NASSAU AND BAHAMA ISLANDS’ LEADING NEWSPAPER

Volume: 107 No.184 WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2011 PRICE – 75¢ (Abaco and Grand Bahama $1.25)

WEATHER

SUNNY, T-STORM

HIGH 91FLOW 80F

STOLEN vehicles involvedin this recently exposed luxu-ry car scam are being regis-tered in the names ofdeceased persons to avoiddetection, The Tribune haslearned.

While these vehicles areregistered and licensed as ifthey have insurance, a quickinspection has shown thatsome of the vehicles have nocoverage whatsoever with theinsurance provider having “norecord” of the said vehiclesever being in their system.

The police also believe thatdiverse groups of people,ranging from local business-men to politicians arebelieved to have been dupedinto purchasing these stolenvehicles.

“This is an elaboratescheme, and it is not hard tosee why persons were unwit-tingly drawn in by theseunscrupulous people. Wehave certain information thatwould lead us to believe thatthere is a system they haveoperating that would allow

them to bring these cars indiscreetly, license them, sellthem over, and duplicate thisprocess very effectively.How this has been in opera-tion is anyone’s guess, but wecan easily say at least a fewyears,” an investigatorrevealed.

Yesterday, a source closeto the investigation told thisnewspaper that the port ofentry for these shipments ofcars would likely still beArawak Cay, with some ship-ments coming by way ofClifton Pier, where it isclaimed security is known tobe “slack.”

“They use what is com-monly referred to as ‘riverrats’; boats that can traversethe Miami river and hit theports that are not as wellpoliced such as the Port ofMiami or Fort Lauderdale.These boats would utilize a‘roll on, roll off’ system whatwould make it easy for threecars to be stored in and drivenout of each container that is

Stolen vehicles registered in namesof deceased persons

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Car scam usingdead people

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune FreeportReporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FREEPORT: A 20-year-old man is in criti-cal condition in hospitalafter yet another shoot-ing in Garden Villas.

This is the fourthshooting in the area in asmany months. So far thisyear, three young menhave lost their lives in thearea due to gun violence.

MAN IN CRITICALCONDITION AFTERANOTHER GARDENVILLAS SHOOTING

SEE page six

SEE page six ALL ABOARD: Campbell Shipping and COB maritime summer camp students enjoy a tour of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Baseat Coral Harbour yesterday.

• SEE PAGE NINE

MARITIME SUMMER CAMP TOURS RBDF BASE FELIPE MAJOR/TRIBUNE STAFF

By AVA TURNQUESTTribune Staff Reporteraturnquest@tribunemedia.net

US MEDIA reports areclaiming a Bahamian boyhas drowned while on sum-mer vacation in Florida,however foreign affairs offi-cials could not confirm thedeath yesterday.

According to reports,seven-year-old Carrington

Clarke drowned during aJuly 4 family gathering at aFort Lauderdale beach.

Carrington, with threeother children, had attempt-ed to swim out to a sand barwhen the tragedy occurredshortly before 3.30pm,according to Broward Sher-iff's Office spokeswomanDani Moschella, who was

REPORTS SAY BAHAMIAN BOYDROWNS ON FLORIDA VACATION

SEE page six

By TANEKA THOMPSON Deputy Chief Reporter tthompson@tribunemedia.net

IT is too early to tellwhether or not the Democ-ratic National Alliance canharness its surge in populari-ty and public interest intovotes at the polls, said for-mer third party leader DrBernard Nottage.

Dr Nottage, who once led

the Coalition for DemocraticReform (CDR), said his par-ty and its candidates also feltas if they had secured a goodportion of the public's sup-port but came face to facewith the harsh realities ofBahamian politics when theballots were counted.

"All of our candidatesexperienced what they

SEE page six

DR NOTTAGE: TOO EARLY TOTELL ON DNA’S POLL CHANCES

IAAF WORLD YOUTH

BBAAHHAAMMAASS RREEAADDYYTTOO RROOLLLLSEE SPORTS SECTION E

LOCAL NEWS

PAGE 2, WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2011 THE TRIBUNE

MIAMIAssociated Press

THE US Coast Guardhas returned more than 120Cuban and Haitianmigrants to theirCaribbean homelands.

The Coast Guard says 82Haitians were aboard a 40-foot sailing vessel inter-cepted Friday northwest ofGreat Inagua, Bahamas.They were all returnedMonday to Cap-Haitien,Haiti.

Fifteen Cuban migrantswere returned Monday toBahia de Cabanas, Cuba.The Coast Guard says theywere picked up at sea inthree separate interdictionssince Thursday.

Another 25 Cubanmigrants were repatriatedSunday.

A Coast Guard vesselpicked them up Wednesdayafter a Coast Guard air-craft spotted their vesselsouth of Key West.

Meanwhile seven raftersrescued Friday by a RoyalCaribbean cruise shipreturning to Port Ever-glades remain in CoastGuard custody.

They are expected to berepatriated later this week.

COAST GUARDSENDS HOME 122 HAITIANAND CUBANBOATERS

AHOY MATEY! Guests of Atlantis were treat-ed to a good ol’ swashbuckling time Monday as theAtlantis waterscape from the Royal Walk throughthe Royal, Mayan Temple and Dig Decks weretransformed into the largest spectacle ever for a4th of July celebration.

Aye, “Pirates in Paradise” it was, complete withpirates and lasses, carnival-styled games and prizes,delicious food and beverage treats, a live DJ and yes,of course, fireworks.

Aura’s Candy Cane Girls, adorned in red, whiteand blue, also made an appearance to spreadsome Independence cheer to delight-ed guests.

Hundreds turned out and filledthe decks for what can only bedubbed a overwhelmingly suc-cessful.

PHOTOS/ERIC NATHAN HALL

ATLANTISHOSTSPIRATESINPARADISE

IN THE past week police inNew Providence cited 140 dri-vers for various traffic infrac-tions and placed 300 mattersbefore the Traffic Court.

Persons were ticketed for dri-ving unlicensed or uninspectedvehicles; driving on a closedstreet; failing to keep left; park-ing in a no-parking area andhaving heavily tinted windows.

"The police commend mem-bers of the public who continueto adhere to the traffic rulesand regulations. Additionally,we wish to encourage members

of the public to be alert to yoursurroundings and to obey alllaws as police will continue withtheir efforts to make thisBahamas a safer place for all,"said press liaison officerSergeant Chrislyn Skippings.

LOCAL NEWS

THE TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2011, PAGE 3

140 DRIVERS CITED FOR TRAFFIC INFRACTIONS

By MEGAN REYNOLDSTribune Staff Reportermreynolds@tribunemedia.net

COMMERCIAL shark fishing hasbeen banned in the Bahamas following a10-month campaign to protect the essen-tial apex predators in the shark divingcapital of the world.

Minister of Agriculture and MarineResources Larry Cartwright signed offon the legislation prohibiting commer-cial shark fishing in approximately 630,00sq km (243,244 sq miles) of the coun-try’s waters as well as the sale, importa-tion and export of shark products at apress conference in the British ColonialHilton yesterday.

The government increased shark-fish-ing fines from $3,000 to $5,000,announced Deputy Prime Minister BrentSymonette, who attended the conferencewith Minister of the Environment EarlDeveaux.

The Bahamas is the fourth country toban the commercial fishing of sharksafter Palau, the Maldives and Honduras,and director of global shark conserva-tion for the Pew Environment GroupMatt Rand said he hopes the move willinspire others in the region.

Shark tourism generates $78 million ayear, and has contributed $800 millionfor the Bahamian economy over the last20 years.

The healthy shark population is attrib-uted to the ban on longline fishing gear in1993, and lack of commercial shark fish-ing to date.

But when a seafood export company inAndros told The Tribune it planned toexport shark meat and fins to Hong Konglast September, the Pew EnvironmentGroup and Bahamas National Trust(BNT) launched their campaign.

A total of 5,000 Bahamians signed apetition in support of the legislativechange to protect sharks, and talks byvisiting shark enthusiasts Pierre Yves-Cousteau, scientist and marine biologistGuy Harvey and Sherman’s Lagoon car-toonist Jim Toomey attracted largecrowds.

The result has been, “a magnificentstep for global shark conservation

efforts,” Mr Rand said.“We work on this issue globally trying

to save the world’s sharks, but there is noplace more synonymous with island envi-ronments as the Bahamas, it’s an iconaround the world.”

Mr Cartwright said the amendmentsto the Fisheries Resources (Jurisdictionand Conservation) Act were in keepingwith the government’s commitment topursue conservation policies and strate-gies to safeguard the environment andwas in response to calls for strengthenedprotection of sharks in the Bahamas.

“Sharks are heavily fished in theworld’s oceans and there is concern thatthe current levels of fishing, includingan increased level of illegal unreportedand unregulated fishing, cannot be sus-tained and will lead to a lapse of manyshark stocks,” Mr Cartwright said.

