Ja: Jamaican boy scouts

Boats from Haiti are arriving on Jamaican shores, and the people on them are receiving assistance from Jamaicans, from the fishermen on up to the government. Apart from local fishermen bringing in to land refugees who had got lost on their way to Florida, the average Jamaican citizen is showing a powerful lot of compassion which is exemplified in anecdotes such as these:

Winsome Adams, an orange vendor, said she too saw the boat being pulled to shore by the local fishermen and immediately knew that it contained another group of Haitian refugees.


"When I saw what was happening, I just started to pack some bags with food and anything I could find to assist," she said. "They are our brothers and sisters and we should do everything we can for them."

When The Gleaner arrived on the scene, a number of local residents could be seen bringing in food stuff and clothing for the refugees.

Jamaica's government is standing up like a man and dealing with the influx of Haitian refugees.

INFORMATION MINISTER Burchell Whiteman, yesterday assured that Jamaica is adequately prepared to deal with the influx of Haitians who have been fleeing civil unrest in their country.

The Minister, who revealed that the Government had already spent some $1.6 million in dealing with the crisis, explained at yesterday's post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House that a number of agencies including the Jamaica Defence Force, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Office of Disaster Pre-paredness and Emergency Management and the Ministry of Health are now on the ground assessing the situation and trying to deal with it accordingly.

"The systems are adequate, it's not the first time Haitians have been here in a situation of crisis," said Mr. Whiteman.

Hey, MadBull, let's do a fund drive to help Haitians who land in Jamaica.