News
TCI: Remarks at TCI Regiment Passing Out Parade
#TurksandCaicos, August 4, 2021 – HIS EXCELLENCY NIGEL DAKIN, GOVERNOR OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS on 31 JULY 2021
” This is your moment.”
BEING A MARINE:
You have just joined a new profession, you have just started a new vocation. To be precise you are now Marines. You are not Royal Marines and you are not US Marines. You are the first Marines of the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment!
The seas around these islands have dominated TCI’s economy and culture for centuries. We are the epitome of an Island race. Our supply lines, our self generated food sources, our trading relationships, our old industry of salt and our new industry of tourism are all born out of our remarkable maritime environment.
As an archipelago our waters divide us, and connect us, in equal measure. The threats we face come at us from the sea, be they be natural as warm Caribbean waters fuel hurricanes, or be they man made, as people, drug and gun smugglers profit from others misery.
Your ancestors, and those who come after you, because this Regiment will be standing in a 100 years, would and will be proud – that this Regiment is formed by those determined to soldier and support their people on land and on sea. Superlatives can often be overused but in this case, both on a personal level for you, and on a national level for us all, this is an extraordinary day and it is a historic moment.
At the personal level you will now always see yourself as part of a Regimental family and see yourself linked to the profession of soldiering. In years to come, long after you have left the Regiment, you will think like a Marine and bear yourself as a Marine and while you will have many memories, this moment – when you became a Marine, and a full member of your Regiment – will be one of the most memorable.
You share now in a culture, a way of thinking and a way of doing things that marks you out. This is something that will continue to grow and develop over time. This culture now links you to every other man or woman in military uniform down through the ages. Society expect those who soldier to do things that normal men and women are not expected to do and you will, I suspect today, rejoice in that expectation.
The reality is that you will find the expectations placed on you, by yourself and by society, will occasionally weigh heavily. You will move towards known or suspected danger when any normal human response would be to move away. You will be there, when others are not. You will be on time, when others are late. You will be working in the bush at night when others are asleep in their bed. You will stay when others have gone. When others are tired, or hungry or extremely cold, or unbearably hot, or about to give up because matters seem hopeless, you will manage to experience all those conditions and emotions but you will bring hope, and you will bring energy, and you will bring strength, and you will bring courage, and you will set the example for others to rally behind.
There will be times when you are frightened. For example the power of nature here in the Caribbean – in all its wrath – almost dwarfs human imagination. But you will know that courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to overcome fear, and you will quickly understand that moral courage that can be honed every day is just as prized and important as physical courage which will come to you, when needed, because it has been prepared for.
You will not do this because you are super-human. You are not. But you are now part of something bigger than yourself, you are doing something that is greater than yourself, and you will have skill and capability and – increasingly – experience, that others do not have. You will know the team is stronger than the individual not through words but practice, you know that if you train hard you will fight easy, you know that your fellow Marine is now the person you would never, ever let down so you will lean off each other and stand together and you will do all of this because – in the end – you know that when all else fails – if not ‘you’ – then who can the Territory and its people rely on.
The Regiment will give you all the opportunity to lead. Leadership is not about the rank that is worn permanently on your arm but the actions and behaviours that are on display, in the moment, and the reputation that builds as a result. The roles this Regiment have been entrusted with requires a small team ethos to develop; so Junior Commanders will carry much responsibility. Each and every Marine on parade will find themselves confronted by leadership challenges.
A REGIMENT DESIGNED TO DELIVER EFFECT
The national challenges are represented in your cap badge. Two symbols laid on top of one another. The Phoenix – a mythical bird that rises renewed and strengthened from the ashes of disaster, in TCI’s case natural disaster, an experience we know here too well. And the crossed Tridents representing the support you will provide to the protection of our maritime borders both on land and sea.
Therefore, from the outset, you are a Regiment focussed on ‘Mission’. You wear your promise, your covenant with the Territory in terms of your delivery, as the single most important accoutrement to your uniform, your cap badge. Your Regimental identity is your mission – and your mission is your Regimental identity.
If we wish to look for an example of that, we need only look to the fact that before your basic training was concluded, you’d been instrumental in detaining 15 who had landed illegally on our shores and who were bringing a considerable quantity of contraband with them that would do us, as a society, harm. You did that professionally, compassionately, intelligently and purposefully but the point is you did it. This Regiment looks good on parade – as it must – but it is in the bush, and on the water, and in the wreckage following a hurricane where the difference will be made.
