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TCI: H.E. Governor Nigel Dakin’s Remarks Queen’s Birthday Parade

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#TurksandCaicos, June 19, 2021 – “Turks and Caicos and a particular welcome to all on this parade. Let me compliment you on your turnout, your foot and rifle drill and your bearing.

It is the 95th Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In our national Anthem we sing “Long to Reign Over Us” and she most certainly has. She is the longest-reigning monarch in English History, surpassing the reign of Queen Victoria six years ago.

In those 95 years of life she has been our Monarch for 69 of them. She has been on the throne during the time in office of 14 British Prime Ministers and 14 US Presidents, the first being Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Harry S Truman respectively. A remarkable record of Service and of experience.

It is therefore entirely appropriate that we link this Parade with the notion of ‘service’, and also longevity of ‘service’. Service as personified by those stood before me today, who I have had the privilege to inspect, and who stand before our nation. As all of us here thank Her Majesty for Her Service to us, I, on Her Majesty’s behalf, and on behalf of the people of this Territory, thank you for your service to the People of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

This year thirteen have 30 years of service, two have 25 years of service and twenty eight have 18 years of service. This year they come from the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, Her Majesty’s Prison, the Customs Department and Immigration Department. They of course share in common the concept of ‘enforcement’.

Enforcement takes skill and judgement and of course physical and moral courage. Wield your powers in to draconian a way and in the end there is a loss of public consent. Wield them too lightly, and there is a loss of respect not just for you, as an individual, but for the very law itself and at that point society starts to unravel. You carry a heavier constitutional burden than many understand.

If I may, at this Parade, I wish to particularly offer my thanks and respect to the Prison Service who marched past with pride today. An extraordinary change occurred at the Prison this year and that was due to leadership, teamwork and getting that balance of enforcement in exactly the right place.

To keep you out of the burning sun – and because there was no parade last year so the list is long – I will present medals today only to those Police Officers serving in Grand Turk. For those Police Officers in Providenciales we will present your medals at a Commissioners Parade later in the Summer which will also give the people of Providenciales the opportunity to enjoy the spectacle of the Police Band and your foot and rifle drill.

Moving away from this parade ground for a moment, and on the occasion of Her Majesty’s Birthday, and given the loss she suffered of her consort and most loyal supporter, I would also pay homage to Her late husband, His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. Throughout his life, he dedicated his time to many issues close to his heart. Two of them are worth dwelling on for a moment.

So first allow me to recognise the young people and their teachers with us today. The late Duke’s mission was to develop and empower young people to realise their potential. There is a moment in every child’s life when that potential is limitless but also their lives require focus and purpose. As a result he founded the Duke of Edinburgh Award. 13 million award journeys; 6 million awards gained; and 120 million hours of voluntary service achieved. One unique international accreditation, reaching 168 countries, over 65 years.

Young people from TCI have received in the past their Silver Awards through regional events and one young woman was presented her Gold Award by the Duke of Edinburgh himself. The Police Cadets, represented here today, and the British West Indies Collegiate, have run program’s to deliver the late Duke’s vision to inspire and invest in our youth, allow them to discover their potential, learn new skills and most important, forge new friendships along the way. This is how self-confidence and self-discipline builds something that our Cadets on parade today exemplify who are a credit to themselves, their parents and the wider community.

The Cadets are not for everyone, I accept, and as the consequences of pandemic subside I hope we might look again at the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme as one of many approaches to developing the child here in TCI. Our own children participated in the scheme, gained much from it, and myself and Mandy stand ready to support and will be looking to re-energise this program during the coming year.

As a former President of the World Wildlife Fund, the late Duke was also personally engaged in wildlife and environmental issues; a theme that runs throughout the entire Royal family. On the occasion of Her Majesty’s Birthday, her son, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has sent out a message to the world drawing attention to the environmental tragedy that is impacting us all.