Around 73 million sharks are killedannually for their meat and fins, pri-marily to be served in the expensive

Asian delicacy shark fin soup, but assharks are slow to reproduce, these 400million year old predators, critical to thehealth of reef ecosystems and commer-cial fisheries, are at risk of becomingextinct.

Mr Cartwright said the department ofMarine Resources will enforce the legis-lation over import and export of sharkproducts, while the Royal BahamasDefence Force and United States CoastGuard will watch out for lawbreakers atsea.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister ofForeign Affairs Brent Symonette saidhe did not think the legislation wouldaffect relations with China, nor wouldthe influx of more than 8,000 Chineseworkers set to build Baha Mar present animmediate demand for the expensivedelicacy shark fin soup.

“There may be a market,” he said,“but the overriding concern of the envi-ronment is far greater.”

COMMERCIAL SHARK FISHING

BANNED!

Cartoon designed by Sherman’s Lagoon cartoonist Jim Toomey

By AVA TURNQUESTTribune Staff Reporteraturnquest@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Cay residents wereadvised to conserve water todayas Water and Sewerage Corpo-ration servicemen work torepair a malfunctioning pump.

The corporation explainedthe circumstances leading up tothe low pressure and supplyinconsistency experienced onthe northern Abaco cay sinceMonday, in a press statementyesterday.

According to the statement,an unusual sound was heardcoming from the high pressure

pump at the cay’s reverseosmosis water plant at around3am.

The statement read: “In aneffort to be proactive, and avoidany damage to the pump it wasturned off.

“As is typical of these sce-narios, it is industrial practice toreduce the pressures and lev-els of service to customers inan effort to conserve water.

During this period, con-sumers at higher elevations, orat the end of the system mayexperience reduced levels ofservice, especially during peakhours.”

The corporation advised that

water tank levels were beingclosely monitored to ensurethere is adequate water supplyto accommodate morning peakhours; however, residents inaffected areas were advised toconserve water yesterdayevening.

It was also noted that theplant had been serviced lastweek.

The statement added: “Assoon as further information isavailable regarding the natureof the equipment failure andthe anticipated repair time, thisinformation will be shared withour customers and the generalpublic.”

By SANCHESKA BROWN

A PILOT is lucky to be alivetoday after his plane crashedand exploded in Mangrove Cay,Andros Monday afternoon.

According to InspectorDelvin Major, accident investi-gator with the Civil AviationAuthority, the Golden Eagle421 aircraft developed problemsshortly after take off.

“The plane took off at2.30pm and that’s when thepilot noticed the engine was onfire. He tried to land back onthe runway but because of thespeed from takeoff, he could-n’t stop in time and the planeran off the runway into nearbybushes.”

The pilot, Jack Dilman of the US, was the sole passenger

of the aircraft, which was on itsway to Congo Town from Man-grove Cay.

According to InspectorMajor, the plane went downshortly after 2.30pm, but no one

noticed until almost two hourslater.

“Because the pilot was flyingagainst the wind when the planewent down, even after it explod-ed, you could not see the smokefrom the fire because it driftedin the opposite direction.

"It wasn’t until another air-craft was about to take off at4.30pm that the pilot noticed aman walking on the runway.”

Mr Major said luckily, thepilot was able to get out of theplane before it exploded, butpassed out just after managingto escape.

The aircraft was completelydestroyed, however the pilot lat-er woke up and walked awaywith only minor injuries.

He was airlifted to DoctorsHospital in New Providencewhere he was treated and dis-charged.

A team of investigators arestill in Andros gathering moreinformation about the crash.

With the nearing holiday

weekend, Mr Major took theopportunity to remind Bahami-ans to use only authorised char-ters for holiday travel. He saidthe aviation department wouldbe “proactive” this holiday, andquestion passengers when theyare coming off the planes. Heencouraged passengers not tolie to the investigators.

“We want to reiterate thesame message we have beensaying all along, please ensureyou use the services of legiti-mate operators. These legiti-mate operators we can attest tothe fact that they have propertraining, proper maintenance,and proper oversight from ourdepartment. The unauthorisedoperators, we cannot attest toany of that.

Passengers should request tosee official documentation, suchas an air operators certificate,a pilot license and pilot med-ical certificate, which should beno more than one year old for acommercial pilot.

PILOT SURVIVES PLANE CRASH, EXPLOSIONAIRCRAFT DEVELOPED PROBLEMS SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF

AN appeal by one of two Israeli brothers lockedin a long-standing feud over the division of millionsin assets is expected to be heard in the Court ofAppeal next week.

The appellate court has set aside July 13 and 14to hear an appeal brought on behalf of RamiWeisfisch.

He is reportedly seeking a stay of proceedings inthe Supreme Court. He is also appealing the low-er court’s decision to set aside a court-appointedaccountant’s earlier reckoning of what the distri-bution of the brothers’ profits should be and con-tends that Justice Stephen Isaacs should be pre-vented from proceeding any further with the casebecause of bias, according to reports in the publi-cation Metal Bulletin.

Rami’s brother Amir has lodged an applica-

tion to have a receiver appointed to run the assetsof the trust that owns SFP Metals, a London-based cobalt trading company.

Amir is reportedly also seeking to have attorneyPhilip “Brave” Davis replaced as the trustee of theAPW Trust by a court-appointed receiver.

The brothers’ dispute was thrust into the spot-light two years ago when it was revealed during ahearing before then Senior Justice Anita Allenthat Justice John Lyons had been dating the sisterof an accountant he had appointed to provide aforensic accounting report of the $100 million indispute. Justice Lyons subsequently resigned.

The Court of Appeal also ruled that then SeniorJustice Allen, who now serves as the appellatecourt president, should recuse herself from hear-ing the case.

GRAND CAY RESIDENTS ‘ADVISED TO CONSERVE WATER’

APPEAL BY MAN IN FEUD OVER ASSETS EXPECTED IN COURT OF APPEAL NEXT WEEKCOURT NEWS

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Would you please printthis letter in your prestigiousdaily. Thank you.

I am writing in referenceto several PLP supporterswho have a habit of callingin to the various radio talkshows in New Providence toberate Grand Bahamians forsupporting the Free Nation-al Movement in the 2007general election.

These chronic callersappear to be very incensedat Grand Bahamians for giv-ing the FNM five seats inthe last election.

It cannot be doubted,however, that withoutGrand Bahama’s support in2007, the FNM would’ve stillbeen in opposition.

Grand Bahama gave tothe FNM the Eight MileRock, Lucaya, Pineridge,Marco City and High Rockconstituencies. The Pro-gressive Liberal Party wasable to hold on to the WestEnd and Bimini constituen-cy.

The FNM took away theMarco City and Pineridgeconstituencies from the PLPin 2007. Marco City was rep-resented by Freeport attor-ney Pleasant Bridgewater,and the Pineridge con-stituency was representedby Ann Percentie-Russell.Both of them won thoseseats in 2002. Ann Per-centie-Russell shocked thepolitical world by defeatingC A Smith. Pleasant Bridge-water defeated Freeportattorney David Thompson.

The fact that PleasantBridgewater and Ann Per-centie-Russell could comeinto FNM country anddefeat two seasoned FNMparliamentarians is an indi-cation that Grand Bahami-ans are not as loyal to theFNM as some have madethem out to be.

The hue and cry from sev-eral of these PLP support-ers in Nassau who love tocall in to the radio talkshows is that the economyin Grand Bahama wasvibrant when the FNM cameto power in 2007. A few ofthem have even stated thatFreeport’s economy wentinto a recession because ofPM Ingraham’s stop, reviewand cancel policy.

According to one of thecallers who appeared to be adyed in the wool supporterof the PLP, Grand Bahami-ans are getting their justdeserts. One very old ladyalso called in to a popularradio talk show and said thatGrand Bahamians are toostupid for voting for theFNM; and that it is goodthat we are going through arecession. According to her,we should have supportedthe PLP instead.

One other PLP supportercalled in to a radio talk showand criticised the FNM fornot attracting any major for-eign investor to GrandBahama. He stated that theFNM has done nothing in“FNM country” during thelast four years; and that thePLP gave to Grand Bahamathe Ginn Development.

There is really no need forme to explain what GrandBahama’s economic dilem-ma is. We all know what isgoing on here in GrandBahama. But suffice to say,Grand Bahama has been ina recession now for over tenyears. This just didn't hap-pened in 2007. If those PLPsupporters really believethat Grand Bahama's econ-omy went into a recessionin May of 2007, then theyare either living on themoon, or they are just beingnaive. Two- thousand-sevenwas the year the FNMdefeated the PLP. That iswhy these rabid PLP sup-porters are always sayingthat was the year that Grand

Bahama went into a reces-sion.

In regards to the GinnDevelopment that thesepeople love to credit thePLP for. I would like forthem to travel to this islandand go drive up West Endand take a good, hard lookat what is happening at thatsite.

That development hascome to a virtual standstill.

