PNP demands answers after illegal entry of 218 Indians on charter flight

By Nakinskie Robinson   

 

Concerns are being raised about the strength of Jamaica's border security after an apparent smuggling operation was uncovered, involving Indian nationals passing through the country.

 

Shadow Foreign & Regional Affairs Minister, Dr. Angela Brown Burke, raised the alarm after immigration authorities denied entry to 218 Indian nationals who arrived on a charter flight to Jamaica on Friday.

 

Radio Jamaica News sources say the aircraft, a white and blue Airbus A-340, which is registered in Germany, remains at Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport.

 

In light of this development, Dr. Brown Burke is demanding immediate clarity from the government on the matter. 

 

"We want to know the original destination and the apparent purpose of the flight; you know, the identity of the individual or organisation responsibile for chartering the flight; why the flight was allowed to land in Jamaica without proper clearance; why standard immigration and customs procedures were not followed; where are the 218 who were onboard; what is to be done about their continued presence in Jamaica; and what measures are being taken by the JCF to ensure the safety and security of the Jamaican public," she demanded. 

 

Law enforcement sources told Radio Jamaica News on Sunday that the charter airline did not state it was arriving in Jamaica on Friday, neither was a passenger manifest sent ahead of its arrival as is required.

 

But civil aviation officials allowed the aircraft to land.  

 

Checks revealed that the charter had no arrangement to take the passengers back to their destination, which aroused the suspicion of authorities.

 

Radio Jamaica News learnt that the passengers, although denied entry, were permitted to go to the ROK Hotel in downtown Kingston where they are officially under police guard. 

 

Dr. Brown Burke has taken issue with how the matter is being handled when compared with other situations, including the forced repatriation of Haitian asylum-seekers. 

 

"Many of us remember what happened in COVID-19, where Jamaicans were held at sea and prevented from coming into Jamaica. We would have seen recently the Haitians who were hastily returned to a war-torn Haiti, but here we have 218 persons coming into Jamaica without the proper protocols being followed. We see a difference in treatment of the three different cases," she noted.

 

Dr. Brown Burke argued that the situation shows how vulnerable Jamaicans are, as she warned that "we will be in serious trouble" if the country's airspace is allowed to be come as porus as its other borders.