CARIBBEAN TODAY

n e WS


U.S. lists CARICOM countries


among major drug transit states


WASHINGTON United
States President George W.
Bush has listed three Caribbean
community (CARICOM)
states among 20 worldwide as
being major drug transit or illic-
it drug-producing countries.
 The list, which was sched-
uled to be submitted to the
U.S. Congress, then published
in the U.S. Federal Register,
identified The Bahamas, Haiti
and Jamaica among those
countries.
 The Dominican Republic,
as well as Venezuela, which
has close ties with some
CARICOM states, were also
listed.
 Others on the Majors List
are: Bolivia, Brazil, Burma,
Colombia, Ecuador,
Guatemala, India, Laos,
Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan,
Panama, Paraguay, and Peru.


 Caribbean

 least
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,
CMC A new survey by the
international watchdog institu-
tion, Transparency International
(TI), has listed Barbados, St.
Lucia and St. Vincent and the
Grenadines as among the least
corrupt countries in the world.
 In a survey of 180 coun-
tries, the global coalition listed
the countries at number 23, 24
and 30 respectively and said the
low perception of corruption
among public officials in these
islands was only bettered by
countries in the developed
world were vibrant non govern-
mental institutions kept a close
watch on public officials.
 Other Caribbean communi-
ty (CARICOM) countries
ranked in the survey were
Dominica at number 36, with a
score of 5.6 out of 10, followed
by Suriname at number 72 with
a score of 3.5, Grenada and
Trinidad and Tobago at 79 and
a score of 3.4, Jamaica scoring
3.3 at position 84, Belize at 99
with a score of 3.0 and Guyana


John Muss


 "A country's presence on
the Majors List is not neces-
sarily an adverse reflection of
its government's counter-nar-
cotics efforts or level of coop-
eration with the United


 States," Bush said in a White
 House statement.
 "One of the reasons that

 countries nam

corrupt in the i
 at 123 with a score of 2.6.
 Haiti, at 177 and a score of
 1.6, was listed in the category of
 countries where corruption was
 perceived to be rampant.

 POSITIVE STEPS
 The agency, whose surveys
 are heavily used by the interna-
 tional community, credited
 Dominica, Suriname and Belize
 as taking positive measures to
 significantly improve their rat-
 ings in the corruption index. It
 said there was a clear correla-
 tion between poverty and cor-
 ruption with the divide in per-
 ceived levels of corruption in
 rich and poor countries remain-
 ing as sharp as ever.
 "Despite some gains, cor-
 ruption remains an enormous
 drain on resources solely needed
 for education, health and infra-
 structure," said Transparency
 International Chairman
 Huguette Labelle.
 "Low scoring countries
 need to take these results seri-
 ously and act now to strengthen


major drug transit or illicit
drug-producing countries are
placed on the list is the combi-
nation of geographical, com-
mercial, and economic factors
that allow drugs to transit or
be produced, despite the con-
cerned government's most
assiduous enforcement meas-
ures," he added.
 But while The Bahamas,
 Haiti and Jamaica are on the
 "Majors List", the U.S. presi-
 dent said Burma and
 Venezuela have failed
 "demonstrably" during the
 past year to "adhere to their
 obligations under international
 counter-narcotics agreements.
 "However, the president
 determined to maintain U.S.
 programs that aid Venezuela's
 democratic institutions", the
 statement said.


 ed among

world
accountability in public institu-
tions, but action from high scor-
ing countries is just as impor-
tant, particularly in cracking
down on corruption activity in
the private sector."
 TI said fighting corruption
 was a global issue which
 required global action, but said
 developing countries needed to
 use aid money to strengthen
 their governance institutions and
 develop string poverty reduction
 programs.
 "Governments must intro-
 duce anti-money laundering meas-
 ures to eradicate safe havens for
 stolen assets", it stated.
 "Leading banking centers
 should explore the develop-
 ment of uniform expedited pro-
 cedures for the identification,
 freezing and repatriation of the
 proceeds of corruption".
 The agency said its survey
 was based on 14 expert opinion
 surveys.
 0