Of course Regimental life is more than just mission. It is about bonds and brotherhood and sisterhood and camaraderie. We hope your time in the Regiment is ‘fun’. If it isn’t you won’t, in the long term, be effective as a Marine or as a Regiment.
A SYMBOL OF NATIONAL IDENTITY
Of course, to the people of this Territory, the Regiment is not just about what can be delivered, but also about the way we think of ourselves as a nation: our national identity, something I have spoken of before. This Regiment is I believe a strong signal of not just national identity but also national maturity.
As we mature as a nation our conversation as to what we mean by that word ‘nation’ also matures. We talk a great deal about both unity and diversity in TCI and I suggest before us is an example of how both can, indeed both must, sit comfortably together.
For example the Regiment speaks with one voice and within it, of course, engages in English but it can utilise Creole and Spanish and must have this language and cultural understanding to succeed in its tasks. It has a maritime infantry role, but both men and women serve in this Regiment alongside each other and go through the same training. On parade are those proud to call North Caicos and South Caicos, Providenciales and Grand Turk, their home island. There are many old TCI family names represented in the Regiment and there are also TCI/Bahamian’s, TCI/Haitians, TCI/Dominicans, TCI/Jamaicans and TCI/Guyanese serving in the ranks. Some in the ranks were born in the UK.
Diversity of ages brings differing strengths. The youngest on parade is 18, one is over 50. Half the Marines are in their twenties, fourteen of them are in their thirties. Three are in their forties The average age suggests a Regiment of mature experienced adults. There are some big physical men in this Regiment but I’ve also found someone my size!
Staying with diversity, and with an eye to the skills the Regiment inherits, before you is a doctor, there are boat captains, divers, life guards, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, plumbers and carpenters, those that understand water sanitation and sewage, paramedics and firemen, managers and security guards, computer programmers and communicators, those that understand our main tourist industry, our large resorts and our airports.
In short this is a Regiment made up of volunteers that represent not only the totality of the Turks and Caicos Islands, but the very best of the Turks and Caicos Islands. There is both unity and diversity on parade, because unity and diversity are mission critical.
MANY TO THANK:
There are many to thank. The UK Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappy MP, was here this week and he and a predecessor in that role, Lord Mark Lancaster – himself a UK reserve officer – have proved unrelenting in their support as has the UK’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Sir NickCarter.
The British Defence Attache, with us today, Lieutenant Colonel Simon Westlake, Royal Marines, has kept his eye on both the vision and on the detail, in equal measure and our Permanent Secretary for National Security – Tito Lightbourne – has provided critical policy and budgeting support including Chairing the Defence Board and my thanks to those who sit on that BOard giving freely of their time and experience.
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst played an early and influential role training our officers, with more Sandhurst training to come, and having the Queens Personal Bodyguard here who are also a reconnaissance Regiment – the Household Cavalry – and the excellence of their soldiers, and the example of their ethos – has got us off to the best possible start. Our thanks to them under the command of Major James Heath. The enduring presence of Sergeant Major Dan Collins of the Rifles Regiment has helped anchor the new Regiment in daily professional practice and will continue to do so, so my thanks to General Sir Patrick Sanders, the Colonel Commandant of the Rifles, for releasing to us, one of his best.
A huge vote of thanks is due to the fantastic employers who are prepared to release some of their most valuable staff to serve in the Regiment, and therefore serve the Territory, and to the families who have stood resolutely in support. In terms of commitment a family joins a Regiment, not just an individual.
POLITICAL UNITY AND SUPPORT
A Defence Force that doesn’t have political support, or national support behind it, will surely fail as night follows day. This Regiment would not be before us had it not been for the complete commitment of two people, our previous Premier and our Present Premier. When Honourable Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson and Honourable Charles Washington Misick, as the then Leader of the Opposition, were asked if a UK Trained Regiment was something TCI wanted, as part of the delivery of our National Security Strategy, they were unequivocal in their support, both in initial word and subsequent deed.
