Haitians got screwed again: British investigators cannot substantiate allegations
Monday, January 07, 2008
Published: Thursday, August 2, 2007
Publication: The Miami Herald
Edition: Final
Page: 7A
Series:
Head: No answers in boat sinking
Introduction:
Summary: British investigators cannot prove whether the Turks police had a role in the boat sinking in which at least 60 Haitians died.
Bylines: BY JACQUELINE CHARLES jcharles@MiamiHerald.com
Corrections:
Body: BY JACQUELINE CHARLES jcharles@MiamiHerald.com
British investigators who probed the deaths of at least 60 Haitians in a boat sinking off the Turks and Caicos Islands earlier this year reported Wednesday that they cannot substantiate allegations that Turks police caused the tragedy.
After the May 4 sinking, several survivors alleged that a Turks and Caicos patrol boat rammed their wooden sloop at least twice before trying to tow it away from the islands. The boat flipped and spilled its human cargo.
The Marine Accident Investigative Branch of the British government said an inspection of both the police vessel and the Haitian sloop showed no signs of collision damage. Turks and Caicos is a British dependency.
"It would appear that the sloop capsized while under tow, when the number of passengers on deck reached a critical number and stability was lost. However, the exact trigger for [the] capsize remains unknown, " marine branch investigators concluded in a long-awaited report issued in the United Kingdom.
CONTRADICTIONS
They went on to explain that "the divergent and contradictory testimony of the witnesses means that it has not been possible to state with certainty what triggered the sloop's capsize."
The report was nevertheless highly critical of the Turks and Caicos police force, saying officers could have prevented the deaths at sea if they were better trained and had proper equipment.
Some 66 Haitians were rescued by the Turks police vessel crew, known as Sea Quest, which also called in help from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Among several report recommendations: the police force should "review its procedures for the interception of Haitian sloops" and cease "actions that are likely to precipitate a sloop's capsize."
"On the night in question, Sea Quest's captain was doing what he and other crews had done a number of times in the past, without mishap. However, he had neither the training nor the resources to deal with the problem he, unwittingly, faced, " investigators wrote.
"Having taken custody of the sloop and its passengers, there was a duty upon the . . . police to take reasonable steps to ensure the passengers' safety and right to life."
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
Investigators added that while the ultimate responsibility lies with smugglers who are trying to smuggler Haitians in unseaworthy, overcrowded boats, the Haitian government also has a responsibility to stop such risky voyages.
Haitian government officials were unavailable for comment on the report. The two countries are less than 200 miles apart.
In the months after the sinking, Haiti's coast guard stepped up patrols against people-smuggling and police made some arrests. Some lawmakers in northern Haiti, where many of the illegal voyages start, have been campaigning to persuade Haitians to forgo smuggling trips. Meanwhile, the Turks banned all Haitian sloops from its waters.
The marine branch report also gave a heartbreaking view of the chaos sparked by the sloop's nighttime sinking.
After the search for survivors was initially suspended, "11 survivors successfully returned to the capsized hull" and were rescued, the report said. "Had the sloop broken up or foundered during this time, or the weather deteriorated rather than improved, these lives could have been lost."
Miami Herald staff writer Trenton Daniel contributed to this report.
Publication: The Miami Herald
Edition: Final
Page: 7A
Series:
Head: No answers in boat sinking
Introduction:
Summary: British investigators cannot prove whether the Turks police had a role in the boat sinking in which at least 60 Haitians died.
Bylines: BY JACQUELINE CHARLES jcharles@MiamiHerald.com
Corrections:
Body: BY JACQUELINE CHARLES jcharles@MiamiHerald.com
British investigators who probed the deaths of at least 60 Haitians in a boat sinking off the Turks and Caicos Islands earlier this year reported Wednesday that they cannot substantiate allegations that Turks police caused the tragedy.
After the May 4 sinking, several survivors alleged that a Turks and Caicos patrol boat rammed their wooden sloop at least twice before trying to tow it away from the islands. The boat flipped and spilled its human cargo.
The Marine Accident Investigative Branch of the British government said an inspection of both the police vessel and the Haitian sloop showed no signs of collision damage. Turks and Caicos is a British dependency.
"It would appear that the sloop capsized while under tow, when the number of passengers on deck reached a critical number and stability was lost. However, the exact trigger for [the] capsize remains unknown, " marine branch investigators concluded in a long-awaited report issued in the United Kingdom.
CONTRADICTIONS
They went on to explain that "the divergent and contradictory testimony of the witnesses means that it has not been possible to state with certainty what triggered the sloop's capsize."
The report was nevertheless highly critical of the Turks and Caicos police force, saying officers could have prevented the deaths at sea if they were better trained and had proper equipment.
Some 66 Haitians were rescued by the Turks police vessel crew, known as Sea Quest, which also called in help from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Among several report recommendations: the police force should "review its procedures for the interception of Haitian sloops" and cease "actions that are likely to precipitate a sloop's capsize."
"On the night in question, Sea Quest's captain was doing what he and other crews had done a number of times in the past, without mishap. However, he had neither the training nor the resources to deal with the problem he, unwittingly, faced, " investigators wrote.
"Having taken custody of the sloop and its passengers, there was a duty upon the . . . police to take reasonable steps to ensure the passengers' safety and right to life."
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
Investigators added that while the ultimate responsibility lies with smugglers who are trying to smuggler Haitians in unseaworthy, overcrowded boats, the Haitian government also has a responsibility to stop such risky voyages.
Haitian government officials were unavailable for comment on the report. The two countries are less than 200 miles apart.
In the months after the sinking, Haiti's coast guard stepped up patrols against people-smuggling and police made some arrests. Some lawmakers in northern Haiti, where many of the illegal voyages start, have been campaigning to persuade Haitians to forgo smuggling trips. Meanwhile, the Turks banned all Haitian sloops from its waters.
The marine branch report also gave a heartbreaking view of the chaos sparked by the sloop's nighttime sinking.
After the search for survivors was initially suspended, "11 survivors successfully returned to the capsized hull" and were rescued, the report said. "Had the sloop broken up or foundered during this time, or the weather deteriorated rather than improved, these lives could have been lost."
Miami Herald staff writer Trenton Daniel contributed to this report.