There is hardly anythinghappening up there. Further,I have a relative who worksfor Ginn. She told anotherrelative of mine that she isworking only two or threedays a week. It is obvious toall sensible Grand Bahami-ans that the Ginn Develop-ment has not lived up to allthe hype.

The people of New Prov-idence need to know whatis going on at Ginn. I amoften given the impressionthat the people from Nas-sau really believe that theGinn Development is a phe-nomenal success.

However, the way thingsare going on right now withthat project, I don't eventhink that the PLP wouldwant to be mentioned in thesame breath with Ginn. Thepeople who are saying thatGinn is doing well are sim-ply lying through their teeth.

As to the PLP supportersin Nassau who love toberate Grand Bahamians forvoting for the FNM in 2007.When I last checked, thiscountry was still consideredto be a democracy.

If Grand Bahamians wantto vote for the FNM, CDR,PDP, BDM, NDP, DNA orthe Workers’ Party thenthat’s their constitutionalrights. That's their business.I take grave exception toanyone who would want toberate a citizen for exercis-ing his right to vote forwhomever he believes isbest suited to run thisnation. Sir Lynden had rep-

resented the constituency ofSouth Andros for 25 years.When the FNM came topower in August of 1992,they discovered that thepeople of South Androswere still living in the DarkAges. However, no one, tothe best of my knowledge,had ever called in to a radiotalk show and berated themfor supporting the father ofthe nation for a quarter of acentury.

Furthermore, we here inGrand Bahama had giventhe PLP an opportunity tofix our broken economy in2002. The only majorinvestor that they hadattracted to this island wasGinn. Ginn, as I havealready noted, has not livedup to the hype. Moreover,we here in Grand Bahamathought that the FNMwould have resuscitated theeconomy. But that has nothappened, owing to thefinancial meltdown of theeconomy in the UnitedStates.

You cannot blame us fortrying the FNM. Let us bearin mind that GrandBahama's economy hadexperienced an economicboom during the mid to latenineties under the FNM. Wewere hoping that the FNMcould have done the samething again for us.

Therefore, I beseech thePLP supporters in NewProvidence to stop callingGrand Bahamians stupid forvoting FNM in 2007. Ratherthan worry about who wesupport at the polls, try todo something about all thosemurders that are occurringevery other day in Nassau.

I understand that approx-imately 60 murders havebeen committed so far inNassau for 2011.

If anything call the ruth-less murderers who are ter-rorising Nassau, stupid.

But please don’t insultlaw-abiding Grand Bahami-ans for exercising their con-stitutional rights. GrandBahamians are not stupid.Thank you!

KEVIN EVANSFreeport, Grand Bahama,June 30, 2011.

EDITORIAL/LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2011 THE TRIBUNE

The Tribune LimitedNULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI

Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master

LEON E. H. DUPUCH, Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH, Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B.Publisher/Editor 1972-

Published Daily Monday to Saturday

Shirley Street, P.O. Box N-3207, Nassau, BahamasInsurance Management Building., P.O. F-485, Freeport, Grand Bahama

TELEPHONESSwitchboard (News, Circulation and Advertising) 322-1986

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WEBSITEwww.tribune242.com – updated daily at 2pm

BEIRUT — In a country with a history ofscores left unsettled, Hezbollah is in a strongposition to ride out an indictment accusing ahigh-ranking member of one of the mostdramatic political assassinations in the Mid-dle East.

The Shiite militant group has spent thepast year laying the groundwork for thwart-ing any move to implement the all-but-inevitable indictment in the 2005 murder offormer Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. It haswarned to "cut off the hand" of anyone whotries to arrest its members and repeatedlycast doubt on the tribunal's investigation.

The work appears to have paid off.Since the Netherlands-based court

released the indictments Thursday, therehas been no real sign that Lebanese author-ities are willing to arrest the four suspects,including Hezbollah militant MustafaBadreddine. To do so, they would have todirectly confront the Iran- and Syria-backedmilitant group that is firmly in control ofthe Lebanese state.

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallahplanned a speech Saturday to address theindictment.

The most prominent of the four peoplenamed in the indictment is Badreddine, whoappears to have a storied history of militan-cy. He is suspected of building the powerfulbomb that blew up the U.S. Marine bar-racks in Beirut in 1983, killing 241 Ameri-cans, mostly Marines, according to a federallaw enforcement official and a book "Jaw-breaker," by Gary Berntsen, a former officialwho ran the Hezbollah task force at theCIA.

He also is the brother-in-law of the lateHezbollah military commander Imad Mugh-niyeh and is suspected of involvement in the1983 bombings of the U.S. and Frenchembassies in Kuwait that killed five people.

Hezbollah has always had serious muscle,boasting a guerrilla force that is better armedand stronger than the national army.

But the group has amassed unprecedent-ed political clout in the government, havingtoppled the previous administration in Jan-uary when then-Prime Minister Saad Hariri— the slain man's son — refused torenounce the tribunal investigating hisfather's death.

The new premier, Najib Mikati, wasHezbollah's pick for the post. He issued avague promise Thursday that Lebanonwould respect international resolutions aslong as they did not threaten the civil peace.

The ambiguous wording leaves ampleroom to brush aside the arrest warrants ifstreet battles are looming. The Cabinet ispacked with Hezbollah allies, so there is lit-tle enthusiasm within the current leadership

to press forward with the case.And the indictments do indeed threaten

to ignite fresh violence in Lebanon. In the sixyears since Hariri's death, the investigationhas sharpened the country's sectarian divi-sions — Rafik Hariri was one of Lebanon'smost powerful Sunni leaders, while Hezbol-lah is a Shiite group. It has also heightenedother intractable debates, including the ques-tion of the role of Hezbollah — and its vastarsenal, which opponents want dismantled.

Walid Jumblatt, a Hezbollah ally andleader of the tiny Druse sect, warned Fridaythat the indictments could lead to new civilstrife in Lebanon and painted the case as amatter of justice versus stability.

"As much as justice is important for themartyrs and the wounded, so too civil peaceand stability is the hoped-for future," saidJumblatt, whose own father was a victim ofa political assassination in Lebanon and whowas once an ardent supporter of the tribunalbefore switching alliances. "Civil peace ismore important than anything else."

He pointed to widespread fears that thecase could further divide the country, whichhas been recovering from decades of blood-shed, including a 15-year civil war that end-ed in 1990 and more recent sectarian battles.

The younger Hariri and his allies, now rel-egated to the opposition, and the interna-tional court will likely push for action againstthe four. But there is little they can do toforce the government to do so.

Lebanese authorities have until the end ofJuly to serve the indictments on suspects orexecute arrest warrants. If they fail, thecourt's recourse is to publish the indictment.Details in the indictment about the investi-gation into the killing — so far kept underwraps — might in theory prove embarrassingto Hezbollah, but the group is unlikely to beseverely hurt by them.

While Jumblatt appeared to be offering astark choice — either turn a blind eye to adastardly crime, or run the risk of chaos —Hezbollah's leader has taken another tack.

Nasrallah has worked tirelessly to con-vince the Lebanese that the tribunal is not fitto deliver justice. For more than a year, hehas gone on a media offensive against the tri-bunal, taking nearly every opportunity tocall it biased, politicized and a tool of arch-enemy Israel.

He also said early on that he knewHezbollah would be accused of the crime, apre-emptive strike that dampened the impactof Thursday's indictment and bolstered hiscredentials as the man in charge in Lebanon.

(This article was written by Elizabeth A.Kennedy, Associated Press chief of bureaufor Syria and Lebanon).

I beseech PLPsupporters to stop

labelling Grand Bahamians stupid

LETTERSletters@tribunemedia.net

Hezbollah poised to ride out indictments

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Dear Friends,Please open your eyes and see that as Bahamians, we might

be losing one of our historic places, The Caves on West BayStreet, near Blake Road.

These Caves, dark and mysterious, hundreds of years ago,were once the homes of Arawak Indians, and it is also writtenthat the “Pirates of Nassau” made these chambers their dwellingplaces. They are a part of our history.

In this 38th year of Independence, we cannot allow personswho were given permission to build on the top of our nationaltreasure to own them.

In the United States, “The Grand Canyon”, “The North Car-olina Historic Latta Plantation”, “The Presidential Log Cabin”,etc are protected historical areas. We have so little to be proudof, and the Caves West Bay Street is one of the “little.”

The condo owners have started to build steps down the his-toric rocks. Come on Bahamians, we must stop this. This isour Bahamas to be preserved for future generations.

These foreigners are disrespectful to our country and cul-ture, and are testing us to the limit. The condo people, I under-stand had promised to beautify this area when constructionwas completed, but instead the cave area is overgrown withweeds and is “smelly”. Visitors are stopping to take pictures ontheir way to the airport.

I was embarrassed when I took students there while on ahistoric tour on Saturday past.

And if our government has sold “The Caves” to an investorwho will eventually “cement” them shut until the end of time,I say to you all, don’t let this happen. Go and look for yourselves.