Forming a Regiment from scratch, at time of Pandemic, with the economy at its most uncertain, when everything was harder than it normally would be, was not straightforward. There was a General Election and a change of Administration and a compressed budget cycle. If nothing else the formation of this Regiment was an act of focussed, cross-party, national political leadership, and national political unity, to deliver national security. That thanks must extend to include members of the previous Cabinet, and the present Cabinet, and to the past and to the present Legislature. The round of applause, from all sides of the House of Assembly, on Christmas Eve 2020, when the Defence Act passed, tells those on Parade that this Territory stands with them, as they stand for it.
THE WEIGHT OF COMMAND
My final word of thanks and reflection goes to the man on parade on whom so much rested and on who so much now depends. The Commanding Officer, Lt Col Ennis Grant. He was the first man recruited to the Regiment. At one point we had a Regiment of one man. I asked him to place great trust in others, that they would deliver, and I had to put great personal faith in him, and he in himself, around his own personal delivery and drive. The Regiment that stands before us today was never inevitable. Colonel Grant placed his reputation and credibility on the line and then threw himself, meticulously, into planning and delivering, researching and recruiting, brainstorming and directing as well as program of inspiring personal development.
Colonel – a word to you – many people have been involved and have helped – some close and some distant – but in the end Command, I am told, is the loneliest of roles. Your Regiment, the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment, now stands before you: trained to a basic standard. They are no longer recruits, they are Marines, and this is no longer an aspiration but a formed and disciplined Regiment.
We collectively said we would have this Regiment ready for this Hurricane Season and on 31st July 2021 it is here. It is youthful and its journey towards full professional development is only just beginning – there is a long road ahead – it cannot run before it can walk – but it is here and you are stood in front of it, in Command.
All of us here today entrust this Regiment to you – a trust easily given – because it has been earned by you. You will soon instruct the Regiment to march off the Parade Ground and into its future – a future for itself, certainly, but many here hope it is also a symbol of a new and better future for the way this Island both secures itself and thinks of itself. All of us at this parade salute you, thank you for carrying the burdens as well as the pleasures of Command and we salute ‘your’ Regiment, as you salute us. We thank you for your service.
And so many God bless the Turks and Caicos Islands, may God bless the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment and most importantly, today, may God Bless our Marines who so willingly serve and of whom we are all so very very proud. “
September 12, 2025
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands – The Turks and Caicos Islands are home to a wealth of creativity, from artisans and craft vendors to musicians and performers. Beaches Turks and Caicos, the Caribbean’s leading all-inclusive family resort, has pledged its continued support for these individuals by providing meaningful platforms for them to share their skills and stories with guests from around the world.
The resort’s commitment is most evident in its weekly Cultural Night showcase, where visitors are immersed in the vibrant traditions of the islands. Guests enjoy live performances which feature local music genres such as ripsaw, while artisans display and sell handmade creations. This event not only enriches the guest experience but also strengthens economic opportunities for local entrepreneurs.
Entertainment Division Manager Garett Bailey emphasized the significance of Cultural Night, “we want to showcase everything the Turks and Caicos Islands culture has to offer. Our goal is for guests to leave with a deeper appreciation of the island’s art, music and traditions, while giving local talent the opportunity to share their creativity with visitors from across the globe.”
Beyond Cultural Night, Beaches Turks and Caicos also welcomes local craft vendors onto the resort every Wednesday and Friday
where they are offered a direct space to market their goods. Guests have easy access to the Turks and Caicos Cultural Marketplace, where they can purchase authentic local arts and crafts.
Managing Director, James McAnally, highlighted how these initiatives reflect the resort’s broader mission, “we are committed to celebrating and sharing the vibrant culture of these islands with our guests. By showcasing local artistry and music, we not only provide entertainment but also help sustain and grow the creative industries of the Turks and Caicos Islands. From our cultural showcases to nightly live music, we are proud to create authentic connections between our guests and the people of these islands.”
Local musician Keon Hall, who frequently performs at the resort, expressed gratitude for the ongoing partnership, “being able to share my music with Beaches’ guests has created lasting relationships. Some visitors return year after year and request songs from previous performances. This partnership continues to celebrate what we do and strengthens the bond between local artists and the resort.”
The resort’s support of local artisans and entertainers extends beyond business opportunity; it is about preserving heritage and sharing stories. Guests take home more than souvenirs; they leave with experiences that deepen their understanding of Turks and Caicos’ culture and history.
