The Antigua and Barbuda government is seeking the assistance of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in dealing with the situation regarding migrants from West Africa.
Government spokesman, Lionel “Max” Hurst said representatives of the two international organizations will be here to probe the situation and make recommendations. Last month, the government said that 637 of the more than 900 people who touched down between November and January remained in Antigua. Many of them are Cameroonians fleeing a bloody conflict back home.
But it is unclear how many of them are seeking asylum having arrived here on Antigua Airways or other chartered airlines.
“The Cabinet…instructed Ambassador Daven Joseph to construct some guidelines by which both UNHCR and IOM could operate in Antigua and Barbuda,” he said, adding that it is also hoped that their report “reflects the reality here for the West African migrants.
“Again it is in order to ensure we can provide them with the kind of help that would be required without the expenditure or the resources of the government of Antigua and Barbuda or at least much of the resources of the government of Antigua and Barbuda,” Hurst said.
Last month, the Gaston Browne government said that the passengers who had arrived here were to be well-off citizens of Nigeria and neighboring countries who wished to travel to the Caribbean as tourists.
It said then that it had been informed that “visitors remaining in Antigua can be located in several small hotels and guest houses across the island.
“An offer to return them to their country is to be made, though many are likely to choose to stay, it was reported. Some arrangement may likely be made to ensure that their status is legal,” the government statement added.
Information Minister Melford Nicholas told reporters that the government had decided while the West Africans will not be afforded local citizenship, those who choose to remain here could be offered residency and work permits.
The main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) had called for a Commission of Inquiry to determine whether the authorities here are engaged in human trafficking after supporters staged a protest action against the government’s decision to legalize the status of hundreds of African migrants.
CMC
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… And we the autochthonous citizens of Antigua & Barbuda INVITE the ABLP government to explain in full how they got us into this mess in first place.
So much of what has taken place, just doesn’t add up.
Furthermore, why has the major political players in this whole farce gone so quiet?
No wonder rumours are abound that Max ‘Whey Him Dey’ Fernández is leaving office soon, like a rat 🐀 leaving a sinking ship 🛳 …
Just a matter of time before the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) comes into play folks – let’s see how the ABLP and Gaston Browne wriggle out of this one.
Stay tuned for another episode of the young and the uncaring on
The ABS – TV.🤔
Be careful what you wish for.
First it was wealthy investors arriving on the inaugural flights of ghost airline Antigua Airlines. These wealth CIP Africans are now not even migrants but refugees. Someone got fooled. Who fooled who here?
Did the African Printer played Gaston in his desperation before the election where he wanted to show that LIAT was thrown a lifeline? Or did Gaston and his sycophant cabinet members conspired with the African Printer to fool Antiguans and Barbudans.
For Gaston and ABLP government who perpetuated scam on the Antiguan and Barbudan people to now turn around and asking the UN to investigate is laughable
This bit of News says: that if the opposition members of Antigua and Barbuda Parliament are worth their salt; they are to be immediately contacting the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). For sure, any review by these organization without the full participation of of the opposition will be a “White Wash”
Pringle, Trevor, Asot get to work. Don’t let them get away with this one; otherwise, you’ll have 750 foreigners voting against you.
My question is , are we sure that these organizations are not coming on their own to probe into what happened and this government is trying to prevent them from working independently by attaching ambassador Daven Joseph to them. This means that he will be driving around with them and ensure that they don’t speak to those of us that are calling for an investigation. Also to put his radio on Point FM and not observe radio or ZDK . Just Asking ??????
I notice that Mr Hurst is not persisting in peddling the lie in this article that it was the Antigua Government that invited the UNHCR here.
It is obvious that those people are coming because of the worldwide view of the issue of human trafficking coming out of Antigua.
Mr Hurst thinks we are all fooly. Everybody must notice that the original reasons why The Africans are here, why they are no longer tourists but refugees, why they are walking about our fair land looking for work, why they have not returned home like normal tourists do, no longer seem to apply.
It is as though we did not hear how the Prime Minister boasted about the proposed Antigua Airways flight. Suddenly he and those who met the inaugural flight at the airport, have shrunk away from the spotlight, and seem to have gone dumb. Even the visitors seem not to remember that they were told to only bring carry-on luggage. Even the customs and immigration officials here seem to have forgotten the role they played in authorizing the arrival of the flight. Even our journalists are shying away from asking the right persons involved the tough questions.
