciales.

by Zoya Faessler

36-year-old Sherrington McIntosh Sentenced to 8years Imprisonment

On today’s date (Friday 29th July 2016) in the Supreme Court of Providenciales, 36-year-old Sherrington McIntosh of Five Cays who was found guilty on Monday 20th June 2016 for False Imprisonment, Burglary and Common Assault was sentenced to 8years imprisonment.

It was on Thursday 3rd December 2015 at 4am the complainant contacted station and reported that McIntosh was trying to burglarize her home. When police arrived at the scene located in Kew Town Providenciales, McIntosh who had already gained entrance into the house, slapped the complainant and held her and her 10 months old daughter hostage while making threats to burn the house with a gas tank and matches in his possession. After several hours of negotiation with officers, he agreed to come out of the house and freed the victims. 

He was immediately arrested and later charged with the offences mentioned. 

Mr. McIntosh was sentenced to two (2) years Imprisonment for Common Assault, five (5) years for Burglary and eight (8) years for False Imprisonment. They will run concurrently.

Prior to committing the offences above, he was bound over to keep the peace for two (2) years for a previous Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm offence. Due to him breaching that order he was fined $1,000.

by Zoya Faessler