Venezuelan Fishermen Rescued By US and and JM Coast Guards

Six Venezuelan fishermen were yesterday rescued and brought to land by the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Coast Guard and the United States Coast Guard (USCG), after their fishing vessel sank about 250 nautical miles south east of Jamaica’s mainland.

According to Major Basil Jarrett, Civil Military Cooperation and Media Affairs Officer for the JDF, the fishermen, who had sailed from Venezuela since early April, were discovered by the United States Coast Guard who saw them in distress just south of Haiti. The men were recovered from the sinking vessel by the USCG who then notified the JDF Coast Guard and requested that they be received and handed over to the Venezuelan embassy.

The six men were picked up by the JDF Coast Guard and brought ashore at the JDF Coast Guard Headquarters in Port Royal. They were received by representatives of the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), Immigration Officers, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Venezuelan Embassy. The men were then processed and screened before being released to the patronage of the Venezuelan embassy.

The six foreigners were grateful to both the JDF and the United States Coast Guards for saving their lives and expressed relief to be safe and back on land.

The JDF Coast Guard is the maritime arm of the Jamaica Defence Force and has primary responsibility for search and rescue operations at sea. Jamaica is a signatory to the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (1979) which stipulates that, parties to the convention “shall ensure that assistance be provided to any person in distress at sea.”

Min. Peter Bunting - Time To Act

Min. Peter Bunting should step aside.

Too many Jamaicans have lost their lives at the hands of criminals and also at the hands of the security forces under questionable circumstances.

Persons Must Be Held Accountable
Persons at very high levels in the society must now be held accountable. The recent killing of a fellow Jamaican in police custody in Montego Bay is a serious matter. It is clear that the state cannot ensure the safety of those who are in its custody.

The time has come for a strong message to be sent to all that this must stop. I therefore call on the Minister of National Security and also the Acting Commissioner of Police to be relieved of their positions.

This will reinforce at the political level and the administrative arm of government that we will no longer tolerate this situation.

Nine Day Wonder Philosophy
If these persons are allowed to continue then the philosophy of the 'nine day wonder' and 'a nutten', will continue to be a part of our thinking. Those who are entrusted to public office will feel that anything can happen under their watch and their jobs will still be secure.

Jamaicans Must Speak With One Voice
The people of this country now need to speak with one voice and say we have had enough and those who are in charge must 'Pack their bags and go'!!!.

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