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Foxes Bay Closed, Isles Bay Opened To Sand Mining

The endangered Hawks Bill and Green turtles on Wednesday evening won back exclusive rights to their major nesting ground at Foxes Bay as government buckled to advice by its technical experts against the removal of sand from that area for building construction.
Chief Minister Mr. David Brandt, who one week ago stood his ground that house- builders could mine sand from Foxes Bay despite concerns raised by environmentalists and Environment Ministry technicians, announced that the removal of sand will shift to Isles Bay.
"Taking everything into consideration, I believe it is fair for government to decide and we have decided by consensus that we will use the beach here at Isles Bay," he said at the last leg of a meeting at Ilses Bay that involved a number of building contractors and interested persons and government officials.

The sand would be available free of cost and there would be no need for a permit.
At a news conference one week ago, the Chief Minister had argued that turtles co-existed with Montserratians as the centuries-old use of bay-sand continued.
He then expressed surprise at the position by the Montserrat National Trust (MNT), an environmental watch-dog organisation against sand-mining during the turtle nesting season, the Chief Minister had advocated that the turtles "find some other place" while persons in dire need of houses were allowed to mine sand at Foxes Bay.
Except the environmentalists stumped up cash to assist the poor to buy sand, he had said the mining of sand at Foxes Bay would continue and " as long as my people are in need I would disregard such comments.
In contrast to the lack of monitoring and supervision that obtained at Foxes Bay, the Chief Minister stated that the Public Works Department "would heap up the sand and it would be done in a controlled manner."
Brandt’s on-the-spot announcement at Isles Bay came after advice by Chief Fisheries Officer John Jeffers pointed to existing legislation prohibited anyone from interfering with turtle nests during the June to September nesting period.
There were also laws, he added, that specifically barred the removal of sand from beaches and the littering of them as was the case with Foxes Bay.
Adding that 12 turtle nests recorded during the last week were destroyed at Foxes Bay due to sand-mining, Jeffers pointed out that it only 10 percent of all turtles hatched attained maturity due to wind, birds, crabs, fishes, human beings and animals.
Both the Chief Fisheries Officer and Environment and Housing Minister Percival Bramble argued that the global environmental lobby was very powerful and could organize a tourist boycott of the island whose economy has been already ravaged by a volcano.
Bramble and Brandt, nevertheless, argued that the country was gripped by an acute housing shortage due to the destruction and exclusion of several southern areas of this 39.6 square mile island.
While sand removed from Foxes Bay was not being replenished by the volcano, the material to be provided free of charge from Isles Bay would benefit from replacement as debris is washed down the Belham River.

Caribbean to help Revitalize Montserrat’s Private Sector

Local and regional participant brainstorming the MDG

The revitalizing of Montserrat’s private sector is among the major priorities of a regional Multi-Disciplinary Group (MDG), established to assist the island with much needed human resources, according to Director of Development Angela Greenaway.
"The assistance will be in terms of revitalizing the private sector so when the rehabilitation and construction jobs come to an end, you will have job replacements," she told the Montserrat Reporter. Consultations with the business community would have to take place "to see what are the critical areas," said Greenaway, who is the co-chairman of the MDG for Montserrat.
The Economic and Financial Review of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) notes that during the first quarter of this year "economic activity was boosted by performance in the construction sector associated with ongoing infrastructure development as well as commercial and residential building."
Since the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano four years ago, there has been an employment boom in the construction industry as government and the private sector seek to rebuild houses and businesses in the safe north of the island.
Greenaway’s disclosure that the revitalizing of the private sector is one of the major priority areas came as Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA), a mainly European Union (EU)-funded private sector promotional agency, indicated that Montserratian businesses would soon benefit from assistance in developing an export capability.
CEDA’s Programme Manager (Competitiveness) Mr. Ronald Dubrisingh briefly remarked that the EU has already informally agreed to extend the programme to this 39.6 square mile island, half of which is uninhabited due to volcanic activity.
Dorla Humes, Acting Director of Economics and Programming at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is co-chairman of the MDG on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), University of the West Indies (UWI), Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA), Caribbean Disaster Responses Agency (CDERA), the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) and the CDB.
Now that the MDG has been formed to assist Montserrat with "cash-free" short-term technical assistance, government has to follow-up with a "focussed list, expected to be forwarded to the regional organizations in another week.

