| ||
| ||
| ||
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hijacked Cuban boat in international waters
From Lucia Newman
NASSAU, Bahamas (CNN) -- A boat the Cuban government said was hijacked Tuesday is now believed to be in international waters west of the largest of the Bahama Islands, a Bahamian official said. "The boat is believed to be west of Andros," said Christopher Symonette, executive director of the Bahamas Information Services Department. He said two Bahamas Defense Force cutters were in the general area, but because the Cuban boat is believed to be in international waters no attempts are being made to intercept it. In a written statement, the Bahamas Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the boat was "headed generally in a northerly direction" at a speed of 6 knots (6.9 mph). All people onboard were well, the statement said. "It is reported that all are well ... aboard the vessel and that the captain of the vessel has indicated by radio contact that the parties onboard are not in distress," the statement said. "... The vessel does not pose a threat to the Bahamas and there is no distress call that necessitates a rescue." It added that the Bahamian government "will follow all applicable multilateral and bilateral treaty obligations," as the Cuban government asked of it and the United States when it announced the hijacking. The Bahamian foreign ministry identified the boat as a 16-foot, twin-engine Gaviota. The boat, belonging to GeoCuba, a government geographic company, was hijacked early Tuesday from Boca de Nuevitas in Camaguey province, according to a Cuban government statement. The Cuban coast guard followed the vessel but did not try to board it in open seas because it was too dangerous, the government said. The crew of the coast guard ship said seven men could be seen on the deck of the boat and about 20 people were inside. The coast guard abandoned the chase as the boat entered Bahamian territorial waters, the statement said, and the boat was believed to be heading toward the United States, where those onboard were expected to seek asylum. Lt. Tony Russell of the U.S. Coast Guard said: "We are actively monitoring the vessel and preparing an appropriate response." Previously, a U.S. State Department official said any hijacker who reaches U.S. territory "will be prosecuted to the full extent of the U.S. legal system." The U.S. State Department official said only "safe legal migration" of Cubans to the United States should take place. The incident took place hours after the Cuban government announced the attempted hijacking of another boat, this one Monday in the western Pinar del Rio province. The government said the three would-be hijackers died in a gunfight that ensued a fallout among them. A 10-year old boy was wounded in the shooting. In early April, a group of men hijacked a passenger ferry in Havana Bay, taking its passengers hostage, in an attempt to reach the United States. The hijackers were later overpowered and arrested. They had a brief trial and were executed by firing squad a few days later. Cuba's government blames a U.S. law, the Cuban Adjustment Act, for a recent increase in hijack attempts by Cubans attempting to flee the communist-ruled island. The law allows most Cubans who reach U.S. territory to stay, and Havana says it encourages its citizens to migrate illegally to the United States. The State Department official said Cuba has an obligation to resolve hijackings "in a manner consistent with international law" and needs to conduct law enforcement and judicial action in a manner "consistent with the universal declaration of human rights."
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
