00001-2009 ( .Pdf )
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Jan2009.qxd 1/7/09 9:39 PM Page 1 PRESORTED JANUARY 2009 STANDARD ® U.S. POSTAGE PAID MIAMI, FL PERMIT NO. 7315 Tel: (305) 238-2868 1-800-605-7516 [email protected] [email protected] We cover your world Vol. 20 No. 2 Jamaica: 654-7282 THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING NEWS MAGAZINE Dr. Carolyn Gomes, a Jamaican activist, is among seven global advo- cates to receive the United Nations General Assembly’s top human rights prize, page 2. United States Congressman Alcee This month the United States Hastings, left, and immigration attorney will embrace its first African Cheryl Little are among those unhappy American president. But decades ago, Dr. Martin Luther that U.S. immigration officials have King Jr., whose birthday is cel- resumed deportation of Haitians, ebrated as a national U.S. holi- despite the devastation in that day, lost his life in a civil rights Caribbean country caused by recent struggle to make it possible, hurricanes, page 4. page 12. NATURAL MYSTIC ~ Take in a lung-full of the purest air from He played in a movie about a majestic panoramic perspective. Skim England’s monarch. Now 91- 100-foot high treetops with your toes. year-old Bermudan-born actor Marvel at the beauty of Mother Nature Earl Cameron gets ready to from the heavens. Culture and nature take meet real-life Queen Elizabeth II, who is honoring him for serv- center stage at Jamaica’s newest tourist ices to drama in a career span- attractions, page 15. ning seven decades, page 17. CALL CARIBBEAN TODAY DIRECT FROM JAMAICA 655-1479 INSIDE News ....................................................2 Business ............................................11 Tourism/Travel ..................................15 Viewpoint..............................................7 MLK’s Birthday ..................................12 Arts/Entertainment............................17 Health ....................................................9 Sport ....................................................14 Region ................................................19 Jan2009.qxd 1/7/09 9:39 PM Page 2 2 CARIBBEAN TODAY January 2009 www.caribbeantoday.com NEWS U.S. immigration raid nets 110 Jamaican wins a Caribbean nationals in Florida U.N. award MIAMI - United States fugitives who went into hiding wanting to immigrate here to Immigration and Customs after earlier being ordered to do so in a safe, legal and UNITED NATIONS – A tion of these individuals and Enforcement (ICE) officials leave the country and 29 oth- orderly manner.” Jamaican activist is among organizations that have fought said their agents arrested ers who were guilty of violat- Of the 110 arrested, 93 seven global advocates to to see the rights and freedoms more than 100 Caribbean ing immigration laws were remained in ICE custody up receive the United Nations embodied in this historic nationals in a major immigra- arrested. to press time, and 17 were General Assembly’s top document become a reality tion sweep in South Florida. The operation netted 47 processed for removal and human rights prize. for people in all corners of Officials said 110 persons arrests in Miami-Dade, 30 in released. In the case of those Carolyn Gomes, execu- the world,” UN General classified as immigration fugi- Broward, 15 in Palm Beach, released, ICE officials said tive director and co-founder Assembly President Miguel tives and immigration viola- 11 in Tampa and seven in they released migrants who of Jamaicans for Justice, D’Escoto said. tors, were detained late last Orlando. were verified to be sole care- has received the award at a “These awardees consti- month after a five-day “ICE will continue to givers or as having medical General Assembly ceremony tute symbols of persistence, enforcement operation in arrest and deport aliens who concerns. marking the 60th anniversary valour and tenacity in their Miami-Dade, Broward and have ignored an immigration of the adoption of the resistance to public and pri- Palm Beach counties, as well judge’s order to leave the CRIMINAL RECORD Universal Declaration of vate authorities that violate as in Orlando and Tampa. country,” said Michael Rozos, Of the arrested, officials Human Rights (UDHR). human rights.? They consti- According to ICE, among field office director for the said 24 had criminal records The prize, which is given tute a moral force to put an those arrested and will be ICE Office of Detention and that included aggravated every five years, was first end to systematic human deported are nationals from Removal Operations in assault, battery, drug posses- awarded on Dec. 10, 1968, on rights violations.” Haiti, The Bahamas, Jamaica, Florida. sion, trespassing, disorderly the 20th anniversary of the Other winners of this and Trinidad and Tobago. “While we are a welcom- conduct, resisting