"We are looking at the long-term viability and what can make the country tick," the Director of Development said.

Other priorities of the MDG include a "more in-depth" labour analysis on the availability of skilled and qualified persons on the island now that about 60-percent of the island’s 11,000 population have fled the volcano which scientists say is now in a "cooling off" period.

A group of 50 workers from the Montserrat Electricity Services Limited (MONLEC) and the Montserrat Water Authority (MWA) on Thursday morning marched down to the Communications and Works Ministry, demanding redundancy benefits before a merger of the two companies.
"The remaining staff want the benefits for their years of service paid to them before going into the new entity because the new management could argue that the new company began with fresh staff," Mr. Hylroy Bramble General Secretary of the Montserrat Allied Workers Union (MAWU) told the Montserrat Reporter.
Bramble criticized government for ignoring the need to involve the just over 50-workers of both MONLEC and MWA.
"As far as I am concerned, the workers are left out…if we were in, our opinions would have been taken down a long time before. It would not have boiled down to march for recognition to be heard on the issue," he said.

The MAWU has threatened to give the statutory 28-days notice required for essential services and take industrial action if there is no response to a request for an urgent meeting to thrash out the issue.

Bramble argued that the merger would lead to cut in jobs and consequently reduced efficiency because it is envisaged that certain services would be contracted out.

The march yielded an "amicable " meeting with Communications and Works Minister Mr. Rupert Weekes who agreed to meet the water and electricity workers on Monday to thrash out the sore points.

While the Minister could not be reached, the MAWU General Secretary reported that Weekes confirmed that the merger was a conditionality laid down by the British government for Montserrat to access 75-million pounds sterling budgetary support over the next three years.

Bramble reported that he disagreed with the Minister that finding the money to pay the estimated EC$600 to 900 thousand redundancy package might be hard to find given the battering of this British colony’s economy over the last four years due volcanic activity.

"This is a matter that there is no room for flexibility. The law sets out certain specifications and if redundancies are to be paid out, we expect them to be paid out in full," said the MAWU official, adding that MONLEC and MWA could bear the cost of the redundancy pay out.

The union boss expressed satisfaction that Weekes, who is responsible for utilities, assured the workers that the recommendations by the KPMG consultants were "not yet accepted" by government.

"He has advised us not to be too overly concerned with the entire contents of the document because there are things in it that are definitely subject to change including the ones that we are actually objecting to," Bramble said.

In two letters on April 5 and June 18 to Chairman of MONLEC and MWA’s Board Mr. Eugene Skerritt, the union official said workers were opposed to the transferal of their services to the merged company expected to be formed by September or early next year.

"They believe that both companies should be wrapped up and they should be paid redundancy benefits…They believe that they should be given the opportunity to continue or not to continue with the new company," Bramble stated.

While MAWU supported the proposed merger on the grounds that it would in the long-run ensure efficiency, financial stability, reliability and a high quality of service to customers, the union is against recommendations by KPMG Peat Marwick consultants that all jobs be applied for internally and those not rehired rendered redundant.

"We cannot envision any justifiable reason why any existing worker should not be rehired…if the post for which they applied is filled, they should not be rejected but rather retrained to fill another suitable post within the entity," the June 18 letter copied to the Chief Minister and three other government ministers stated.

The union, however, proposed that workers already on no-pay leave be considered for possible retrenchment.

