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Turkey and Syria crumble; a Massive Death Toll attracts Massive Help

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By Deandrea Hamilton and Dana Malcolm

Editorial Staff

 

 

February 7, 2023 – More than 5,000 people are reported as dead and the casualty count is rapidly, heartbreakingly climbing in the wake of a massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria that leveled entire apartment buildings, cracked open roadways and fell centuries old structures. And now, rain is hampering the search and rescue efforts.

Turkey and Syria need a miracle and it seems the international community has banded together to make sure the neighbouring nations get one.

Just .2 shy of the highest listing on the Richter Scale, the 7.8 magnitude quake happened around 4 am Monday morning in Turkey (or nearly 8 pm Sunday local time) throwing people out of their beds and bringing apartments down on sleeping residents.

It rocked places as far as Lebanon and Israel which are up to 1300 miles away. An aftershock more powerful than the 2010 Haitian earthquake slammed the country just hours after compounding the devastation.

Help is on the way, some already there.

AP reports that the European Union, through 13 member countries have offered assistance including satellites shifted to the area for emergency mapping.  From Los Angeles Country, USA six specially trained dogs and 100 fire fighters and structural engineers are assembled for deployment.  Russia is coming too; Ten units and 300 people are en route to help in clearing debris and in the search for survivors.  Russia’s military will set up points to distribute humanitarian aid.

And there is more support; 21 rescuers and dogs from Greece; 150 engineers from Israel; $5 million and a 60 person search team from South Korea and Pakistan is sending in 50 to bolster the rescue team.

Britain is in talks with the UN says the news report about how to aid Syria, while 76 search and rescue specialists and equipment are already headed to Turkey to get people out while there is still time.

And list goes on and on, a heartening wave of help from a long list of countries including India, Taiwan, the Czech Republic, Japan, Switzerland, Lebanon, Germany, Austria, Spain, Poland, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Moldova, France, Egypt, Mexico, the Jordan, Italy and China all added to the money, food, humanitarian assistance and manpower needed to literally pull the two countries from under mounds and mounds of debris.

Videos of the wreckage show firefighters furiously trying to get people including babies out of flattened buildings. Historic landmarks are crumbled.

By 7:30 Monday morning Tayyip Ergodan, President of Turkey had said they needed aid from whoever could send it, it seems the call of a president in pain for his people has been vigorously answered.

Crime

Police Report NEW MURDER, No 44 for 2024

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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.

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Minister response to Trump deportation

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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.

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Reported Weekend Incidents

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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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