CARICOM wants Rugby Library re-opens
to help resolve
Haiti’s crisis
IN SCHOLARSHIPS & GRANTS AWARDED ANNUALLY
Caribbean L 12 ife, JULY 16-22, 2021
Council Member Farah N. Louis, third from right, with Assemblyman N.
Nick Perry, left, cuts ribbon for Rugby Library re-opening. Francis X. Shea
no national assembly but we are willing
to play the good offices role,” said Colin
Granderson, the foreign affairs chief at
the Guyana-based regional secretariat.
As efforts to have the bureau meet
intensified this week, security officials in
nearby Jamaica and The Bahamas said
they were bracing for an influx of Haitian
refugees in the coming weeks as periods
of intense political volatility often leads
to an influx of Haitian boat people to
those member states.
Authorities in the Turks and Caicos
Islands are also on high alert.
Earlier this week, The Bahamian government
closed its embassy in Haiti and
recalled its team of four diplomats back
to Nassau, saying the situation was too
volatile for the mission to function.
“I was very pleased last night to receive
all four of our Bahamian diplomats from
Haiti on Bahamian soil. They arrived
around 8 pm last evening (Monday).
They’re all in good spirits. They’re all in
good health. Of course, we were working
assiduously to get them home since last
week Wednesday following the tragic killing
of the Haitian president. We still have
about five Bahamians in Haiti and some
other residents that are normally in The
Bahamas that we need to work on how
to ameliorate their circumstances in the
future, Foreign Minister Darren Henfield
told reporters.
The local coastguard has also increased
the number of vessels patrolling the
southeastern waters to limit the number
of Haitians who might risk their lives to
reach The Bahamas. Of particular concern
to the local cabinet is the fact that
any Haitians arriving would not have
been vaccinated as that country has an
almost non existent COVID-19 vaccination
program.
The Guardian newspaper quoted Commodore
Raymond King as saying that
collaboration is also being established
with the US coast guard and The Bahamian
police as they keep an eye out for
boat people. About 25 percent of the
archipelago’s population is Haitians.
Continued from Page 1
The branch also includes new workspaces
and meetings rooms for public
use, as well as roughly a dozen computers
for various age groups.
Louis said the upgrade features
smaller touches, too: new HVAC units,
LED lighting, free WiFi and ADA-upgraded
bathrooms and a mural created
by Brooklyn artist JMikal Davis.
“Simply put, this is the library
East Flatbush has long needed and
deserves,” she said. “It embodies our
community’s aspirations, as well as
the larger mission of the Brooklyn
Public Library.
“It is a public place accessible to
New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds,”
she added. “It is also a place
to read and dream, to wonder and
wander, to expand minds and engage
civically.
“The Rugby Library is incredibly
important to the entire District 45
community,” Louis continued. “I want
to thank our partners at the Brooklyn
Library for their tireless work and dedication
to make this project a reality.”
The Rugby Library is located at
1000 Utica Ave., Brooklyn.
For more information, visit the
Brooklyn Public Library website or
call 718-566-0053.
Continued from Page 1
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister
Gaston Browne. Gov’t of Antigua and
Barbuda
BEST NATIONAL
UNIVERSITY
U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
BEST BUSINESS
SCHOOL
THE PRINCETON REVIEW
BEST NORTHEASTERN
UNIVERSITY
THE PRINCETON REVIEW
APPLY TODAY AT LIU.EDU/APPLY
/APPLY