Caribbean Report 29-07-1993

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1. In London, attention has been focused on a case in which a Jamaican woman collapse while being served with a deportation order. Forty-year-old Joy Gardner stopped breathing after a struggle with police officers and is on a life support machine at the Whittington Hospital in North London. Jamaican born, Mrs. Gardner arrived in Britain in 1987 and in October 1990 her deportation order was signed. She asked for the deportation order to be re-considered as most of her family lives in Britain. Interviews with MP, Bernie Grant; Mrs. Myrna Simpson (mother of Joy Gardner), a doctor at the hospital and neighbours. Allyson Holt reports (00:00-03:10)
2. Still in London, two teenagers accused of murdering black schoolboy, Stephen Lawrence in April were released from custody. The British Crown Prosecution Service said it dropped the charges because of insufficient evidence. However, the police murder enquiry is continuing and it is possible for charges to be reinstated at a later date. Police has described the incident as racially motivated because of remarks made before the stabbing. Stephen’s parents are in Jamaica where they took his body to be buried, earlier in the month (03:11-04:03)
3. Many Cubans have been gathering eagerly outside hard currency stores hoping to use dollars legally for the first time are being turned away. The authorities say that the move to legalize the use of hard currency will be introduced gradually. The move is likely to encourage Cuban exiles to try and send more money to their relatives. However, the US places a limit on the amount of money, Cuban Americans can send to Cuba, $300 every three months. Interview with Peter Hakim, Inter-American Dialogue (04:04-07:15)
4. The new England’s cricket captain, Mike Atherton was named to replace Graham Gooch for the last two tests of the current series against Australia. England will tour the West Indies early next year and some sportswriters are wondering why the selectors did not announce that Atherton would also be in charge of the series. Interviews with Jonathan Agnew, BBC’s cricket correspondent and Tony Cozier, Caribbean cricket journalist. Hugh Crosskill reports (07:16-10:30)
5. In Jamaica, environmentalists say coffee cultivation is causing irreparable damage to the fragile eco-system of the Blue Mountain area. They say that the removal of virgin hardwoods in order plant more coffee to meet growing world demand is causing severe erosion. At the University of the West Indies, a Centre for Sustainable Development has been set up by the Chancellor, Sir Shridath Ramphal. Sir Ramphal says that more effort should be made in the region to prevent environmental degradation and that coffee is a case in point. Interviews with Sir Shridath Ramphal, Chancellor of the University of the West Indies and Franklin McDonald, Director of the Natural Resources Conservation Authority in Jamaica. McDonald also spoke on the implications of the tourism industry on the environment and pollution in the Kingston area (10:31-13:56)
6. In Haiti, its Parliament tried to untangle a dispute by two leading factions over the leadership of the Senate so that members can vote on exiled President Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s choice of a new Prime Minister. From exiled in the US, President Aristide called on lawmakers to convene and ratify Robert Malval, a printer and longtime backer as Prime Minister (13:57-14:37)

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