UK fulfilling constitutional security role reminded Premier, Mounts Bay warship in TCI

#Providenciales, Grand Turk, March 19, 2018 – The United Kingdom is fulfilling its constitutional mandate when it protects the borders of the Turks and Caicos Islands as an overseas territory; the Premier in a late day press release Monday labeled the inundation of illegal boats from Haiti, “an attack on the UK’s sovereignty.”  

Premier Sharlene Robinson added that it is up the British, “to do more in a sustainable way to fulfill its constitutional mandate for external and internal security.”

The comments came mere hours after a media statement from the Governor’s Office informing that the Mounts Bay, war ship would arrived today after being re-deployed from Belize to Turks and Caicos.  The country was on Friday appraised of the fact that the TCI made a request for support and the UK responded with the RFA Mounts Bay, including aerial surveillance.

The Premier explained in a Friday press conference that there would also be “boots on the ground’ to assist the current round-up labeled, ‘Operation Guardian’ and today said, “TCI with its wide coastline requires much resources and this bolstering of patrol at this time is much needed together with regional and other international support.”

Five boats from Haiti managed to make landfall on Providenciales undetected over seven days from March 9-16 and reports indicate that another two boats were detected over the weekend; one of which is said to have been intercepted because the radar is again fully operational.

The Governor’s Office shared that “the Royal Navy ship, RFA Mounts Bay, has been redeployed at short notice from regional operations and will arrive in TCI waters this afternoon, 19 March, to assist the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police and border control authorities to tackle the recent upsurge in the number of illegal sloop landings in TCI.  RFA Mounts Bay will work alongside the TCI enforcement authorities and regional partners to boost the maritime and aerial surveillance and interdiction capability of the TCI authorities.”

Among the regional partners who have been named as assisting the Turks and Caicos Islands are the US Coast Guard, which on March 11 forced two ships, spotted at sea, to turn back to Haiti.  The Royal Bahamas Defence Force is also to offer help as bi-lateral talks continue with Bahamas Prime Minister, Dr. Hubert Minnis, explained Premier Robinson.

“We continue active discussions with The Bahamas on how its Defence Force can assist,” she added, “Whilst we bolster patrol, upgrade our radar, carry out special operations, we ask residents to remain vigilant and to report all suspicious activities and individuals.”  

Magnetic Media has learned, that over the weekend, operations continued and that there were arrests of illegal migrants.

File Photo of RFA Mounts Bay when here to assist post Hurricane Irma