Sister Islands MLA Speaks On Cuban Refugee Arrivals
Sister Islands MLA
Lyndon Martin
by Brian Buckley
Friday, June 11, 2004
Sister Islands’ MLA Lyndon Martin, said in a telephone interview with Cayman
Net News on Monday that people in Cayman Brac found it difficult to balance
their Christian beliefs with the Government’s repatriation policy regarding
Cuban refuges.
Speaking on the recent arrivals of Cubans reportedly heading for Honduras off
Cayman Brac’s shores last weekend, Mr Martin indicated that the situation
brought a conflict to Brackers.
“There are two things that we all need to be reminded of,” he said. “First,
there is the Memorandum of Understanding between the Cayman Islands and Cuban
governments. In Cayman Brac, we try very hard to balance the nation’s commitment
to the Memorandum of Understanding with the strong Christian beliefs of the
people.”
According to Mr Martin, who is in his first term as the Cayman Brac and
Little Cayman MLA and is a founding member of the United Democratic Party (UDP),
citizens feel strongly about fulfilling their Christian duty of being kind and
generous to those in need. He said the people of his district feel deeply that
they must adhere to their religious beliefs, especially as the Cubans are
seeking a better life. “We have found this to be a humane response,” he said.
Mr Martin stressed that that his main concern in such situations was that the
people of Cayman Brac were protected from the arrival of the seafarers. Measures
have been put in place to ensure this protection of the populace from the Cuban
refugees. “Barricades are now put in place around the boats until the police
arrive,” he said.
Citing maritime law, Mr Martin noted that there were provisions of that law
which required those who came upon boaters on the open sea to fulfill
obligations ensuring that the vessels were indeed seaworthy. “Many times over
the years, people of Cayman Brac have given their own boats, their own engines
to the Cubans, and workers from Public Works have performed mechanical work.”
Government officials and citizens of Cayman Brac act in a manner mindful of
the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Mr Martin said. “The MoU refers
specifically to those Cubans landed in regards to repatriation. This ‘landed’
phrase is the strict definition for Immigration. We keep them in harbour on a
boat so they are technically not landed. It is while the Cuban nationals are in
harbour that the citizens turn out in overwhelming numbers to provide food,
clothing, medical assistance, and cooking supplies,” he said.
Conversely however, Mr Martin said that Cayman Islands officials searched the
boats, and if they found illegal fishing apparatus and/or illegal lobster traps,
those items were removed and the searched boats were then escorted out to sea.
Mr Martin also noted that an island such as Cuba, with 11 million citizens,
could overwhelm the Brac’s population of 1,200. He recalled the influx several
years ago where the island could not handle the numbers arriving.
“If you remember, the last two ships that arrived this year, those people were
repatriated and that sends a message, too” he said.
But Mr Martin still spoke proudly of the people he represents and their
constant Christian response to these occurrences.
“With all the experience we have had with this and the number of recurrences,
we have become very proficient and at the same time we are able to continue to
respond in a Christian manner,” he concluded.
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