C M C M Y K Y K WEATHER ! EW N McCOMBO OF THE DAY HIGH 80F LATEST NEWS ON WWW.TRIBUNE242.COM LOW 69F The Tribune SUNNY, THE PEOPLE’S PAPER SHOWER BIGGEST AND BEST Volume: 107 No.8 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010 PRICE – 75¢ (Abaco and Grand Bahama $1.25) A story of CARS FOR SALE, S Diplomats E S E R T D HELP WANTED U R I T S O A N triumph P beat Giants I E AND REAL ESTATE S F SEE WOMAN SECTION BAHAMAS BIGGEST SEE SECTION E CHRISTIE: GOVT FOCUS ON CRIME ‘AFFECTED BY POLITICAL CLIMATE’ GOVERNMENT focus and action concerning the PM: police to target national crime issue is heavily affected by the political cli- mate, according to PLP leader Perry Christie. During his interview on a local radio talk show, the leader of the opposition said he was “tremendously disap- pointed” in Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham, who he holds responsible for the degeneration of social condi- tions in the country. Mr Christie explained that ‘specific’ criminals due to the prime minister’s SEE page 10 Ingraham expects ROADWORKS KEEP TRAFFIC IN LOW GEAR TIM CLARKE/TRIBUNE STAFF ‘greater’ success in crime fight THERE will be a greater committed – especially those focus on “specific” perpe- that are related to murder. trators of violent crime with- Many of them are hit killers, in the country, Prime Minis- where people are contracted ter Hubert Ingraham vowed to do so, or where there are yesterday, noting that he turf wars between various expects the police will have persons. “greater” successes in the “Our system, to some coming weeks and months extent, is not quite func- in battling crime. tional whether it is a system Fielding questions on the for the police in apprehend- record-breaking 88 murders ing, prosecuting, and then for the year, Mr Ingraham having the courts dispose of said he was satisfied the the cases. police are doing a good job, “We have huge backlogs and commended them for of cases – not withstanding their work. the huge resources that have He said: “I am very been pumped into the sys- pleased with the job they are tem there are many things doing. I suspect that they that do not connect.” will have even a greater suc- Mr Ingraham pointed out cess in the coming weeks that when he was first elect- and coming months because ed to the House of Assem- I suspect they will be more bly in 1977 there were only focused on specific areas 14 or 15 murders that year – and persons who are pre- a stark difference to the IN THE SLOW LANE: Roadworks on Robinson Road are having a knock-on effect on traffic around New Providence. With the roads already sumed to be involved in sig- escalating numbers seen in busy due to the festive season, this could be a trying time for motorists. nificant activity. the last few years. “One of our biggest prob- “In 2001, the year before I lems in this country is drugs. left office the last time, there Drugs are influencing many of the crimes that are being SEE page 10 PM: AIRCAFT OPERATORS HAVE HARBOUR ISLAND RESIDENTS NO RIGHT TO IGNORE LAWS VOICE FEARS OVER BURGLARIES By NOELLE NICOLLS any outstanding customs By AVA TURNQUEST been reported in past weeks – Tribune Staff Reporter duties owed to the Govern- Tribune Staff Reporter maintain that there has been [email protected] ment. [email protected] no noted increase in reported “What does the Prime burglaries on the island. AIRCRAFT operators Minister of the Bahamas HARBOUR ISLAND Willard Cunningham, assis- have “no right to ignore the say to those people who residents, fearing irreparable tant commissioner of police laws of the Bahamas” said have brought stuff in that damage to visitor and resi- in charge of the Family Island Prime Minister Hubert required duty to be paid, dent confidence because of district, said: “There has not Ingraham in his first public who didn’t pay it, other the recent spate of burglar- been an increase in burglaries comments on the brewing than to say talk to Customs ies, have renewed their cries – there have been a few mat- feud between the Depart- and seek to make arrange- for greater focus on family ters that were reported in the ment of Customs and local ments. What else can he island crime. past couple weeks.” aviation companies. say? That it’s OK for you? The islanders claim repeat In a letter to The Tribune, incidents have left them frus- Charles Carey, a Harbour Mr Ingraham said it goes When I buy a boat, I have trated and vulnerable, how- Island resident and business- without saying that aircraft to pay duty. When you buy ever, police officials – who operators will have to pay SEE page 10 acknowledged matters have SEE page eight NASSAU AND BAHAMA ISLANDS’ LEADING NEWSPAPER C M C M Y K Y K PAGE 2, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010 THE TRIBUNE LOCAL