Public Relations Manager, Orville Morgan, noted the importance of this commitment, “for many visitors, these interactions represent their first genuine connection to the Turks and Caicos Islands. From artisans and musicians to farmers and transport operators, our local talent helps shape every guest experience. At Beaches, we are proud to give them the stage to share their stories and their heritage.”
Beaches Turks & Caicos remains dedicated to developing cultural connections and supporting the artisans, musicians and entrepreneurs whose creativity makes the Turks and Caicos Islands unique. Each guest experience is an opportunity to celebrate and sustain the spirit of the islands.
Caribbean News
“Barbecue” is Cooked! US Turns Over 11 Million Haitians into Potential Informants with $5 Million Bounty
August 12, 2025
The United States just set fire to the underworld in Haiti — and this time, the smoke might finally flush out the man many call the most feared in the Caribbean.
On Tuesday, the U.S. government slapped a $5 million bounty on the head of Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier, the ex-police officer
turned gang boss accused of orchestrating massacres, torching neighborhoods, and strangling Haiti’s capital into chaos. This isn’t just a headline — it’s a full-blown game-changer.
That kind of cash — offered under the State Department’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program — is enough to turn the country’s entire population, more than 11 million people, into potential informants overnight. Add the millions in the Haitian diaspora, and Chérizier isn’t just wanted. He’s surrounded.
The Number That Changes Everything
Five million U.S. dollars today equals about 655 million Haitian Gourdes. In a country where many scrape by on less than $5 a day, that’s not just life-changing — it’s life-defining. It’s enough to rebuild homes, put generations through school, or buy a one-way ticket far from the gunfire.
In a place where trust is scarce and survival is everything, that figure is more than tempting — it’s irresistible. For Chérizier, it means every friend could be a future informant, and every loyalist might be calculating the cost of staying loyal.
‘We Will Find Them’ — Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney
Jeanine “Judge Jeanine” Pirro, the U.S. Attorney, set the tone with fire in her voice. “This indictment is the first of its kind,” she announced. “Jimmy Chérizier, also known as ‘Barbecue,’ is a notorious gang leader from Haiti who has orchestrated and committed various acts of violence against Haitians, including the 2018 La Saline attack in which approximately 71 people were killed. He both planned and participated in that massacre.
“Anyone who is giving money to ‘Barbecue’ cannot say, ‘I didn’t know.’ They will be prosecuted, and we will find them. They are supporting an individual who is committing human rights abuses, and we will not look the other way.”
Pirro wasn’t just going after Chérizier. She was sending a warning to the Haitian diaspora accused of feeding his war chest from abroad: the days of claiming ignorance are over.
‘No Safe Haven’ — Darren Cox, FBI
Then came Darren Cox, Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI, delivering the muscle of America’s most powerful investigative force. “There is no safe haven for Chérizier and his network,” Cox declared. “We are closing every link, every cell.” Since January, he said, the FBI has arrested three Top Ten fugitives, taken more than 19,000 criminals off the streets, and seized thousands of tons of narcotics — enough to save millions of lives across the U.S.
The FBI’s Miami and Houston offices have already bagged one of Chérizier’s Viv Ansanm associates inside the United States without firing a shot. “These efforts are a deliberate and coordinated plan,” Cox said, “to protect our communities and confront escalating threats from terrorist organizations like Viv Ansanm.”
‘Three-Year Investigation’ — Ivan Arvelo, HSI
Ivan Arvelo, Assistant Director of Homeland Security Investigations, brought the receipts. “This is the result of a three-year investigation into Chérizier’s procurement networks, cash pipelines, and operational financing that violates sanctions,” he explained. Arvelo described 400 structures destroyed, entire communities erased, and a gang exploiting U.S. dollars, technology, and immigration loopholes to keep its killing machine running. “We tracked how Americans unwittingly bankrolled brutality,” he said — proof that the net is tightening both inside Haiti and abroad.
‘The Worst of the Worst’ — Chris Lambert, State Department
Chris Lambert, representing the State Department’s International Affairs division, gave the political bottom line.
“Mass violence in Haiti must end,” Lambert said. “The instability resulting from Chérizier’s actions fuels illegal migration, regional
instability, and transnational crime. We will continue to apply every tool available — including our rewards programs — to stop the spread of unchecked violence, especially to target the worst of the worst criminal leaders threatening the people of our hemisphere.”
