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Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Sean Sobers denies claims by university students in Jamaica that flights were not readily available with sufficient notice as Hurricane Melissa bears down on the island. At a news conference yesterday at the ministry’s head office in Port of Spain, Sobers said, “There is essentially usually one flight that takes place directly from Jamaica to Trinidad. There was a special dispensation made for two extra flights to be put on, and priority was given to Trinbagonian students who wanted to avail themselves of those flights.” The Caribbean Airlines flights, scheduled for October 24, were: BW 415 Kingston–Trinidad (departure 11.25 a.m. with 160 open seats) and BW 405 Kingston–Trinidad (departure 10.30 a.m. with 160 open seats). Sobers admitted there was a cost attached to these flights but noted there were “fee waivers” to accommodate the students. About 268 Trinidadians are studying at the Mona Campus of the The University of the West Indies in Jamaica. Sobers said: “The flights would have been discounted as far as my information from Caribbean Airlines. We are not inhumane; we appreciate there would have been some students who would not have been able to afford the flights. It does not escape us at all. Based upon that, it was one of the main reasons why we ensured the High Commission in Jamaica had sufficient funds available to begin the purchasing of the supplies to meet the needs of those students who, unfortunately, were not in a position to purchase the tickets to come home.” He said funds were sent to the High Commission to aid its operations for students. Addressing a question about students not seeing discounted prices for purchase that were said to have been e-mailed, Sobers said, “I know what CAL has sent me.” Sobers said two e-mails highlighting the discounted prices were sent out at 8.33 p.m. and 9.15 p.m. on October 23. Told that students said they ere not made aware of additional flights in time, Sobers said the e-mail with the flight information was sent to students “at least 24 hours before the flight time on Friday”. Regarding the possibility of compensating students who paid for their flights, he said, “It was something that was considered.” However, Sobers said with few responses out of 268 students agreeing to be on the flight, he thought it “might not be in the best interest” to send out “planes for free, just like that” not knowing if it could serve a greater number of people. He gave a breakdown of the students: • Total students actively under SATD and GATE in Jamaica: 268 • Bursary recipients: 69 • CAPE: five • GATE: 179 • UTECH: 15 He noted that of the 268, 72 students responded in the affirmative; 13 responded no; and 183 did not respond. Sobers said this information was shared with CAL as well so a decision could be made. He added that if extraction becomes necessary in the potential aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, an ongoing discussion is being held to determine if the cost of those flights should be comped. Touching on a social media video showing students describing the supplies given to them as insufficient, Sobers said Amanda Fraser, a counsellor from the Office of the High Commission, “broke down in tears” when she saw the video. “Ms Fraser has been going out tirelessly since Thursday providing students with provisions, and when she was told that some type of video was being banded around, it hurt her. I want to appeal to persons, this is not something we should be playing games with; there is a lot being done by public servants, especially in the Head of Chancery, to get supplies to the students. To whoever these mischief makers are—not the students, I do not believe it’s the students—cease and desist.” Sobers also called out the Opposition and the media for comments and reports on the Government’s relationship with Caricom. “There was also, unfortunately, the most salacious, egregious, foolish statement being made by members of the Opposition and to be fair, members of the media too that somehow our relationship with Caricom, precluded or prohibited us from assisting our Caricom brothers and sisters—nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. Sobers further offered assistance to any Caricom nation if needed. Relief supplies being delivered to Trini students In a WhatsApp exchange with the Express yesterday, Deborah Thomas-Felix, who was recently appointed Trinidad and Tobago’s new High Commissioner-designate to Jamaica, said the High Commission had been in direct communication with students from as early as last Tuesday. “The Head of Chancery at the Trinidad and Tobago High Commission in Jamaica has been directly communicating with Trinidad and Tobago students in general and specifically with the head of the Trinidad and Tobago Students Association of Mona Campus, since last Tuesday,” she said. Thomas-Felix explained that while several students are registered with the High Commission, not all are on record. The Trinidad and Tobago Student Association at the Mona Campus (TTSA) president was therefore asked to provide a list of each student’s name and needs so that appropriate assistance could be given. “On Saturday, the Head of Chancery at the High Commission went to the Mona Campus to deliver the requested items and together with the head of the Student Association distributed these items to the students who were named on the list,” she said. She added that additional relief supplies were being delivered yesterday to 18 students at UTECH, and that assistance would also be provided to approximately 50 Tobago students through the TTSA representative. Thomas-Felix noted that although she is currently in Trinidad and has not yet presented her credentials in Jamaica, she has been actively engaging with the High Commission staff and the relevant ministries. “I am also aware that the Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs and the permanent secretary of that ministry have also been liaising continuously with the Trinidad and Tobago High Commission in Jamaica and with the Ministry of Education,” she said. See Page 5