an officer adoption of the UDHR. year’s award are: former U.N. They said 81 immigration ing country, we expect those Gomes joins a distin- High Commissioner for (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4) guished roster of previous lau- Human Rights Louise reates that includes apartheid Arbour; United States ex- Investors cry fraud over U.S. money fighter and former South Attorney-General Ramsey African President Nelson Clark; and Denis Mukwege, Mandela; United States civil co-founder of the General scheme run by Haitian-born pastor rights leader Dr. Martin Referral Hospital of Panzi in MIAMI - United States feder- late last month that they had believed him,” he added. Luther King, Jr.; former U.S. the Democratic Republic of al and state authorities from filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal In response to the claim, first Lady Eleanor Roosevelt; the Congo (DRC). The list Florida are investigating a court, claiming that Theodule Theodule, 48, said tersely: former U.S. President Jimmy also includes Human Rights Haitian-born, self-styled bilked hundreds of investors “This is just too delicate to Carter; and Amnesty Watch, represented by its investment guru, who alleged- out of millions of dollars, talk about.” International. executive director Kenneth ly duped hundreds of his com- while promising to double “As we mark the 60th Roth; slain Pakistani leader patriots in South Florida to their money through stock NETWORK anniversary of the Universal Benazir Bhutto; and Dorothy pour their savings into his and options trading. According to the lawsuit, Declaration of Human Rights, Stang, a nu ventures. “Theodule said he was Theodule allegedly attracted we acknowledge the tireless Haitian investors in going to create 10,000 million- investors, primarily Haitian work and invaluable contribu- ® Florida claim they fell victim aires among the Haitian peo- Americans, through invest- to a scheme concocted by self- ple and empower them,” said ment clubs that he encouraged proclaimed evangelical minis- Jared Levy, a West Palm others to start in a network Decline in Caribbean ter George Theodule, who Beach lawyer representing at that grew rapidly over the past reportedly promised to double least 50 investors represented year. their money in three months. in the suit. The lawsuit said leaders poverty ~ U.N. The alleged victims said “The sad thing is, they (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4) UNITED NATIONS, CMC – larly escalating food prices, The United Nations Economic although food and fuel prices Commission for Latin in the region have ceased America and the Caribbean climbing in recent months”, (ECLAC) says poverty ECLAC stated. declined slightly in the region in 2008, despite the global eco- DOWNTURN nomic crisis. It anticipates the global In its annual report, economic downturn to impact released last month, ECLAC the region “through a weaker said the percentage of the demand for commodity population living in poverty in exports, declining investment Latin America and the in productive sectors, lower Caribbean during 2008 migrant remittances, and dropped to 33.2 percent, or international financial market 182 million people, from 34.1 constraints for emerging coun- percent, or 184 million people, tries. for the previous year. “Employment is expected However, ECLAC said to stagnate during 2009, while extreme poverty or indigence average real wages are to rose mildly, from 12.6 percent remain unchanged or diminish in 2007, or 68 million people, slightly. to an estimated 12.9 percent, “Economic forecasts sug- or 71 million people, this year. gest that average household The report said efforts to incomes will deteriorate, par- reduce poverty and indigence ticularly among independent in 2008 were “less effective and informal workers whose than in the 2002-2007 period”, jobs are most sensitive to when the number of people liv- movements in economic ing in poverty or indigence cycles”, it added. dropped by 9.9 percent, or 37 In this context, ECLAC million people, and 6.8 percent, said poverty and indigence or 29 million, respectively. would most likely increase “Estimated figures for moderately, continuing the poverty and indigence reflect negative trend begun in 2008. the impact of rising inflation since early 2007, and particu- ® Jan2009.qxd 1/7/09 9:39 PM Page 3 January 2009 CARIBBEAN TODAY 3 Jan2009.qxd 1/7/09 9:39 PM Page 4 4 CARIBBEAN TODAY January 2009 www.caribbeantoday.com NEWS U.S. resumes deportations to Haiti IDB pledges to help Caribbean MIAMI – Despite increasing (U.S.) government officials to legislators called on appeals for a halt to the depor- change their minds on this.” Washington to grant Haitians cope with global economic crisis tation of Haitians, United Ralph Latortue, the Temporary Protected Status WASHINGTON – The Inter lend to local firms to support