And there are so many lies surrounding this African tourists-refugees drama that the people of Antigua seem to be totally confused. They know they are being lied to but they seem helpless trying to keep up with the wide array of lies and the frequency and conviction with which these are being told.
Stop lying to the people, Mr Hurst. Gaston Browne did not invite the UNHCR here. They came because the whole world knew they had to.
BTW, it is alleged that there is a case in Nigeria courts made by two of the parties involved in Antigua Airways who felt they were scammed out of their share. It is also alleged that contrary to the 20% ownership that we were told by PM Browne that we have Antigua airways, it is actually 40%. If this is true, anyone cares to guess where is the other 20%?
Gaston and his government brought these people to Antigua under the guise of a new airline filled with millionaire ready to invest in Antigua and save LIAT.
UPP has to be included in any discussions or meeting with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Don’t allow Gaston to use UN agencies to whitewash and cover up his human trafficking political ploy.
Calling all opposition MPs : DO NOT ALLOW GASTON TO USE THE UN AGENCIES TO WHITEWASH HIS MISDEEDS
Antigua and Barbuda did not invite anyone to assist with the West Africans. Antigua News Room,why not do your own investigations by digging for your own information in this matter. Do not take what this Administration tells you and run with it.
WHERE’S FROM THE SIDELINE? 🤔
WHEY HIM DEYA …?! 😁
Porkson Browne took it upon herself to forge a deal with scamming Nigerians to start up Antigua Airways. Marvelous Mike, the owner of a printing company, yes a printing company with zero aviation experience and Porkston Browne decide to create an airline business. Just like the same as Molwyn Rolls-Royce Joseph is minister of health with no experience of anything medical except taking aspirin for a headache.
Now that Porkston Browne and company hatched this latest scheme, she lied (nothing new there) to us and states inaugural flights are on their way with potential investors to pump money into our economy. No official agency or persons have questioned why these flights arrived and departed outside of the airport’s operational hours. The same potential investors could not even afford $80 USD a night at various hotels around this island. As it turns out, these Nigerians didn’t even know our island existed, never heard of Antigua. How were they even allowed to enter our island without a return ticket? The optics make the immigration department appear that they are completely incompetent or more likely were instructed by a person or persons in extremely high positions to let them enter Antigua. Now there are 600 or so Nigerian immigrants with no money dispersed around the island. A few have already been caught trying to get into the USVI. Well done Porkston Browne. To all those who voted her in again, I wonder if you still think you voted for the right person.
And now we have the Porkston Browne administration “inviting” UN agencies to assist in Porkston’s self- inflicted quagmire. If the Porkston Browne administration is paying the UN to find a solution, where did the funds come from? They should be paying off all the funds owed to the workers, the pensioners, medical benefits, former hotel employees and LIAT staff. Porkston Browne and her cronies hatched a plan that backfired severely and can’t dig themselves out of. Antigua is now a laughing stock for the rest of the world. This is a great lesson to all the other nations on what not to do at the very least.
Any other country would have sent these Nigerians back home on the next available flights to Nigeria. Porkston Browne should be made to use her illicit funds to every last one of them back. The only person who has benefited is Porkston Browne. Even if voting her in again and again doesn’t affect those voters directly and immediately, it will affect their children and grand-children down the line. Possibly, they don’t even care about that so long as they get their Christmas goodies and table scraps every year.
Enjoy those table scraps and keep on voting in the creative self-enrichment Porkston Browne. I hope she has personally thanked you.
@Brixtonian, I was wondering where From the Sideline gone and why he so quiet. Maybe he finally convinced that the person whose ass he been kissing is the wrong person for the job. But more like he still kissing her ass and trying to come up with some kinda way to spin all this. I notice Eric the Red dead.
@Brixtonian …. We all know this like many others; this one stinks to high heavens and Gatson sycophants are gone into hiding.
Yes Vernon Southwell, Gaston’s acolytes put the “sick” in sycophants …
And, what about Tenman? He seems to have gone under a rock!!!