The protection of our environment against climate change and preserving our natural assets for many generations to come is increasingly seen as a global priority.

Climate change is reaching a tipping point. Humanity’s relationship with our beautiful planet is incredibly precious but endangered. Whilst we retain hope for the future, a degree or two more and we risk losing both our coral reefs and our beaches.

The world organises around a Climate Change Summit this year hosted in the UK. It’s known as COP26. The Overseas Territories have between them extraordinary environments hosting amazing bio-diversity from the Antarctic to the Indian Ocean, to the Mediterranean and the Pacific, and of course closer to home here in the Caribbean.

We in TCI steward, on behalf of the planet, the third largest barrier reef in the world. An extraordinary responsibility and while we are ‘Beautiful by Nature’ we know all too well, that as the seas warm, and as we are at the start of the Hurricane season, we are at the mercy of nature who does not always show us here her ‘beauty’ but also her extraordinary destructive power.

It is entirely in our interests, in TCI, to stop sea temperatures rising, and sea levels rising, and so let us all play our part – small as it may seem – and protect our marine life; our crystal clear waters; our beautiful beaches; and the mangrove and vegetation that surrounds us through local initiatives to reduce waste and fossil fuel energy consumption in our beautiful by nature islands.

Forty Six Thousand people cannot change the world alone, because it will take a global effort, but as a small island state who bears the full brunt of nature’s capriciousness we should provide leadership to the world in all that we do.

I end on welcoming, for the first time, the newest addition of those who serve TCI to this parade ground, if not this parade. You will see members of the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment stood near to myself and the Premier today. This small contingent, who form the regular nucleus of our Regiment, will be joined next month by our own newly recruited reserve Marines who will undergo basic training run right here in TCI by the British Army, in July.

Next year, the TCI Regiment, seasoned through their first Hurricane Season and having been operational in support of our Maritime Police, and twinned with one of the British Army’s most prestigious Regiment’s ‘The Rifles’, will be stood on this Parade Ground joining you – the remarkable people of TCI who put yourselves before others in service of our Territory. That will be a remarkable Parade and, God willing, I intend to be here, to take that salute.

So may God Bless Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. May God bless the Turks and Caicos Islands. May God bless all those before me and everything you represent in terms of serving our people, following the example that Her Majesty herself has set over an extraordinary life. ‘Long May She Reign Over us. God Save the Queen’.

Crime

RTCIPF – Unidentified Male Shot

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***MEDIA RELEASE***

#TurksandCaicos, March 18, 2024 – A shooting incident has resulted in a fatality, with officers of the Serious Crime Unit currently at the scene.

Preliminary reports state around 9:17 pm today (March 18th), a call was placed to the Police Control Room indicating a male was shot at a location in Five Cays, Providenciales.

Officers arrived at the scene and found the lifeless body of a male with what appeared to be gunshot wounds.The victim was wearing long blue pants and a black t-shirt.

Further details surrounding the incident, including motive and the victim’s identity, are under investigation.

The RTCIPF asks the public to notify the closest police station, contact 911, the Serious Crime Unit at 231-1842, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477, and anonymously give any information on this murder.

Additionally, persons are encouraged to download the CrimeStoppers P3 app and share information.

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Bahamas News

RBDF Operation Strengthens Maritime Security Amidst Regional Turmoil

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Defence Headquarters, 17 MAR. ’24: A joint operation between the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) and the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) led to the apprehension of 50 Haitian migrants approximately 5 nautical miles west of Bell Island on Saturday, March 16th.

The operation was initiated following the initial sighting of a sailing vessel, believed to be of Haitian origin, 8 miles southwest of Staniel Cay in the Exumas. RBDF swiftly deployed air and surface assets stationed at Matthew Town Inagua, supported by Police officials in Staniel Cay who verified the sighting. The migrants were intercepted by RBDF personnel stationed at the Land and Sea Park, Wardrick Wells Exuma, and subsequently handed over to the safe boat crew. They are currently under apprehension pending further investigation, with the imminent arrival of HMBS Rolly Gray.