Let’s write letters and call the “Talk Shows” until we find outwho actually owns “The Caves.”

The Bahamian people or the condo owners? The personswho allowed this construction on the top of this historic placeshould be “shame” of themselves.

VERA CHASEWriter,Published AuthorResearcher of Bahamian HistoryConcerned Citizenof The BahamasNassau,July 5, 2011.

OPEN YOUR EYES, WE MIGHTBE LOSING ‘THE CAVES’

LOCAL NEWS

THE TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2011, PAGE 5

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POLICE recovered a hand-gun and ammunition from ahome in Pinewood Gardens.

According to police reports,officers from the East StreetSouth Police Station went to abushy area at Bamboo Boule-vard, Pinewood Gardensaround 5.45 pm Mondaywhere they discovered theweapon with a quantity ofammunition.

Nearly an hour later, offi-cers from the Mobile Divisionmade a similar discovery.

Police said that at 6.40 pmMonday, officers acting on atip went into bushes at therear of a residence on Dar-ling Lane off Wulff Roadwhere they discovered a hand-gun.

No one was arrested ineither incident, howeverinvestigations continue.

• A 49-year-old man ofStep Street was arrested Mon-day night after he was foundin possession of cocaine.

The man was arrested byofficers of the Rapid Strikeoperation sometime at 8pmat Step Street.

Police investigations con-tinue.

• A 20-year-old man whowas turned into police by afamily member is now assist-ing officers with the investi-gation into a recent murder.

Police reports indicate thattwo men got into a fight whileat Windsor Lane and MarketStreet and at some point oneof the men was stabbed.

The incident occurredaround 5pm Sunday. Para-medics arrived and pro-nounced the victim dead atthe scene. Police investiga-tions continue.

THE government said its$120 million New Provi-dence Road Improvementand Infrastructure Project)is making “steady”progress.

The project aims toimprove the road networkby constructing new roadcorridors, reconstructingexisting road corridors andimproving major intersec-tions.

The works have beenheavily criticised by mer-chants in some areas, whosay their businesses havesuffered because of lengthyroad closures, but the gov-ernment insists manyBahamians are alreadybenefiting from new andimproved roads.

In a statement issuedyesterday, the governmentnoted that so far:

• The corner of EastStreet and Robinson Roadhas been resurfaced, begin-ning at Claridge Road.New traffic signal lightsand drainage wells havealso been placed at thisjunction.

• The Wulff Road/Poin-ciana and Baillou HillRoad junction has beenpaved. Fleming to ChapelStreets has also beenpaved.

• New traffic lights havebeen installed at theRobinson and ClaridgeRoad junction and are inthe process of beingattached to the BEC grid.Sidewalks, pedestriancrossings and bus stops arealso planned for this area.

• Traffic is flowing onthe new lanes that havebeen built on East Street.The improvements to thiscorridor also include curb-ing, street light columnsand sidewalks. Under-ground drainage infrastruc-ture has been installed onboth sides of the road.

FREEPORT – Eleven of Grand Bahama’s topgraduating students have been awarded partial ter-tiary scholarships under the Top Achiever Pro-gramme launched by the Grand Bahama PortAuthority.

Instituted in 2009 under the GBPA’s “Making itHappen” initiative, the programme is committed toawarding scholarship donations to the top Bahami-an graduating student in each high school on GrandBahama who meets the criteria.

“We are proud to recognise the outstandingachievements of our island’s top achievers. Addi-tionally, we want to encourage our young people toobtain necessary skills through higher education, sothat they in turn can contribute to our economy,”stated GBPA-president, Ian Rolle.

The recipient of the GBPA Top Achiever awardat Lucaya International School (LIS) was Frumen-tia Leon. During commencement exercises at thePelican Bay Resort, she also received the Salutato-rian, English and biology awards.

A previous head girl and valedictorian of SunlandBaptist Academy, some of Frumentia’s notablepast experiences include travelling to the UnitedNations Conference in England for 10 days for theOxford IB Study Course. A descriptive assessmentby her teachers depicts her as positive, resilient,intelligent, and curious.

“Frumentia displays great work ethics, alwaysstrives to improve and is an effort learner,” theyadded. Her peers consider her to be an over-achiever, humble, kind, intelligent and old-fash-ioned.

Walking away with the GBPA Top Achieveraward at Bishop Michael Eldon High School’s(BMES) graduation was Brandi Wheeler.

The diminutive scholar was also the recipient ofsix BJCs, eight BGCSEs and received a SAT scoreof 1730.

Brandi plans to further her studies at GeorgiaSouthern University.

The 71 BMES graduates were addressed byDeputy Commissioner of Police, Quinn McCartney,who offered four pieces of meaningful advice: Havesight of your destination; make use of the weaponsyou possess; remain focused; and celebrate eachmilestone.

Daniel McKinney, valedictorian and head Boy atthe Grand Bahama Academy of Seventh-dayAdventists, captured a slew of awards during grad-uation exercises held at Our Lucaya Resort Con-vention Centre. In a moving valedictorian’s address,he expressed how years of bullying and teasingbecause of his love of books, led to him becomingrebellious and withdrawn at school. However, dueto strong faith and help from others, he chose toreject negativity and pursue a course of excellence.

“In life, we will all face many obstacles and chal-lenges,” Daniel said. “But always remember, a jour-ney of 1,000 miles begins with the first step.”

Receiving a partial tertiary scholarship as theGBPA Top Achiever, Daniel walked away withnumerous other achievements including subject

awards for: History, Mathematics, Chemistry,Physics, Combined Science/Biology, Spanish, andthe Most Outstanding Student Academically. Healso received the second highest GPA amongstgraduating high school students on Grand Bahama.

These three recent graduates now join an elitegroup of top graduating local achievers who’vereceived GBPA scholarship donations. In addition,more than 90 students are currently pursuing tertiary-level studies as Port Authority scholarship recipients.

HANDGUN ANDAMMUNITIONRECOVERED

POLICE NEWSTHE NEWLY PAVED intersection of BaillouHill Road, Chapel and Meadow Streets.

TRAFFIC IS FLOWINGon the newly paved

Baillou Hill Road northnear to Meadow Street.

NEW TRAFFIC LIGHTS at the junctionof Baillou Hill and Wulff Roads.

SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO GB’S HIGH SCHOOL ACHIEVERS

LUCAYAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL graduate, Frumentia Leon (right) proudly accepts a GBPA Top Achiever scholarship from director of GBPAcommunity relations Geneva Rutherford.

GENEVA RUTHERFORD (right) presents BrandiWheeler with the Top Achiever award for BishopMichael Eldon High School.

DANIEL MCKINNEY, head boy, Grand Bahama Acad-emy (left) accepts his Top Achiever GBPA scholarshipfrom Geneva Rutherford.

LOCAL NEWS

PAGE 6, WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2011 THE TRIBUNE

www.rbcroyalbank.com/caribbean™ Trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence.

NOTICERBC Royal Bank (Bahamas) Ltd. INVITES TENDERS

RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas) Ltd. invites tenders for the purchase of the following:

“All THAT” piece parcel or lot of land being Lot No. 112 situated in Westridge Estates Subdivision situated in the Western district of the Island of New Providence one of the islands of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.

Property Size: 22,000 sq. ft. Building Size: N/A

This property is being sold under Power of Sale contained in a Mortgage to RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas) Ltd.

All offers should be forwarded in writing in sealed envelope, addressed to the Manager, Royal Bank Commercial Financial Services, P.O. Box N-7549, Nassau, Bahamas and marked “Tender 7939”. All offers must be received by the close of business 4:00 p.m., 8th July, 2011.

thought was support from the elec-torate. Obviously there was a range ofresponses but we were very optimistic,not that we could win the government,but that we could win a number of seats.As it turned out at the end of the daywe did not. So the day of (results) wasvery disappointing for us. But one ofthese days, who knows it can happen,"the MP told The Tribune.

"We did have enthusiastic support, Ithink that Mr McCartney's party alsoseems to be enjoying very enthusiasticsupport. I think however there are real-ities of politics in the Bahamas and Ithink that people in the country todaygenerally do want some change and doappear to want fresh faces and theDNA certainly represents that at thepresent time.

"Whether that will translate into

votes on election day is a different issue.For that I think you have to examinethe situation as it exists today. You alsohave to look at our history of third par-ties in elections in the Bahamas wherevery often third party members are dis-appointed in the results.”

However, the Bain and Grants TownMP conceded that many persons – evensome in his constituency – want"change" from the status quo ofBahamian politics, a selling point theDNA is attempting to capitalise on.

"In my particular area there are somepersons who are indicating that theyare looking at that party but I wouldn'tsay as of yet that it's been overwhelm-ing. I haven't seen any release of a can-didate for the (Bain & Grants Town)area. Once that happens we will seewhat the response is.