NEWS Freeport Container Port complies with ‘majority’ of safety recommendations By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter [email protected] FREEPORT – Following the deaths and injuries of workers as a result of a tor- nado in March, the Freeport Container Port (FCP) has complied with “a vast major- ity of the recommendations” made by an independent Occupational Health and Safety expert at the Interna- tional Labour Organisation (ILO), said Senator Dion Foulkes, Minister of Labour. Mr Foulkes recently visit- ed the Container Port while VISIT: Dion Foulkes recently on Grand Bahama. visited the Container Port. While meeting with port CEO Gary Gilbert, Mr Foulkes said he was assured vast majority of the recom- that concerns regarding safe- mendations made by inde- ty conditions at the port have pendent investigator Jacques been addressed. Obadia were fully complied On March 29, a tornado with by management of the struck the facility causing container port,” the minis- severe damage to equip- ter said. ment. Three workers were Accompanying Mr killed and four others were Foulkes to Grand Bahama seriously injured. were Minister of State for Following the incident, Labour and Social Services concerns were raised by Loretta Butler-Turner, workers over safety condi- Director of Labour Harcourt tions at the port. Brown and senior Deputy The government hired Director of the Department ILO expert Jacques Obadia of Labour Tyrone Gibson. to conduct investigations at the port. According to a portion of the report’s findings, “the fact that terminal work dur- MINISTER OF ing relatively bad weather and fluctuating winds is a common occurrence may LABOUR TO have affected the time taken to assess the seriousness of MEET WITH the situation.” Mr Obadia also found sev- eral shortcomings in the ByRICK DENISE HAYWARD MAYCOCK port’s communication sys- Tribune Freeport tems, that its emergency Reporter response equipment was [email protected] partially deficient, and that all necessary safety training FREEPORT – Minister had not been carried out. of Labour Dion Foulkes He has not been able to said has scheduled a meet- conclusively determine if all ing with Rick Hayward of the FCP's cranes were regarding money owed to pinned down on the day of the businessman’s former the tornado, which would restaurant employees. have been in keeping with More than 70 workers prescribed safety procedures. lost their jobs when Mr Mr Obadia also noted in Hayward was evicted from his report the absence of an his three restaurants – East, on-site weather monitoring La Dolce Vita and the Pub system at the FCP during the at Port Lucaya – as a result tornado. of an ongoing rental dis- Cleveland Lowe, 49, pute with the landlord, Shawn Saunders, 25, Bourbon Street Limited Michael Young, 43, and and Port Group Ltd. Glen Bodie were inside The workers claim they Crane 10 carrying out main- are owed severance pay. tenance work when the tor- They have retained an nado hit. attorney to file legal action The crane collapsed to the against Mr Hayward. ground, killing all the work- “My office has been in ers except for Mr Bodie, contact with Mr Rick Hay- who was seriously injured. ward, who is out of the FCP CEO Mr Gilbert jurisdiction, and I have a showed Minister Foulkes fixed date to meet with and his delegation the efforts him, to discuss the resolu- being made to return the tion of the legal entitle- facility to normalcy and ments to his former pointed out the safety mea- employees,” Minister sures that have been imple- Foulkes said. mented. He noted that there are “I am pleased to say that a penalties which can be applied if an employer is deemed to have failed to conform with the provi- sions of the Employment Act. Mr Hayward is the son of Sir Jack Hayward, one of the principals of the Grand Bahama Port Authority. INDEX MAIN SECTION Local News...........P1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 Editorial/Letters........................................P4 Advts.................................................P13,14 BUSINESS/WOMAN SECTION Business................................P1,2,3,4,5,6,8 Advt...........................................................P7 Woman......................................P9,10,11,12 SPORTS SECTION Sports.....................................P1,2,3,4,5,7,8 Comics.....................................................P6 TO DISCUSS STORIES ON THIS PAGE LOG ON TO WWW.TRIBUNE242.COM C M C M Y K Y K THE TRIBUNE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010, PAGE 3 LOCAL NEWS Two wanted men arrested by police, now in custody FREEPORT – Two men wanted by sought for questioning in a rape case, police were arrested by authorities and and Errol Miller Jr, 29, who was being taken into custody over the weekend.