In response to the ongoing instability in Haiti, Commodore Raymond King has announced the implementation of a strategic blockade in the southern Bahamas. This initiative includes the deployment of six surface vessels, one aircraft, and 120 highly skilled RBDF personnel. Patrol operations will be concentrated in critical areas such as the northern coast of Haiti, the Old Bahama Channel, and the Windward Passage, with the aim of deterring unauthorized entry attempts and preserving maritime security in the region.

The effectiveness of these decisive measures is evident, with recent apprehensions totaling 247 individuals by the RBDF. Commodore Raymond E. King emphasizes the commitment to bolstering maritime security through collaborative efforts with regional partners and local law enforcement agencies.

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force remains committed to safeguarding the nation’s borders and territorial integrity, working collaboratively with regional partners.

(For further information please contact the RBDF Public Relations Department or visit our website: www.rbdf.gov.bs, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and view our Youtube channel)

-rbdf-

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Provo International Airport reaches tipping point; desperate hunt for rooms for 200 Travellers left stranded

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Deandrea Hamilton

Editor

 

#TurksandCaicos, March 16, 2024 -Despite the desperate situation, no one is comfortable with ferrying hundreds of stranded tourists to nearby North Caicos to put them up in hotels after a dismal day at the country’s main airport; there are little to no rooms in Providenciales.

The Turks and Caicos Islands, one of the Caribbean’s most alluring destinations is plagued by an airport experience consistently delivering to it, a black-eye and on Saturday March 16 it was particularly ugly.

“For those of you waiting in inbound flight 855 JFK to TCI we have been diverted to Dominican Republic, DR.  I will try to post if I get any info.  Have a few drinks.  It’s going to be a while, said Julie Desantis on Turks and Caicos Tourist Guide, a Facebook community page.

Deb Ballard, who said her delay was more than six hours added, “Airport here in TCI is unbearable.  All the flights seem to be delayed, a thousand people in rooms built for a couple hundred.  Trapped.”

There was reportedly also a flight from Philadelphia diverted to the DR.

And too numerous were reports of the frustration of travellers at the Providenciales International.  Some, we were informed, were caught in explosive arguments while towing the chaotic, slow moving security checkpoint lines.  As flights were being called, passengers tried to rush ahead of others who had been waiting and in some cases that led to verbal confrontations.

It’s the kind of last impression, travel destination do anything they can to avoid.

We’ve learned there was no real help on the ground, in the terminal earlier in the day; however, by Saturday night, Josephine Connolly, the Minister of Tourism was at the airport vowing that no one would sleep at the facility.

“I will make sure that no one sleeps here.  I am doing my best to accommodate everybody that why I am here, my PS is here and Mr. Smith is here from the airports authority,” said Connolly.

She was hoping to also run interference of negative publicity for the destination and its main airport but this action by her may be a courtesy coming a little too late. In the age of self-reporting, passengers were free to film, comment and convey whatever was their experience and disappointment and many did.

It is how residents became most acutely aware of the dire situation; social media posts by guests themselves who were trying to understand what was going on and what to do about it.

It’s anyone’s guess why the Providenciales International Airport (PLS) is an absolute mess today because up to now, there has been no statement, no explanation, no directives and no solution for the thousands of travellers impacted and the hundreds stuck at the airport with nowhere to stay.

Magnetic Media has fielded dozens of questions and comments and perspectives including a message shared with the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association, TCHTA which explains as many as 200 guests were in dire need hotel accommodations for the night.

“We are looking for any property owners/villas that has vacancy and can accommodate these stranded guests.  We are making calls to the hotels and for the most part most of the hotels are at 100% capacity.”

The surging tourism interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands is famously embraced; touted by government and industry stakeholders, and it’s been communicated that an overcrowded airport “is a good problem to have” on the way to fixing it.

