NASSAU, The Bahamas – Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration the Hon. Frederick Mitchell held a press conference on Monday, February 29, at the Department of Immigration to state the Government’s position and address material inaccuracies within several Foreign Affairs and Immigration matters that are topics of discussion in the public domain.
Minister Mitchell told the press that the Cabinet of the Bahamas Government declared the two Cubans recently released by the courts, ‘security risks’: “These men are suspected of attempting to burn down the detention centre while housed there, as well as other crimes,” he said.
“If found in The Bahamas they will be re-arrested,” Minister Mitchell said, “since they have no landed status in The Bahamas.
“These individuals are not going to be allowed to enter the United States with the Government’s knowledge, nor into their own homeland of Cuba,” the Minister said, “and no other country is willing to allow them to live within its borders.”
An All-Points-Bulletin for them is being considered by the Cabinet and is likely to be put out later this week.
On another issue, Minister Mitchell said the election of the Commonwealth Secretary General was democratic, and delegates from Sir Ronald Sanders’s home country threw their support behind the Baroness. “We believe that she is eminently qualified and will serve the Commonwealth well.”
It is untrue, he said, that The Bahamas pledged its support for Sir Ronald Sanders and later reneged on that pledge.
The Minister insisted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did all that was required to assist the family of the late Christopher Adderley, who died in a jail in Haiti. The Ministry, he said, was also instrumental in facilitating the transfer of funds by the family to assist Mr. Adderley.
The Minister expressed deep regret over the death of Mr. Adderley.
He noted, however, it is deplorable for anybody to use the grief of a mother over the death of her son to lambaste and sully the reputation of public servants.
