Bahamas - Haiti Observer Blog

According to Reuters, at least 10 Haitian migrants were killed as a result of a sinking boat in the Bahamas

The U.S. Coast Guard reported on Tuesday, November 26, 2013 that rescuers fought to save over 100 Haitians who were attempting to reach the US coasts in a 40-foot (12-metre), sail-powered freighter.

The ship capsized near Staniel Cay in a location in central Bahamas on Monday night.

Thirteen survivors were taken aboard a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter in direction to Staniel Cay for treatment.

The cause of the accident was unknown and will be investigated by Bahamian authorities

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Reports from the International Organization for Migration indicate that the numbers of undocumented Haitians residing in the Bahamas ranges from 20,000 to 50,000 yet only 5,000 Haitian are registered as migrant workers.

According to the report, approximately 13,000 family members depend and are sustained by these Haitian registered migrant workers.

The IOM's report quotes some statistics with respect to the children of the migrants that tends to bring a face of humanity to the most relatable notion deliberated on by the latest Constitutional Commission report in relation to the Bahamian citizenship right.

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Haitian Flag Day was looming and, even in the Bahamas, the fervor among Haitians living in the country was high, inciting the fear and furor of many Bahamians who instinctively began to fear what they were ignorant about.

Speaking to a news agency in his country, The Tribune, Bahamian activist Rodney Moncur tried to assuage the population by saying Haitian Flag Day and those who would be hoisting the flag of the fellow Caribbean country on Bahamian shores, were not a threat to the people of the Bahamas.

He noted that his country was a democratic one and that people there were allowed to exercise their freedoms He also noted that Haitian flags were certainly not so strange as there is also a concentration of American and Canadian flags present there.

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History of Haitian migration is pretty old. While millions cross the borders to become permanent residents of other countries, there are millions others who ride the same ferry but only to return after some time. Millions of Haitian people migrate and settle in Bahamas, Montreal in Canada, Cancun and Mexico City in Mexico, Cuba, United States and Dominican Republic. Other countries like French Guiana, French Antilles, France, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Chile, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos and Jamaica also have vast numbers of Haitian diaspora.

As of date, it is estimated that around 1.2 million Haitian people live in U.S. with proper documents while there are many others that have entered U.S. borders illegally. Canada is reported to have 200,000 Haitians while Dominican Republic is estimated to have 2 million Haitians. Bahamas accounts for 80,000 Haitians while the reported figure for France is 90,000.

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In Haiti, there are a lot of false ideas related to security in comparison to the rest of the Caribbean. It is felt that the rate of homicides is high which alarm everyone.

Effect Of Giving Importance To Homicides
Fed up with this kind of information, the opposition makes claims regarding the instability of the government in ensuring safety to organizations related to human rights as well as citizens of Haiti. The recent warnings being updated by Canada and the United Statese, only create a further bad impression.

A lot of importance has been given to homicides so much so that everyone seems convinced of the same. In such a condition where security is not guaranteed, it is difficult to develop the tourism sector which prevents business development.

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Haiti is recovering gradually from 2010 earth quake. To become more stable Haiti wants to invest with foreign countries like Bahamas. Last year Haiti had $ 100 million foreign investment. This year Haiti hopes to have over $ 400 million foreign investment and if possible reach over $600 million from foreign investment in the year 2013.

The neighboring countries wish to invest with each other. The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) called up dignitaries from Haiti to a meeting to discuss expectations of the two countries. Gregory Mevs, Haitian ambassador for trade and investment said that Haiti is ready for any investment business.

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Tortug' Air plays a key role in Haiti's transportation infrastructure. Founded in March 2003, the airline is the country's national flag carrier, with over 200 employees. The road condition in Haiti is quite poor, giving people a difficult time to travel by land. With Tortug' Air, however, air flights to local and international destinations are made easier. Being one of the largest regional airlines also allows Tortug' Air to greatly contribute to the country's transportation industry.

The airline offers local flights to five destinations, which are Port-au-Prince, Jacmel, Jeremie, Cap-Haitien, and Port-de-Paix. Not only it services local flights, it also has international ones. Passengers can book air tickets to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, as well as the Bahamas' Nassau, Provo, and Turks and Caicos. It also has charter permits to fly to other Caribbean islands.

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The Haitian government is still plagued by issues such as bribery, kickback and embezzlement of funds. At least this is what the 2011 Global Corruption Report indicated.

"Bare Volè, bare Volè"

Haiti ranks 175th in the report, which puts the country among the most corrupt nations in the world for 2011.

The report also indicated that our neighbors are doing much better to fight corruption in their country. Bahamas ranks 21 for doing a good job the delivery of government services to its citizens. The united states ranks on 24th position.

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