Lambert confirmed what many have long known: Chérizier is not just a gang leader. He commands Viv Ansanm, officially designated in May as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. In the eyes of the U.S., that makes him not just Haiti’s problem — but everyone’s.
Why Haitians May Not Resist
In Haiti, money talks — loudly. And when you put 655 million Gourdes on the table, it shouts.
That’s the kind of figure that turns casual acquaintances into informants and makes even the most hardened loyalist wonder if the payout is worth more than the risk. It’s not a matter of “if” word gets out, it’s a matter of “who will be first to collect.”
For grieving families, it’s a chance at justice. For the desperate, it’s a chance at survival. For Haiti as a whole, it’s hope — wrapped in the most dangerous of temptations.
An Answer to Prayers
For years, Haiti’s headlines have been a scroll of horrors — kidnappings, executions, burned neighborhoods, bodies in the streets. Chérizier’s name has been attached to too many of them.
This move by the U.S. isn’t just strategy. It’s personal. It’s a signal to every Haitian — at home or abroad — that the days of impunity could be ending.
I’ll admit it: when I heard the news, I danced, I sang, and I nearly cried. Not because $5 million is a lot of money, but because of what it means — the possibility, at last, of stopping the man accused of helping turn Haiti into hell on earth.
Four officials, four angles, one mission: Pirro’s fire, Cox’s grit, Arvelo’s precision, Lambert’s conviction. Together, they’ve put the heat on “Barbecue” like never before.
BBQ is cooked. The only question now is: which one of over 11 million potential informants will serve him up?
By Deandrea Hamilton | Editor
What would happen if the Caribbean started spending more with Africa?
That question is no longer hypothetical. It’s the vision behind a growing movement that sees the Caribbean not just as a neighbor of the Americas, but as a key partner in the rise of a “Global Africa.” With shared history, deep cultural ties, and emerging trade frameworks, experts say the potential is enormous—if the will to act finally matches the passion of the speeches.
Billions on the Table
Today, trade between Africa and the Caribbean sits at just over US $729 million annually. But the International Trade Centre (ITC) and Afreximbank project that number could balloon to US $1.8 billion per year by 2028—more than doubling in just a few years.
This boost is expected to come not just from commodities, but increasingly from services, particularly in transport, travel, food exports, and creative industries. Two-thirds of that growth, according to analysts, could come from services alone—sectors where the Caribbean is eager to expand. (afreximbank.com).
Meanwhile, Africa’s consumer and business spending is forecasted to skyrocket to US $6.66 trillion by 2030, driven by a population boom and rising middle class.
The Case for a New Trade Axis
The Caribbean imports 80% of its food, but many of those goods can be sourced from African markets. What we offer in return? World-class logistics, tourism know-how, financial services, and proximity to the U.S. market. It’s a natural fit—one that is currently underdeveloped.
The recent call by Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell for a “Global Africa Commission” underscores this urgency. He
urged stakeholders at the Afreximbank Trade Expo to stop the cycle of empty talk and get to work: building shipping routes, finalizing trade agreements, and boosting knowledge of what each region actually has to offer.
“We will not leave here with another communiqué,” Mitchell continued. “We will leave here with a commitment to act, to build together, to trade together, to succeed together and rise together.” The statement underscored a central theme of the summit — that both Africa and the Caribbean can no longer afford to admire the idea of unity; they must operationalize it.Pilot platforms like the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) are already simplifying how cross-border payments work between African countries—and could extend to Caribbean partners. The system removes the need for U.S. dollars in trade between African nations, creating space for sovereign empowerment.
What’s the Hold-Up?
Let’s be blunt: political will, slow bureaucracies, and lack of coordination are stalling real action. Despite a decade of “Africa–Caribbean unity” talk, less than 3% of CARICOM trade currently involves the African continent. That fact continues to undermine these brave speeches and ambitious notions.
Where Caribbean Consumers Fit In
Caribbean consumers—especially the younger, tech-savvy generation—are already looking for affordable, ethical, and culturally relevant goods. African markets offer exactly that. Redirecting even a fraction of spending toward African-made clothing, beauty products, tech tools, or agro-processed foods could start a real trade revolution.
Bottom Line
If the political leaders won’t build the bridge fast enough, maybe Caribbean consumers will. The money is there. The interest is rising. Now it’s time to turn the “Global Africa” vision into a real economic shift—one shopping cart at a time.