October 2007


Trinidadian man falsely accused

of child rape sues N.Y. for $10M


NEW YORK A Trinidadian
man falsely accused of raping
an eight-year-old schoolgirl in
Brooklyn has filed a $10 mil-
lion lawsuit against the City
of New York.
 Francis Evelyn, 58, a cus-
todian at a Brooklyn school
where the girl said she was
raped, said five months after
his face was broadcast world-
wide as an accused child
rapist, he can't sleep well nor
function properly. He said he
filed the lawsuit against the
city for ruining his life by
believing a troubled child with
a history of fabricating stories.
 "Before, I walked the
street happy-go-lucky," he
told reporters.
 "Now, you see the eyes,"
he added. "People you don't
know, approach you.
 "You don't know what
they're coming with," he con-
tinued. "It could be bad. I'm
scared like hell of being out


 Canada worried

 of illegal Haitia
ONTARIO, CMC Canadian
authorities say they have been
overwhelmed lately by scores of
illegal Haitian and other immi-
grants from the United States
seeking asylum in Canada.
 They said that the undocu-


mented
immigrants
bring forms
allegedly sold
to them, for
up to US$400
each, by a
Haitian
group in
Florida with Francis
the under-
standing that
the documents would entitle
them to stay in Canada.
 Officials said the arrivals
began early last month fueled
by the notion that Canada
would grant them asylum.


(C

'(

c
c
ti
a
b
g
a
n
ii
cc
e
p

(I
S


there!"
 Evelyn was cleaning the
 halls of Public School 91 in the
 Wingate section of Brooklyn
 on Mar. 19, just as he had
 done for nearly 20 years, when
 cops dragged him out in hand-
 cuffs. The girl claimed that for
 weeks he repeatedly molested
 her in a basement bathroom.
 The school's respected
 principal, Solomon Long, was
 suspended for failing to report
 other allegations by the girl,
 which he believed to be
 unfounded. Long was later
 reinstated.

 JAILED
 Evelyn was paraded
 before television cameras and
 spent two days at Rikers Island
 jail before prosecutors rushed
 to a judge to drop the charges.
 The child, who also
 wrongly accused her father of
 rape, had no signs of physical
 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 5)

.d over influx

n immigrants
They said the journey was first
MupLLlLJd by the Jerusalem
Haitian Community Center in
Naples, which promoted
"Information required for
Canadian Refugee Status
Application" on its website.
 Canadian officials said that
over 200 illegal immigrants,
who also included Mexicans,
turned up in Windsor, after
crossing the border from
Detroit. Officials and refugee
advocates said thousands more
may be on their way.
 Eddie Francis, the mayor of
Windsor, said he has faxed a let-
ter to Canadian federal authori-
ties seeking financial help.
 "I empathize with the
challenges, but we don't have
the ability to manage this. We
have never seen anything like
this," he added.
0


N.Y. reverses driver's license policy...
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2) to the immigration agency that is
nore than one license. now part of the U.S. Homeland
 Security Department.
COMMON SENSE' New York's move goes
 Spitzer said the new poli- against the national trend. Many
y is a "common sense states, prodded by demands to
change" that will improve crack down on identity fraud,
traffic safety and lower insur- have added requirements that
nce costs for all New Yorkers effectively prevent illegal immi-
y ensuring that more immi- grants from obtaining driver's
rants have valid licenses and licenses. All but eight states now
uto insurance. He said giving require drivers to prove legal
nore Caribbean and other status to obtain driver's licenses,
immigrants verifiable identifi- and those eight Hawaii,
ation will also enhance law Maine, Maryland, Michigan,
enforcement by bringing peo- New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and
le out of the shadows. Washington have come
 "The DMV is not the INS under pressure to add such a
Immigration and Naturalisation requirement.
service, Spitzer said, alluding


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