"I think it's a little too early to pass averdict on that because we have to seehow things play out over the next sev-

eral months. I think a lot is going todepend on when the election is, theconditions of the country at the timeof the election but I think that any thirdparty at any stage in our country havingregard to the core supporters of the two(major) political parties that have beenaround for a long time.

"Initially in any case the results arenot likely to be very positive but Iwouldn't declare a position on thatright now, we'll see how things workout."

Dr Nottage left the now-oppositionProgressive Liberal Party before the2002 general election and formed theCDR.

His party ran a nearly full slate ofcandidates, however they did miserablyat the polls.

He soon rejoined the PLP, which wonthat election, and was appointed minis-ter of health in the Christie adminis-tration.

Garden Vil las isalready a known hot-spot for criminal activity,including drug traffick-ing, gambling and anumber of other illegalbusinesses, and policeare worried the trend isworsening.

A group of senior offi-cers held a walkabout inthe area following theearlier shootings andwere told by concernedresidents the criminalact ivity is caused by“outsiders” who comeinto the community andcreate mayhem.

The latest victim wasshot at around 2am onTuesday at WeddellAvenue, police report-ed.

Assistant Superinten-dent Loretta Mackeysaid detectives are con-tinuing their investiga-tions into the matter.

According to initialreports, the victim wasattending an event in thearea on Monday eveningwhen he was shot in theupper right side. He wasrushed to the RandMemorial Hospital fortreatment.

On March 9, PatrickRussell , 42, of LewisYard, was discovereddead in a car on WeddellAvenue.

Russell had sustainedmultiple gunshot woundsand was found slumpedin the driver’s seat of hisgold-coloured NissanMaxima.

Two months later, 31-year-old Kiano JavierMartinborough was dis-covered shot in the head.

Sonny Anopolis, 29,was shot on May 17 atWeddell Avenue. Hewas air l i f ted to thePrincess Margaret Hos-pital where he died twoweeks later.

No one has beenarrested in connectionwith the earlier shoot-ings or this latest case,and police are appealingto anyone with informa-tion that might assistwith the investigations tocall 911, 350-3107/8 orthe Central DetectiveUnit at 352-9774/5.

THE BAHAMAS’ VERY OWN STREET PHI LOSOPHER

Dr Nottage: too early totell on DNA’s poll chances

Reports say Bahamian boydrowns on Florida vacation

FROM page one

quoted in a Sun Sentinel arti-cle.

Only one child – an 11-year-old girl – was able toreach the sand bar, accord-ing to Moschella, who esti-mated it to be about 50 yardsfrom the shore. A lifeguardnoticed the other three chil-dren struggling in the water.

The Sun Sentinel articlereports: “Adults jumped into rescue the children, but

Carrington slipped underwater, and the adults lostsight of him. About 10 to 15minutes later, a BSO heli-copter located him about 100yards south of where he waslast seen.

“A Lauderdale-by-the-Sea volunteer firefighter ona personal watercraft andlifeguards pulled him fromthe water. Paramedics per-formed CPR.”

Carrington was pro-nounced dead at Holy Cross

Hospital shortly before4.30pm.

CBS 12 News, who alsocarried the story, listed theother young swimmer’s agesas 13 and 14.

The entire group was saidto include three adults andeight children.

Lifeguards, volunteer fire-fighters and American Med-ical Response workers werealready at the beach, accord-ing to Moschella, as the cityhad planned a rescue

demonstration that includ-ed a simulated drowning.

The Sun-Sentinel identi-fied Carrington’s uncle asOmar Ferguson, of FortLauderdale. It was believedthe young boy had just trav-elled to the US with hisbrother on Sunday.

According to the article,Mr Ferguson said the familyhad only been at the beachabout 20 minutes beforeCarrington went into thewater.

Mr Ferguson said hisnephew stayed with himevery summer, and hedescribed Carrington as a“pretty good” swimmer forhis age.

"He was a beautiful boy.He wanted to grow up to bea lawyer. He loved to swim,"said Mr Ferguson.

Up to press time, theBroward Medical Examin-er’s Office had not yet deter-mined the cause of death.

Foreign Affairs Perma-

nent Secretary Dr PatriciaRodgers could not confirmthe report yesterday as theconsular division had notreceived any informationconcerning the matter.

DR BERNARD NOTTAGE

loaded onto a vessel. These containers couldthen be driven on to, and off a vessel at anygiven point if the right Customs officer wasin on the deal. It’s as simple as that,” anothersource said.

So far to date, it has been suggested thatthere are at least 85 persons who could havebeen affected by this latest scam which isreported to include a number of high end vehi-cles, including Mercedes, Lexus, Jaguars,BMWs and other high-end vehicles.

The Tribune will continue with its investi-gation into this matter.

FROM page one

CAR SCAM USING DEAD PEOPLE

MAN IN CRITICALCONDITION AFTERANOTHER GARDENVILLAS SHOOTING

FROM page one

By DENISE MAYCOCKTribune Freeport Reporterdmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FREEPORT – A pedestrianwho was struck by a car onQueens Highway on Mondayevening is in stable conditionin hospital.

Asst Supt Loretta Mackeyreported that the 22-year-oldEight Mile Rock man waswalking around 11.40pm whenthe accident occurred nearPolymers International.

The victim was taken to theRand Memorial Hospital fortreatment.

The driver, a 53-year-oldmale resident of Pinder’s Point,is assisting police with theirinvestigation.

Ms Mackey appealed tomotorists to drive with extremecaution at all times.

“We want to take this oppor-tunity to remind the motoringpublic to pay attention to thespeed limit, pedestrian cross-ings, and stop signs,” she said.

Ms Mackey said driversshould avoid distractions, suchas talking on cell phones or fid-dling with the radio.

She added that pedestriansshould walk on the right handside of the road, facing on-com-ing traffic.

They should also wear light-coloured or florescent clothingwhen walking late at night orduring the early morning, shesaid.

MAN ‘STABLE’IN HOSPITALAFTER BEINGSTRUCK BY CAR

Shareyournews

The Tribune wants to hearfrom people who aremaking news in theirneighbourhoods. Perhapsyou are raising funds for agood cause, campaigningfor improvements in thearea or have won anaward.If so, call us on 322-1986and share your story.

FROM page one

AS the country battles theproblems of homicides, drugabuse and domestic violence theNassau City Opera will take onthese themes and more in theirproduction of Porgy and Bess.

The Opera will present thecelebrated drama at the Rain-forest Theatre on July 7, 9 and 10- on the occasion of theBahamas' 38th anniversary ofIndependence.

This week will mark the firsttime that the groundbreakingopera will be performed locallysince its premiered in New Yorkin 1935.

“It is a fantastic work,” saidDr Cleveland Williams, directorand producer of the show. “Thethemes that run through Porgyand Bess are the themes that runin the tapestry of our country.One is that of the abuse of (a)woman, Bess. Others are loveand acceptance and murder.”

Dr Williams noted the largenumber of homicides recordedfor the year so far.

“Today, if you average thenumber of murders taking place,they average 10 per month,” hesaid.

Dr Williams believed Porgyand Bess was an appropriatework to bring to the Bahamasafter his group successfullystaged another black opera –Treemonisha – in 2009 for the36th anniversary of Indepen-dence.

Porgy and Bess is the musicalwork of George Gershwin whowrote the opera based on theGullah people, who are foundin large numbers now in South

Carolina and have successfullyretained their strong African tra-ditions and culture, Dr Williamsexplained. Bahamian are descen-dants of the Gullah people, somebelieve.

The story hinges on the rela-tionship between disabled beg-gar Porgy and a prostitute, Bess,who he fights to rescue from theclutches of her abusive lover,Crown.

Dr Williams pointed out theartistic and logistic complexityof the production, which includesa cast of more than 50 singers.Many roles have been doublecast in case of illness or anotheremergency and performanceswill feature various singers. Inaddition, Nassau City Opera hasadded 14 musicians from Cana-da to join its Bahamian orchestraof retired police musicians forthe performances.

“This is a massive undertak-ing, especially when you look atPorgy and Bess being performedby opera houses all over theworld,” he said.

The production featuresAntoine Wallace and DrWilliams as Porgy; CandaceBostwick and Kali Wilder asBess; Nikita Thompson Wells,Tammie Woods and AnnetteDorsett as Serena.

Lisa Fritz Charles and PortiaBarnett as Clara; Esther ZonicleVincent as Annie; Virginia Zon-icle as Maria; Charles Zonicle,the Undertaker; Darrell Hurt-son as Crown; Wilfred Adder-ley and Scott Adderley as Sport-ing Life and Allan Butler asFraizier.

BLACKOUTS resulting fromelectrical load shedding has thegovernment taking the solutionsprovided in the National EnergyPolicy seriously.

And, the residual effect of glob-al climate change is teachingBahamas Electricity Corporation(BEC) employees a hands-on les-son about why Bahamians arebeing encouraged to buy solar pho-tovoltaic panels.