But that message and the years’ long wait have become a vexing cocktail that even residents say they are tired of guzzling.

“…TCI can’t handle the volume of flights they schedule.”

The situation is so impossible, that there is serious – though admittedly, last resort – consideration for a ferry ride to shuttle the hundreds of travellers into another island, North Caicos, where there are guest rooms available.  In the dark of night and with no real illumination on the water way, that idea of a 45-minute ferry for people tired and frustrated by cancelled travel plans is not gaining traction and will likely be nixed and will hopefully not be needed.

“I have a guest that left here after 12 noon and just contacted me 45-minutes ago and is asking my assistance for booking the hotels in Provo and getting them a taxi,” said a resort employee who is worried about his guests and wonders what is the problem at the airport.

Magnetic Media has reached out for a comment from the TCIAA, whose CEO has also been given  the task of taking calls from vacation villa owners or resorts which have rooms for lodging; but there were no official statements up to publication time.

At midnight, there were mixed reports from guests.  Some having been set up with a one night stay, others who had no clue what was next.

March is normally busy and the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority, TCIAA which manages the country’s airports should have anticipated that, explained hotel workers and others in the industry who are concerned about their guests and clients.

“Private jets are affected because they’re not allowed to land between 12 and 3 in order to avoid creating even more air congestion, the Miami Center, which controls the space around us, reassigns take off times to private jets despite their intended time.  So they are help up for sometimes, an entire day.”

Airline charter services are also skittish.

“…for fear they will get so delayed they will miss their next contract.  So now we are starting to risk our most top end clients as well as airline passengers.”

And the Airports Authority is not having the best time of it either.  Plagued with a wave of staff unrest which has led to some workers walking off the job, others taking industrial action and sudden terminations which are piled atop the infamous infrastructural dilemmas, it is clear any further delay on an immediate fix for the PLS will be detrimental to return guests and tourism on the whole.

“Three hours to get through the security line and then the delays,” explained a couple who are still at the Providenciales International though it is now minutes to midnight, adding, “So we have been here since 10:30 this morning and two of the people, the workers, they ran away from me.  They just left.  They just ran away, they were done!”

The guests are at the airport hoping for word on somewhere to rest their heads for the night.  TCIAA security officers have told them, they cannot sleep at the airport though many of them speaking to our reporter on the scene were prepared to do so.

Celeste Wagner Russ, a visitor to the TCI said: “The airport desperately needs an expansion – for passengers.  The space is mobbed, dirty and basically unhealthy for anyone.  The ladies room on the upper level is worse than anything I’ve ever seen in Penn Station.  The furniture is worn, dingy, and a very dismal welcome or departure.  For the tremendous number of travellers to T and C, this airport is a disgrace.”

The TCIAA, last month revealed, it had a short list of companies who qualified to advance to the next phase of the bidding battle.  The scope of work includes not only construction of an expanded airport, but management of it.  The end may be in sight, but it is admittedly years away from fruition.  An interim remedy for the PLS, is needed now.

“The congestions is exacerbated by no parallel taxiway. Which means an airplane can’t land and immediately get out of the way on the runway for the next guy to land because there is no parallel strip it could turn on to taxi to the terminal. So it takes twice as long to get each plane off the runway because they land, turn around and taxi back to the airport, where there may not actually be a parking space opened up for them yet.”

Residents in social media posts have called for flights into Providenciales to be spread out over the day; currently there is a bottleneck; commercial airlines are bunched up and landing at the strip almost one right after the other between noon and 3pm, while the mornings and evenings are like a graveyard.

Airlines have not wanted to change their schedules, and the fear is that any demand by the Turks and Caicos Islands could lead to destination Providenciales being dropped from the flight itineraries of the major air carriers.

Many have labelled that reasoning, given the phenomenal performance of tourism in the Turks and Caicos Islands, “a load of nonsense.”

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