A team of British scientists is cautiously optimistic that ash deposits from the Soufriere Hills volcano could be used to make light-weight building blocks on a commercial scale, team leader Dr. Apollo Economides said Tuesday.
"We have been able to construct a number of blocks already with the material but I have to say it is early days yet, mainly limited by the ability to get enough of the ash back to the UK (United Kingdom)," he said.
While emphasizing that it was still very early, Dr Economides assured that early tests show that the brick-making potential of the ash is "good" and that "it is possible."
The team plans to construct a number of "test buildings" to assess how they would respond to the environment including the hurricanes.
Other possible ventures are the making of ceramics and fertilizer from the ash but the major focus is brick-making, he added.
Preliminary findings show that the radioactive level of the ash is "very low" and that, according to Economides, was a positive sign because it could have otherwise been a "very big stumbling block."
During the now four years of volcanic activity, Plymouth, which was once the capital, and several neighbouring villages have been buried by ash, mud and rock with only roofs of a few very high buildings barely peeping through the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of debris.
The leader of the five-member delegation from the UK-based Coventry University said that "we are actively exploring" with the Montserratian government the shipping of larger quantities of the ash to Britain while the two sides negotiate a bid for establishing a laboratory here.
He said the establishment of the laboratory here, expected to be funded by Britain’s Department for International Development (DfID), was key to "meaningful" progress of the venture because the quality of the ash is not consistent in different parts of the island.
If the bid to be submitted by August month-end is successful, Dr Economides said work could begin early next year.

Given the fact that prolonged exposure to the ash-associated dust could cause the lung disease, silicosis, he said "the critical feature from our point of view is the risk" involved in using the material.

Clearly this is a risk and the number of tests that we need to put forward need to identify how high is that risk and indeed what can be done about that risk," he said.

One of the measures, he identified, was the planting of vegetation to reduce the level of dust at regular intervals.

As Environment and Housing Minister Percival Austin Bramble and his advisors were considering a "compromise" on the mining of sand at Foxes Bay for construction purposes, Chief Minister Mr. David Brandt’s position to disregard environmental concerns about the adverse impact of mining on turtles has come under fire.

The Chief Minister last week said he was "surprised" that environmentalists were now complaining that the centuries-old practice of using bay sand for construction was affecting the beaches and the nesting of turtles during the June to September nesting season.

"It is only Foxes Bay and all the other bays are not being mined from. Were it not sense…the turtles could go to the other bays…If the only free thing we have is the sand, I would prefer to give them the sand and let the turtles find some other place than to let them (homeless) suffer," he said.

Speaking at Monday’s meeting that included Mr. Bramble, builders, environmentalists and government experts also criticized remarks by "a number of people" that the turtles could go nesting elsewhere.

"It is a known fact that turtles only go back to the beaches where they were born so if you destroy a beach that a turtle comes to, it will not go any place else.

"If the beach is destroyed to the extent that the turtle can’t use the beach, then the turtle will die," he said.

The Environment and Housing Minister, in his presentation, assured that "the government of Montserrat is very concerned about the environment and does not take this issue lightly."

Bramble, however, admitted that "there really has been no monitoring."

He, however, restated government’s desire to ensure that the poor and homeless had access to cheap building materials.

That desire, Bramble stated, informed the government’s decision to allow only shovel-loading of sand from Foxes Bay.

The Environment and Housing Minister noted that when all the houses at Lookout are allocated, over 300 families would still be on the homeless list.

Government was also warned by participants of the meeting that the international environmental lobby was a very powerful one and that it was very likely that if international organizations like Greenpeace became involved, they would win the battle based on existing environmental conventions.

The Environment and Housing Ministry now has to consider, among other proposals, the immediate closure of Foxes Bay and the simultaneous opening of Isles Bay, a beach with a limited quantity of sand.

The possibility of using Trant’s as a source of sand given the fact that it is being steadily replenished by material from the volcano was also suggested.

Other participants in favour of sand-mining argued that "when a poor person could hardly buy bread and cannot buy sand is really unfortunate….even though we should protect wildlife, we have to provide some leeway for people who are skrunting."

The Montserrat National Trust (MNT) and the Montserrat Tourist Board (MTB) have been arguing, however, that the mining of sand at Foxes Bay, a wildlife reserve and bird sanctuary, could cause coastal erosion, adversely affect the breeding of the endangered turtle species and eventually lead to a tourist boycott of the island.

MNT officials recently reported seeing huge piles of sand at Foxes Bay with turtle eggs awaiting removal and a recent visit there revealed that the Bay was littered with old pieces of plywood and old vehicle tires.