“The majority or the largest con-sumer of petroleum products inthe Bahamas is BEC… our elec-trical companies. And so we wantto reduce the demand on them.About 40 per cent of the energythey produce are primarily tohouseholds for residential use,”said Phenton Neymour, Ministerof State for the Environment.

“If we could lower their demand,we could in fact reduce the amountof petroleum products we importinto the Bahamas and at the sametime assist in addressing climatechange in the region.

“Essentially, climate change inthe Bahamas is a matter of life anddeath because 80 per cent of theBahamas is within 10 feet of sealevel. If sea level rises significantly,the majority of our land will beunder it. I tell people regularly, ifyou’re talking about 10 feet of sealevel, that’s all of the South Beachconstituency,” he said.

According to Mr Neymour, 99per cent of the Bahamas’ energy isdrawn from petroleum – fromdiesel to heavy fuel oils.

Recently, the price of oil hasbeen rising and is not expected tofall significantly. The Ministry of

the Environment is encouragingBahamians to minimise their usageof petroleum products in theBahamas.

“It is time that the Bahamasaddresses energy consumptionseriously. We are an archipelagoand BEC has 30 plants through-out the Bahamas, which is verycostly to maintain.

“So if we can reduce the amountof energy they have to produce,we also help ourselves,” said MrNeymour.

He said recent studies recog-nised the great potential for renew-able energy in the areas of windand solar technology and that theBahamas is now moving forwardinto other forms of energy.

It was noted that between therising cost of importing oil and therising temperature of the Earth’ssurface, the Bahamas is "betweena rock and a hard place", andBahamians are encouraged to easethe electrical demand placed onBEC.

“What is most important is toget the greatest impact to the aver-age Bahamian," said Mr Ney-mour. "The majority of our bill,about 30 per cent of it, is estimatedto be as a result of our waterheaters. If we can eliminate thatcost, or minimise that cost to indi-viduals, we are significantly helpingBahamians in terms of reducingtheir expenses and improving theirlives in the future,” he said.

“We brought in 134 solar waterheaters. Some of them will beinstalled in government subdivi-sions. So we want to begin thisprocess to demonstrate how much

we can save. There are over 60,000residential homes in New Provi-dence who can benefit from solar

water heaters and it’s estimatedthey will pay for themselves with-in two to three years, so we want

you also to promote solar waterheaters and solar systems through-out the Bahamas.”

LOCAL NEWS

THE TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2011, PAGE 7

ENERGY SOLUTIONSGOVERNMENT PROMOTES SOLAR PANELS

THOSE WHO ATTENDED a trainingsession put into practice what theylearned. A solar panel has beeninstalled on the roof of a governmentbuilt home in order to test theNational Energy Plan. Solar panelsmay become a part of the buildingcode of Bahamian homes.

THESE MENworked togetherto install a waterheater attached toa solar panel ontop of a roof. Thesolar panel wasable to producehot water in thehome, which isnot connected tothe BEC grid.

INSTALLING a solar panel.

CURTAIN RISES FOR NASSAU RUN OF PORGY AND BESS

Antoine Wallace Cleveland A. Williams Candace Bostwick

By LARRY SMITH

EVER since the pineforests of the Bahamas werelogged during the first 60 orso years of the last century,their ultimate survival hasbeen in jeopardy due to con-flicts with agricultural andcommercial development.But a new Forestry Actpassed last year couldchange that.

This landmark legislationcreated a small Forestry Unitwithin the Ministry of theEnvironment that is chargedwith managing this impor-tant natural resource. Andfor the first time in manydecades, a sawmill is oper-ating again on Abaco.

The Forestry Unit hassigned an agreement with alocal company called LindarIndustries for the harvestingof pine trees on Abaco tomake finished lumber, ini-tially for the local market.Lindar is owned by RobRoman, a Canadian engi-neer with a background inmining and forestry who ismarried to a Bahamian.

He is building an $800,000sawmill south of Marsh Har-bour to process up to 25,000board feet of lumber everyfew weeks, with a forecastedproduction of one millionboard feet in 2012. By theend of this year the millexpects to employ 20 peopledirectly while creating anoth-er 45 indirect jobs. Regularproduction of flooring, ceil-ing bead board, wall pan-elling, mouldings and trim isexpected to begin by the endof September.

“Our pine trees are amongthe fastest growing in the

world,” according to the newForestry Director, ChrisRussell. “They can also pro-duce a uniquely hard andattractive lumber that ishighly resistant to termites.This lumber was used exten-sively for the construction ofBahamian homes in earlieryears.”

Pine trees of various sizeswill be systematically select-ed for harvesting as thin-nings, Russell told me, withthe retention of the betterquality trees as the futurecrop suitably spaced on asawlog rotation.

Resource"The better quality logs

will be used for constructionlumber and high-value tim-ber products. Logs of lesserquality will be converted tocharcoal, mulch and fenceposts. Lindar Industries ispartnering with the Ministryof the Environment toensure responsible steward-ship of the forest resourceto support a sustainable lum-ber industry."

For decades, conserva-tionists have called for legis-lation to govern forestresources in order to ensuretheir long-term survival.Forests are important for theprotection of groundwaterresources, maintenance ofthe hydrological cycle, soilconservation, and biodiver-

sity protection. When regulations are

implemented this year, theForestry Act will create anew framework for the sus-tainable use of Bahamianforests. And the ForestryUnit will set fees and processapplications for the harvest-ing of forest produce, as wellas supervise the exploitation,transportation, milling andselling of forest produce bythe government or the pri-vate sector.

The Forestry Unit will berequired to prepare a nation-al forest plan every fiveyears, to detail the contribu-tion of forests to the nation-al economy, including tim-ber and water production.Under the Act, the Envi-ronment Ministry maydeclare any Crown land tobe a Forest Reserve, a Pro-tected Forest or a Conser-vation Forest.

A Forest Reserve is to bemanaged as a permanentforest estate for the sustain-able utilization of timber andnon-timber forest produce.A Protected Forest is to bemanaged as a ForestReserve until the land isrequired for other purposes.A Conservation Forest is tobe managed strictly for thepreservation of its uniquenatural resources and bio-logical diversity.

Forest Reserves and Con-servation Forests represent

the highest level of protec-tion, with only Parliamenthaving the authority to altertheir status. Forest Reservesand Protected Forests canbe logged sustainably usingbest management practices.The land use of ProtectedForests can be changed byministerial order, subject toan environmental impactassessment.

The Forestry Unit will alsoestablish nurseries to helpmaintain forests and forestcrops. A small research cen-tre is being set up at Ade-laide for this purpose. Cut-ting of trees and roads in thevarious forest estates will belimited by regulation, andplans and funding forreplanting or restocking anarea must be in place beforeany timber is harvested.Penalties for breach of theAct’s regulations includefines of up to $25,000 andtwo years imprisonment.

The Director of Forestrywill work with the BahamasNational Trust to implementthe new Forestry Act. TheBNT will administer a spe-cial annual budget to allowits park wardens to act asforest officers on Abaco,Andros, Grand Bahama andNew Providence. TheForestry Unit is presentlyreviewing applications forthe sustainable harvesting ofpine timber in several forestareas, hoping to generaterevenue from royalties, leas-es and license fees.

Since commercial loggingceased here in the late 1960s,thousands of acres of pineforest have been cleared foragriculture and other devel-opments. In the 1980s, whenthe citrus industry wasbooming on Abaco, the gov-ernment intended to putsome 80,000 acres of forestlands under cultivation,which would have placedAbaco's remaining forestsunder serious threat. But thecitrus farms were later bank-rupted by disease.

The government's seminal1977 land resources studyput this conflict of interestinto clearer context:"Although it is inevitablethat the acreage of forestland will diminish becauseof agriculture...it is essentialthat such encroachmentshould be carefully con-trolled." In other words, thestudy said, destruction ofvaluable tree crops shouldonly be considered wherethe benefits are clear andwhere alternatives have beenexamined and rejected. Thenew forestry law codifies thisapproach for the first timein our history.

According to Environ-ment Minister EarlDeveaux, the biggest conflict

Bahamians face is betweendevelopment and trees. Thatis to say, how much coppice,pine forest and mangrovewetlands should bedestroyed to build roads,houses, shops, hotels andmarinas. The environmentalcost of deforestation is a farmore critical equation forthe future of the Bahamasthan the issue of how muchland we use to grow corn. Inother words, we should stopregarding our forests as merewastelands.

Since the early settlers ofthe Bahamas virtually erad-icated the most valuablehardwood trees (likeBraziletto Mahogany andCedar), our most productiveforests have been the500,000 acres of pineland onAbaco, Andros, GrandBahama and New Provi-dence.

LicenseThe first license to log

these pine forests was award-ed to a Canadian namedWilliam Robert Bell in 1900.It allowed the cutting oftrees with a diameter greaterthan seven inches (laterreduced to six inches) on allvacant Crown land in southAbaco. The license fee was100 pounds sterling perannum plus royalties ofUS37.5 cents per 1,000 boardfeet. There was also a fee ofone cent per gallon of tur-pentine and 10 cents per bar-rel of rosin produced.

