News
Sandals Foundation Delivering Emergency Relief In Turks & Caicos
Turks and Caicos, September 13, 2017 – Providenciales – Responding to the utter devastation in Turks & Caicos as a result of Hurricane Irma, the Sandals Foundation began delivering emergency relief on Providenciales on Monday September 11. Sandals Foundation and the team from Beaches Turks & Caicos partnered with the Salvation Army and the Red Cross to deliver desperately needed food items to victims of one of the most powerful hurricanes in history.
“Our priority is to give those in shelters immediate relief with perishable and non-perishable food items and water,” said Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation, who flew into Turks & Caicos with a senior team to assess the damage this week. “So many people have lost everything; it is hard to imagine how devastated these islands are.”
Clarke added that in coming days the Foundation will launch a drive to collect tinned food, diapers and baby formula through their group’s locations in Jamaica for the benefit of Turks & Caicos victims. This is in addition to an international online drive through the Foundation’s website (sandalsfoundation.org) to collect donations for ongoing disaster relief work.
“We are doing multiple assessments in Turks to also look at long term projects that will need our assistance,” added Clarke. “We need to get kids back to school to provide some normalcy and stability again in their lives as well as to get these distressed communities back on their feet.”
Clarke said the Foundation will be working with the Turks & Caicos Ministry of Education and the principals and staff of both the Clement Howell High School and Enid Capron School to assist in their rebuilding efforts as both schools have suffered extensive damage.
Over the years, Sandals Foundation has been involved with multiple disaster first response relief programs and several redevelopment projects throughout the Caribbean including on the islands of Haiti, Bahamas, Dominica and St Lucia. After both earthquake and hurricane destruction in Haiti, Sandals Foundation supported various partners including Population Services with 205,000 Aqua Tabs; Global Orphan with clothing; the Salesian Missions with recovery kits for 400 families; and All Hands Volunteers with the recovery of six schools and health clinics. Other projects include: the restoration of the Cancer Society Centre, Senior Citizen Centre and St. Andrew’s Kirk Elderly Home in the Bahamas; the construction of a new Multipurpose Room at the Petite Savanne Primary School in Dominica; and the provision of school supplies to children in St Lucia.
Turks and Caicos, December 7, 2024 – “Homicide detectives of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force are actively investigating a homicide in Five Cays, Providenciales.
Initial reports indicate that shortly after 10 pm yesterday (December 06th), the Police Control Room received several calls stating that
gunshots were being heard in the area of Sandy Land.
RT&CIPF officers responded to the given location and found the lifeless body of a male with what appeared to be gunshot wounds about the body. The victim was later identified as NEIL RIGBY, 52, of Five Cays.
The RT&CIPF offers condolences to Mr. Rigby’s relatives and friends.
The RT&CIPF is asking anyone with information that may help in this investigation to contact the closest police station, 911, the Serious Crime Unit at 231-1842, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 to provide any information anonymously.
Additionally, individuals are encouraged to download the Crime Stoppers P3 app.
Statement from the Minister of Immigration
Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands
Turks and Caicos, December 5, 2024 – The Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands categorically states that we will not, under any circumstances, accept deportees from the United States or any other nation who are not citizens of Turks and Caicos. Our country’s immigration policies are clear and firmly rooted in the principles of sovereignty, the protection of our borders, and the welfare of our people.
Turks and Caicos, like all nations, has the sovereign right to determine who may reside within its borders. The unilateral imposition of third-country deportation policies, such as those reportedly under consideration by the incoming Trump administration, is fundamentally at odds
with international norms and legal standards.
We are deeply concerned about any suggestion of displacing individuals to countries with which they have no connection. Such policies disregard the cultural, social, and economic implications for receiving countries and the humanitarian impact on the individuals affected.
We remind all stakeholders that Turks and Caicos is already facing significant challenges managing irregular migration and the accompanying strain on our resources. We will not permit external policies to exacerbate these challenges, nor undermine or dictate our national security.
Our Government remains committed to maintaining strong diplomatic relations with the United States and our other international partners. However, we are steadfast in our commitment to protecting the interests of the Turks and Caicos Islands and upholding the integrity of our immigration system.
To be clear: The Turks and Caicos Islands will not participate in any program that seeks to forcibly relocate individuals here against their will, or ours.
Turks and Caicos, December 03rd, 2024 – The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is actively investigating incidents involving an attempted robbery and a reported armed robbery in Providenciales on November 30 and December 02, 2024.
Incident 1: Attempted Robbery at Service Station
Shortly after midnight on November 30, 2024, officers responded to a report of an attempted robbery at a Service Station on Leeward Highway. Based on preliminary reports, a lone male approached the premises from a black Honda Fit vehicle. The suspect, armed with a firearm,
struck an employee, causing a wound. The suspect fled in the car. At the same time, the employee was transported to the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre, where he received treatment for his injuries.
Incident 2: Armed Robbery at Eatery
On November 30, 2024, at approximately 6:57 p.m., the police received a report of an armed robbery at an eating establishment in Blue Hills. Two masked individuals, one armed with a firearm, entered the premises and robbed patrons. No injuries were reported, and the suspects fled the scene on foot in an unknown direction.
Incident 3: Robbery/Malicious Injuries to Property
On the evening of Monday, December 2, 2024, a male driver was proceeding along Walter Cox Drive when he stopped to drop off a passenger. While reversing, an unidentified male armed with a cinder block demanded the driver exit his vehicle. The driver complied and was robbed of personal belongings. The suspect proceeded to use the cinder block to shatter the rear passenger side window before fleeing the scene.
We urge anyone with information about these incidents to come forward.
Individuals can contact the Serious Crime Unit at (649)-232-6696 or report anonymously via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477.
Additionally, persons are asked to download the Crime Stoppers P3 app and provide information.
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