AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Talk Belize Photographs Cubans arrive march 3rd 5:30 am all are safe

Cubans arrive this morning after 20 days out of Cuba . all are safe.

He would probably take it . They wanted to call Huston but didn't have a #...serious. I posted this hoping their family's get internet service.Search engines pick up things on the board quick Marty how is the internet service in Cuba?

Great idea Elbert, hopefully the families will know they are safe.

Elbert, that's great, you're the man of the day. May they have a hassle free life. This is a good story in the making and I hope and pray for a happy ending with lots of good stories to come from all of them. If something like that happened here in the U.S. probably 911 would have been called and &*up there day. Good job.

Everyone in the neighborhood kicked in as soon as it became apparent what was happening. I don't believe the Belize Government will give them anything but assistance. The San Pedro Sun is on the case now and we'll hear more detail from the Sun about what happens next.

That is good to hear that they are safe and they are in good health, I could not fathom being at sea for 20 days. Puts things in perspective.

Chloe, lmao!!!!

What a great story and priceless pic!!! Must really feel good, elbert!

Remember the island got its name from things floating around in the sea naturally coming ashore here.
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not the first and probably not the last time we have visitors from Cuba.
Lets follow up and make sure the Belize Government does the humanitarian thing and not send them back to the oppression they are escaping.

17 Cuban Boat People Dock on Ambergris Caye

Tonight, Belizean authorities aren't quite sure what they should do with 17 Cuban boat people who "docked up" on Northern Ambergris Caye this morning. This morning at 5:30, 17 Cubans, 12 men and 5 women in a battered iron vessel pulled up on Northern Ambergris Caye near Portofino Resort.

San Pedro resident Elbert Greer was the first to see them. At he's made a posting on the site Ambergriscaye.com saying that at 5:30 he was drinking his coffee when he saw a small boat coming over the reef. When it got close to shore, all the passengers jumped out and started to swim to the beach. Greer reports that when they reached the shore, they began to kiss the ground - because - he claims they thought they had reached the United States.

He gave them the bad news of where they were, and provided water and dry clothes. They told him that they had been at sea for 20 days. He reports also that one of them has an infected cut on his foot, and another fainted as she left the beach. Greer has reported that there are only 13 and posted photographs which support that, but Belizean authorities maintain that it is 17 total. They've been handed over to the San Pedro police who have them in custody this evening.

And that's where it gets tricky. The standing agreement that Belize has with Cuba is that they should be returned, deported to Cuba. But generally, inside sources tell us that it's considered more trouble than its worth for Belizean authorities and when it happens - typically those authorities just help them fix their boat, give them fuel and water and send them on their way. But because this one hit the media, seems they won't be able to do that. So the first priority has to be finding somewhere to house them that is not the prison. And the last time they stored boat people at Camp Belizario in Cayo, it blew up into a public relations nightmare. So now the Department of Immigration must proceed with caution, and expects to move them from San Pedro to some type of holding facility by tomorrow.

The Cuban Embassy had no comment and we could not reach Director of Immigraiton Gareth Murillo.

http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=10615

Its Belizean Governments policy/agreement to send them back to Cuba. I had hoped to have them just go there merry way with a little cash,food and dry clothes but a neighbor called the police , which isn't really of much consequence since the police can't get themselves organized to go up island with out a little 'gas money' as incentive. However this neighbor went and picked up the police in his personal boat and brought them up North. The Police where carrying M-16b's and scared the crap out of these poor people, they where taken to the jail and now they might get sent back according to an Belizean agreement with Cuba.
Garifuna Settlement Day a National Holiday. The Garifuna go offshore and reenact their arrival in Belize by paddling little canoes from the open ocean onto this same shore, looking very much like these Cubans arriving and for much the same reason.
It seems we (Belizean) forget where we all have come from and why. We have no compassion for those just like us.The Baymen would spit on that agreement. The Garafuna found shelter from oppression in Belize, the Yucatec where escaping the Caste Wars and found a home here , The Lebanese found a good home. The Taiwanese recently have escaped the communist threat by emigrating to Belize. Who are we but a group of people looking for shelter from oppression? We forget and throw back these people wanting what was given to us in Belize. The agreement with Cuba to return Cuban refugees is shameful and shame on Belize.