The Bahamas TimberCompany was incorporatedin 1906 and assigned rights tocut trees on Abaco, GrandBahama and Andros.Exploitation was by hand,with the removal of logsmainly by light railway,traces of which still exist onAbaco and Grand Bahama.A sawmill for the first areaworked on Abaco was builton the coast at Wilson City,not far from where the newBEC power plant standstoday.

The loggers later movedto Grand Bahama, buildinga mill at Pine Ridge in 1944(where future prime ministerHubert Ingraham was born).Large quantities of pit propswere subsequently extract-ed for use in British coal-fields. In 1956 the loggingcompanies agreed to the

conveyance of their lands tothe newly formed GrandBahama Port Authority(Freeport founder WallaceGroves had been previouslyinvolved in the timber indus-try).

Concessions were alsogranted to Sir HarryCordeaux and Arthur Sandsto cut the pine forest on NewProvidence in 1923, and asawmill was built south ofGambier Village near JackPond. But this license wasnever profitable and wasrelinquished in 1930. TheNew Providence forests con-tinued to suffer damagefrom charcoal burners andothers removing timber fordomestic purposes.

Although charcoal burn-ers also operated on Androsfor many years, logging didnot begin there until 1947,when a sawmill was estab-lished at Stafford Creek.Both pulpwood and tele-phone poles were exportedfrom Morgan's Bluff onAndros through the late1960s. In fact, all the logginglicensees turned to pulp-wood operations from themid-1950s, resulting in theclear felling of the forestregardless of trunk diame-ter. Pulpwood was exportedfrom North Riding Point onGrand Bahama and SnakeCay on Abaco.

Revenue yields from theseoperations were minimal. Itis estimated that the overallreturn per acre per annumfor the Abaco operationfrom 1900 to 1967 was only$2.78. A minimum of fivewell-developed trees wereleft standing in each acre bythe loggers to regrow the for-est.

Although a draft forestrybill was prepared in the1950s it was never intro-duced to parliament. In fact,the 1977 land resourcesstudy urged the governmentto enact forestry legislation"at the earliest appropriatedate" to ensure protection,conservation and propermanagement and exploita-tion of forest resources.

Well, better late than nev-er.

What do you think? Send comments to larry@tribunemedia.netOr visitwww.bahamapundit.com

PAGE 8, WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2011 THE TRIBUNE

Bahamas branches out with new Forestry Act

““FFoorr ddeeccaaddeess,, ccoonnsseerrvvaattiioonniissttsshhaavvee ccaalllleedd ffoorr lleeggiissllaattiioonn ttoo ggoovv--eerrnn ffoorreesstt rreessoouurrcceess iinn oorrddeerr ttooeennssuurree tthheeiirr lloonngg--tteerrmm ssuurrvviivvaall..””

PRIME MINISTER Hubert Ingraham is greeted by Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquestat the Lynden Pindling International Airport on July 3, after returning from the CARICOM Headsof Government meeting held in St. Kitts. Also pictured deplaning is Deputy Prime Minister andForeign Affairs Minister Brent Symonette.

BIS photo/Peter Ramsay

PM RETURNS FROM CARICOM MEETING

LOCAL NEWS

THE TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2011, PAGE 9

CAMPBELL SHIPPING AND COB MARITIME SUMMER CAMP students spent time yesterday at theDefence Force Base at Coral Habour. Leading Mechanic Rolle took them on a tour of the base andshowed them the daily operations.

Felipé Major/Tribune staff

MARITIMESUMMERCAMPCORAL HARBOUR DEFENCE FORCE BASE TOUR

DOCTOR SAUNDERS shows the students around the sick bay.

A MARINE answers questions.

A LOOK at a mural of the first Defence Force commanders.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

THE TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2011, PAGE 11

BENGHAZI, Libya Associated Press

REBEL SYMPATHIS-ERS, driven underground bya security clampdown inTripoli, have resorted tofurtive protests such as writing"No" next to pro-governmentwall graffiti and releasing bal-loons with rebel flagsattached, according to twoLibyans who have escapedthe capital.

The two men spoke afterreaching the eastern rebelstronghold of Benghazi, offer-ing a rare snapshot of anti-government resistance in thecapital. Tripoli residents, fear-ing regime reprisals, are gen-erally reluctant to speak toforeign reporters based therewho can only move with gov-ernment minders and arealmost never allowed accessto rebel sympathisers.

Rebels have seized easternLibya, while Gadhafi clingsto much of the rest of thecountry and is believed to behunkering down in the capi-tal, his main power base.

Government troops loyalto Gadhafi have stepped uppressure in the past two daysnear the port city of Misrataand a key western mountainrange to try to block rebelfighters from advancingtoward Tripoli, rebels saidTuesday. They said at least11 people were killed in fight-ing that began late Mondayand continued the next day.

Libyan government troopshave been unable to retaketwo main rebel strongholds inthe Gadhafi-controlled west— Misrata and several townsin the Nafusa mountain range.The rebels have been tryingto break out of these bridge-heads and advance towardTripoli.

Gadhafi's forces maintaina tight grip on the capital, saidAbdulbaset Ouf, a chemicalengineer in his 40s whoarrived in Benghazi last weekon a Red Cross ship fromTripoli, accompanied by hiswife and three children.

"The atmosphere is one offear and paranoia," he said.

During the day, life in thestreets appears almost nor-mal, though fuel shortageshave left motorists waiting aslong as a week to fill up a gastank, he said. He said he'sobserved fights between dri-vers and troops at gas stations,and heard reports of peoplekilled and wounded.

An Associated Pressreporter in the capital hasseen fuel lines hundreds ofcars long. One queue packedwith empty taxis and privatecars curls from a highwayramp around a major trafficcircle in the center of the city.Many gas stations in andaround the city appear closeddown altogether, with rubbleor earthen beams blocking theentrances.

Omran Bukra, the newlyappointed energy minister,last week said Libya is nowproducing just 20,000 barrelsof oil per day, a tiny fractionof prewar output.

At night, oppositionactivists occasionally attacktroops and try to snatch theirweapons, Ouf said. Bursts ofgunfire can be heard through-out the night in Tripoli, butgovernment officials insist it is

mainly supporters firing cele-bratory shots into the air.

Ahead of Friday noonprayers, security is extremelytight around mosques, tradi-tionally a staging ground forprotests in the Arab world."People are not allowed togather and only certainmosques are open," Ouf said."Only loyal imams areallowed to lead prayers andthere's always a large num-ber of troops surrounding themosques ... and snipers on theroofs of every house in theneighborhood."

Rebel sympathisers can'tprotest openly or in largenumbers. From time to time,they release balloons withrebel flags attached or scrib-ble anti-government graffiti,Ouf said.

"Gadhafi's people alwayspaint it over," he said. Pro-testers have resorted to writ-ing "No" next to pro-Gadhafiwall slogans or marking themwith a large "X'' because ittakes less time than to white-wash them and reduces therisk of being caught, he said.

Ouf said he hasn't spokento friends or neighbors abouthis political views, for fear ofgetting arrested. He said hewas automatically consideredsuspect by regime loyalistsbecause he is originally fromAjdabiya, a town in the rebel-held east. A security officercame to his home in Tripolievery day to question him, hesaid.

He and his family left

Tripoli late last week, on aRed Cross vessel that carriedmore than 300 passengersfrom Tripoli to Benghazi.

Ibrahim al-Hadad, an armyofficer from Benghazi, was inTripoli for training when theuprising erupted in February.

He said he and a friendwere ordered to guard a postoffice against mob attack.Instead, he deserted on Feb.25, leaving behind his weaponand jumping over a back wall.Al-Hadad said he hid inTripoli for nearly fourmonths, not far from Gad-hafi's main compound in thecity.

He said he eventuallyobtained a passport, drove tothe border with Tunisia in lateJune, flew to Egypt and thenheaded to Benghazi overland.He said he was stopped atcheckpoints en route to theTunisian border, but pro-ceeded without problems.

In the latest round of clash-es, fierce fighting was report-ed in the town of Dafniya,near Misrata, with sevenrebels killed and 46 wound-ed, said anti-governmentactivist Faraj Akwedeir. Gad-hafi's troops "tried to enterMisrata from several frontsbut our fighters stoppedthem," he said.

A nurse working with theaid group Doctors WithoutBorders who recentlyreturned from Misrata saidmedical centers in the citylack the capacity to treatthose in need. Meinie Nico-

lai said in an emailed state-ment that there are notenough nurses, midwives andother hospital staff becausemany had been foreign guestworkers who have now leftthe country.

Government troops alsofired rockets and mortars atthe town of Kikla, southwestof Tripoli, said Abdel-SalamOthman of the Nafusa moun-tain military council. He saidfour people were killed andeight wounded in fightingthere.

