Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith says some 326 Jamaicans were denied entry to the twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago in 2015.
Additionally, she said 113 Jamaicans have been denied entry to the country from January to March of this year.
Johnson Smith was making her presentation to the Senate on Friday when she made the revelation.
In recent times, several Jamaicans have complained bitterly in regards to the treatment meted out to them by immigration officers in that country subsequent to deportation.
Jamaicans turned away from Trinidad
Johnson Smith said Jamaica has sought to deal with the issue at both the bilateral and regional levels.At the bilateral level, she said following several meetings between Jamaican and Trinidadian officials, a commitment was given by Trinidad to resolve the issue “as expeditiously as possible”.
Meanwhile, the senator said at the regional level Jamaica requested that the item “Treatment of Caricom Nationals Travelling in the Region” be returned to the agenda of the recent Session of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED), which has oversight for the implementation of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME).
She said under the item, Jamaica called for the full implementation of the decisions taken at the 39th Session of COTED held in November 2014. Those decisions identified steps to be taken by Member States and the Caricom Secretariat to ensure that the CSME Free Movement Regime operates in the interest of all Caricom nationals.
You must log in to post a comment.