CARICOM talks immigration in Guyana

Leaders from the CARICOM countries began their 30th summit this weekend in Georgetown, Guyana, with a varied agenda centered primarily on illegal immigration to and from CARICOM member nations. Many immigrants, including undocumented ones from Jamaica and Guyana, tend to move to Barbados and Antigua & Barbuda, where they are both exploited as cheap labor and discriminated against. The representatives of those two countries, for their part, railed against illegal immigration to their islands and the need to curb the flow.

The summit comes days after a total 53 Guyanese migrants were deported from Barbados since the government's recent crackdown.

At the weekend inaugural session, heads of state had the chance to given prepared remarks, and the annual Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC) was bestowed upon Percival Patterson, former prime minister of Jamaica, for his contributions to regional development.



Sources: Jamaica Gleaner, Latin American Tribune, Caricom.org

Daily Headlines: December 9, 2008

* Caribbean: During a one-day summit yesterday, the fourteen–nation Caribbean Community called for an end to the U.S. embargo on Cuba.

* Bolivia: Approximately 20,000 families have been hurt by a months-long drought according to Bolivian officials.

* Dominican Republic: A clerk at the Dominican Consulate in New York has been accused of illegally smuggling people into the U.S.

* Peru: Remember the diplomatic spat caused by a Peruvian general’s misguided remarks about Chileans? Gen. Edwin Donayre was replaced as Peru's army chief on Friday.

Image- BBC News (Antigua Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer standing next to Cuban president Raul Castro)
Sources- Reuters, Xinhua, New York Daily Times, IHT, The Latin Americanist

News briefs – the Caribbean

* Haitian President René Préval wants temporary protection status to be granted to Haitians living in the U.S.

* The Cuban government presented a new plan designed to stimulate the island’s economy.

* Puerto Rico’s teachers strike will enter its second week with seemingly no end in sight.

* Roughly 900 gallons of crude oil spilled off the Dominican coast and could endanger wildlife.

* Trade ministers from the Caricom bloc are meeting in order to address mounting food prices.

Sources- Riptide 2.0, Daily Times, Houston Chronicle, International Herald Tribune, pr-inside.com

Image- BBC News