Gadhafi's forces haveentered schools and mosquesin Kikla to hide weapons, hesaid. "They even raise ourflags to deceive the NATO,"he added, referring to therebels' tricolor. Libya'snational flag is green.

The western towns of Zin-tan and Nalut have comeunder attack as well, Othmansaid. "Gadhafi forces failedto advance but they keepputting pressure to stop us,"he added.

Over the past few weeks,rebel fighters have gatheredon the outskirts of the town ofBair al-Ghanam, some 50miles (80 kilometers) fromTripoli. Control over Bair al-Ghanam would open the roadto the capital.

"We are consolidating forcethere and we are waiting forthe people in Bair al-Ghanamto ensure us that they are notgoing to open their houses toGadhafi troops," Othmansaid.

NATO has been carryingout airstrikes against Gadhafi-linked military targets sinceMarch.

It is joined by a number ofArab allies, including thewealthy Gulf states of Qatarand the United Arab Emi-rates.

A LIBYAN FLASHES the victory signs in front of a rebel flag aboard a ship in Misrata port, Libya. (AP)

Men speak out afterreaching rebel stronghold

WASHINGTONAssociated Press

SENATE DEMOCRATIC leadersabandoned plans for a test vote Tuesdayon authorizing the U.S. military opera-tion against Libya as Republicans insist-ed they should instead focus on govern-ment spending and the nation's bor-rowing limit.

Just hours before the vote, SenateMajority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.,announced the change in plans, leavingthe fate of the resolution in doubt. Oneafter another, GOP senators had stoodon the Senate floor and signaled theywould oppose any effort to move aheadon the Libya measure, arguing that deal-ing with the debt was far more importantthan working on a resolution with nopractical impact.

The Senate had already canceled thisweek's recess to deal with the financialissue.

"No real work is scheduled in the Sen-ate this week on the budget, nor is anyon the debt ceiling," said Sen. Jeff Ses-sions, R-Ala. "Instead, we are movingtoday to a Libya resolution. This reso-lution, not requested by the president, isnot why we asked to cancel recess."

At least five Republican senators indi-cated they would oppose the vote.

"If the resolution we're debating isdebated and passed, it would not affectone iota what we're doing in Libya,"said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., a mem-ber of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Congress was already sending a mud-dled message on Libya to both U.S.allies and Moammar Gadhafi.

Bipartisan Senate support for givingPresident Barack Obama limited author-ity to continue military involvementagainst Gadhafi was at odds with over-whelming opposition in the House tothe commander in chief's actions.Democrats as well as Republicans in theHouse have criticized Obama for failingto seek congressional consent for theoperation in a constitutional stalematethat has dragged on for weeks.

The Senate had scheduled a vote onwhether to proceed with a resolutionauthorizing "the limited use of UnitedStates Armed Forces in support of theNATO mission in Libya." The resolu-tion would expire when the NATOoperation ends or after one year, and itwould prohibit the use of Americanground forces or private security con-

tractors in Libya. The Foreign RelationsCommittee easily adopted the measureon a 14-5 vote last week.

Leading backers of the resolutioninclude Foreign Relations CommitteeChairman John Kerry, D-Mass., andJohn McCain of Arizona, the topRepublican on the Armed ServicesCommittee. They have been thestrongest voices in the Senate for themilitary action against Gadhafi's forces.Also sponsoring the resolution are Sen.Jon Kyl of Arizona, the No. 2 Republi-can, and Senate Intelligence Commit-tee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

McCain said he understood the reasonfor the Senate delay, but he hoped theywould return to the resolution nextweek.

"The Senate does need to have adebate about United States policy andmilitary action in Libya," McCain said.

Since NATO took command of theLibya operation in early April, the U.S.role has largely been limited to supportefforts such as intelligence, surveillanceand electronic warfare. The U.S. haslaunched airstrikes and drone attacks,flying more than 3,400 sorties.

"In Libya today, no American troop isbeing shot at," Kerry said last week.

But that hasn't silenced the congres-sional debate pitting the executivebranch against the legislative.

Obama last week defended his deci-sion to order U.S. military action morethan three months ago and insisted hehad not violated the 1973 War PowersResolution, which demands congres-sional authorization within 60 days of

first military strikes. The president con-tends American forces supporting theNATO-led operation are not engaged infull-blown hostilities, making congres-sional consent unnecessary.

Even members of the Foreign Rela-tions Committee, which backed the res-olution, rejected Obama's legal argu-ment that the operation does not con-stitute full-blown hostilities. The paneladopted an amendment that specifiedthe operation included "hostilities" thatfall under the War Powers Resolutionand require congressional authorization.

The sponsor of that amendment,Republican Richard Lugar of Indiana, isone of the strongest Senate critics of theLibya operation. He said Obama hadignored Congress, dealing a setback tothe Constitution in a "fundamental fail-ure of leadership that placed expedi-ence above constitutional responsibility."

Lugar, the top GOP lawmaker on theForeign Relations panel, also questionedthe expensive, open-ended commitmentof U.S. forces. Last month, the WhiteHouse put the cost of U.S. military oper-ations in Libya at about $715 million,with the total increasing to $1.1 billion byearly September.

"Let us be clear that we are deliber-ately trying to overthrow the govern-ment of Libya with military force,"Lugar said on the Senate floor.

In Libya on Tuesday, at least 11 peo-ple were killed in fighting that beganlate Monday and continued Tuesday asGadhafi forces stepped up pressure totry to block rebel fighters from advanc-ing toward the capital of Tripoli, rebelssaid.

SENATE POSTPONES LIBYA VOTE AMID BUDGET DISPUTE

SENATE Majority Leader Harry Reid. (AP)

BAGHDADAssociated Press

THE WHITE HOUSEis offering to keep up to10,000 troops in Iraq nextyear, U.S. officials say,despite opposition frommany Iraqis and keyDemocratic Party allieswho demand that PresidentBarack Obama bring homethe American military aspromised.

Any extension of themilitary's presence, howev-er, depends on a formalrequest from Baghdad —which must weigh ques-tions about the readiness ofIraqi security forces againstfears of renewed militantattacks and unrest if U.S.soldiers stay beyond theDecember pullout dead-line.

Iraq is not expected todecide until September atthe earliest, when the46,000 U.S. forces left inthe country had hoped tostart heading home.

Already, though, theWhite House has workedout options to keepbetween 8,500 and 10,000active-duty troops to con-tinue training Iraqi securityforces during 2012, accord-ing to senior Obamaadministration and U.S.military officials in inter-views with The AssociatedPress. The figures alsowere noted by foreigndiplomats in Baghdadbriefed on the issue.

All spoke on conditionof anonymity to franklydiscuss the sensitive matterduring interviews over thepast two weeks.

An email statementTuesday from WhiteHouse national securityspokesman Tommy Vietorsaid there currently are "noplans" to keep U.S. troopsin Iraq beyond the Dec. 31withdrawal deadline. ButVietor added that anyrequest by Iraq to keepAmerican forces "would begiven serious considera-tion" by the White House.

Any change in the U.S.military withdrawaltimetable in Iraq — aftermore than eight years andmore than 4,450 U.S. mili-tary deaths — could openup difficult political con-frontations for Obama aspressure builds to close outthe Iraq mission and stickto pledges to draw downtroops in Afghanistan.

The Senate's top Demo-crat, Sen. Harry Reid, toldthe AP that the high cost ofkeeping U.S. troops in Iraq— given a mounting U.S.debt crisis and Iraq's fledg-ling security gains — is nolonger necessary.

Reid, the Senate majori-ty leader, estimated nearly$1 trillion has been spent inIraq since the U.S. invadedin 2003, including $50 bil-lion this year alone.

"As Iraq becomesincreasingly capable, it istime for our own troops toreturn home by the end ofthe year and for these pre-cious resources to bedirected elsewhere," Reid,Democrat of Nevada, saidin the statement. "There isno question that the Unit-ed States must continue toprovide support for theIraqis as they progress, butnow is the time for our mil-itary mission to come to aclose."

Reid was responding to arequest for comment after15 U.S. soldiers were killedin Iraq in June, mostly byShiite militias, in the dead-liest month for the Ameri-can military here in twoyears. It was the first publicstatement by a top partyleader to oppose Obama'spolicy in Iraq, and may sig-nal splintering Democraticsupport over his war plan-ning just as he ramps up his2012 re-election campaign.

Iraq has flown underWashington's politicalradar for much of the lastyear, and Democrats whowant Obama to end thewar this year as promisedvowed to exert more pres-sure on the White House.

"With a false declarationthat combat operations areover in Iraq, what is nowOperation New Dawn hasironically become a forgot-ten war," said AshwinMadia, a former Marinewho served in Iraq in 2005-06 and is now interimchairman of VoteVets.org."That is about to change."

The group has raisedmillions of dollars forDemocratic Party candi-dates.

SOURCES: 10,000US TROOPS ONOFFER FOR IRAQ