GASTON YOU TOO TOO LIE, HOW COULD THE LAWSUIT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH ANTIGUA AND THOSE PASSPORTS THE MEN ARE SUING FOR ARE THE PROPERTY OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA.
GASTON ARE YOU SAYING ANTIGUA HAS NO AUTHORITY OVER WHO CAN GET ITS PASSPORT?
GASTON ARE YOU SAYING THAT THESE MEN CAN GO TO COURT AND DEMAND ANTIGUA PASSPORTS AND ANTIGUA CAN’T DO NOTHING ABOUT IT?
IF THAT’S THE CASE HOW COULD YOU SAY IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANTIGUA AND OUR PASSPORTS ARE INVOLVED.
GASTON HOW DO YOU KNOW THE LAWSUIT IS DEFUNCT?
GASTON YOU HAVE DONE SO MUCH DAMAGE TO ANTIGUA AND IT’S NAME THAN ANY OTHER PRIME MINISTER OR PREMIER IN THE HISTORY OF ANTIGUA.,
LOOK AT THIS IT IS A QUOTE FROM A PART OF THE LAWSUIT
” the duo is asking the court for their initial partnership agreement of US$1 million in finder’s fees; 6 percent of the projected audited annual revenue of the airline; and three of the 10 Antigua and Barbuda passports handed over to the investors by the Gaston Browne Administration.”
AND GASTON BROWNE IS TELLING US THE LAWSUIT IS DEFUNCT AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANTIGUA.
HE WOULD NOT TELL US WHY HE HAD TO GIVE THEM 10 OF OUR PASSPORTS,
WHAT IS THE JUSTIFICATION FOR THAT GASTON?
WHAT BENEFIT HAS ANTIGUA RECEIVED FOR THE GIVING AWAY OF 10 OF OUR PASSPORTS?
WITHIN ONE MONTH OF THE FLIGHT WE DISCOVERED THAT THIS PLANE FULL OF PEOPLE WERE NEITHER TOURISTS OR INVESTORS, THEY WERE REFUGEES, SO I ASK YOU AGAIN GASTON BROWNE WHAT AND WHERE ARE THE BENEFITS OF YOU GIVING AWAY 10 OF OUR PASSPORTS TO THE POINT THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE FIGHTING AND DEMANDING THEIR SHARE.
WHAT HELP DID THAT DO TO OUR ECONOMY GASTON?
WHAT BENEFITS DID THE TREASURY RECEIVE FROM THIS GASTON?
YOU HAVE DONE MORE HARM TO THIS COUNTRY THAN ANY OPPOSITION YOU SPOKE ABOUT.
GASTON BROWNE PROMISED ANTIGUA PEOPLE RICH AFRICAN INVESTORS AND AFRICAN TOURISTS AND 2 MONTHS INTO THIS LYING HYPE LOOK AT THIS ARTICLE FROM THE CABINET.
The Antigua and Barbuda government is seeking the assistance of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in dealing with the situation regarding migrants from West Africa.
Government spokesman, Lionel “Max” Hurst said representatives of the two international organizations will be here to probe the situation and make recommendations. Last month, the government said that 637 of the more than 900 people who touched down between November and January remained in Antigua. Many of them are Cameroonians fleeing a bloody conflict back home.
But it is unclear how many of them are seeking asylum having arrived here on Antigua Airways or other chartered airlines.
“The Cabinet…instructed Ambassador Daven Joseph to construct some guidelines by which both UNHCR and IOM could operate in Antigua and Barbuda,” he said, adding that it is also hoped that their report “reflects the reality here for the West African migrants.
AFTER GASTON SAY THEY WERE RICH BUSINESSS MEN AND TOURISTS HE AND HIS
CABINET ARE NOW CALLING THEM REFUGEES.
QUESTION
GASTON , ARE YOU NOW CALLING ON THE U N TO GIVE ANTIGUA MONEY TO SOLVE A PROBLEM THAT YOU HAVE CREATED?
OR WAS THIS YOUR PLAN ALL ALONG GASTON, TO CREATE A CRISIS AND BEG FOR MONEY TO HELP SOLVE IT?
I’M NOT ACCUSING, I’M JUST INQUIRING !
ENCLOSING
GASTON YOU REALLY, REALLY FULL OF SHXX.
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