Both the removal of sand and the disruption of turtles during their nesting season are against the law.

The beach is also instrumental in coastal protection against sea-surges and sea-level rise, barriers to pollutants and wetlands to regulate mangroves.

The sand mining issue has received obvious attention, which at the beginning was taken somewhat lightly but can turn out to be embarrassing to some extent to the government led by Chief Minister David S. Brandt.

Bay sand, for a very long time now has been an integral part in the construction industry in Montserrat which from the late 1960's and early 1970's began an economic boom resulting in a significant rise in the tourism sector. Along with the ghaut sand and the aggregate provided commercially at O'Garros by Equipment & Supplies, bay sand was mined from all the beaches in Montserrat as convenient to the trucker. It seemed there was no control but this was not necessarily the case. But come the 1990's and Montserrat was becoming more environmentally conscious. Besides, the Reuben Meade Government had encouraged others to do likewise, investing in the Montserrat Quarry Ltd. with operations at Trants. The products from the Quarry were to replace the bay sand and at the same time slow down the erosion of our beaches and coastlines. The government then introduced and passed punitive legislation on sand mining, not without protest from construction workers and anyone needing to use the sand, which was free at the beaches, with the only cost being its transportation. It is in fact believed that this issue contributed significantly to any unpopularity the NPP Government suffered and was also a contributing factor to Minister Charles Kirnon's defeat at the November, 1996 polls.

Among other problems, the break was too sudden as builders at every level complained about this inability to use the Quarry dust effectively as sand for plastering, etc.

Persons were arrested and charged for removing sand from the beaches, but still amidst protests from the public.

The volcano eruption came along, building construction continued and all the beaches from where mud was removed became part of the exclusion zones. Sand was imported and eventually as the volcanic activity began to subside, the public was allowed access to Trants beach next to the airport to obtain sand, but at a cost.

And so recently it was with some joy and pride the Minister Austin P. Bramble announced that sand could be obtained from Foxes Bay. No sooner had he made the announcement there was a regular notice on radio that it was illegal to disturb turtles' eggs and so on as it was their hatching season. It is claimed that the turtles use Foxes Bay more than any other beach.

The Minister who was later supported by the Chief Minister was accused of making a political decision and not consulting his technicians.

Last week the Chief Minister pleased Montserratians when he announced that he would prefer relief for suffering Montserratians to use sand from Foxes Bay, in their efforts to rebuild homes against the hatching of turtles eggs. This was amidst the protests from environmentalists and interested parties that mining sand in these areas would be detrimental to the turtles.

It was obvious from his response at the news conference that he too was not fully aware of the concerns and/or advice from his technicians on the matter. But this week, following meetings with concerned parties on the issue, it was agreed that an alternative site at Isle's Bay would be used for sand mining. The government was showing their continued interest in making the sand available to the public. The Chief Minister did not hesitate to make that also clear to the point of saying that the Foxes Bay situation would not have changed except that a suitable alternative was found.

There has been much speculation as to alternative sand such as that found at Belham and other areas but contractors and architects had repeatedly said that the bay sand and the ghaut sand could not do the same job although both were useful.

Government has the obligation to assist where it can in lowering the cost to build homes. Yet it has to consider national and international implications so that in the end it must always seriously look at alternatives and compromises in its effort to carry out its political responsibilities. At the end of the day what they will always seek to do is what they believe is best for the people. There are many other areas where they need to show that this really is their ideal.

I have been in Montserrat for about two weeks and I wish to commend Montserratians for their warmth, friendliness and general positive attitude, even under the ongoing volcanic crisis, which started in 1995.

So far I have been given a gift of an "ASH CLOUD" as usually reported by the DJ on the ZJB morning show in welcoming first time visitors - thanks for the experience.

While back home in Dominica, the news didn't quite reflect the damage which your beautiful island has suffered and even having seeing the pictures from a friend - Cecil Cassell, the reality of the situation is unbelievable and heart rending. My heart goes out to all Montserratians.

Being here gave me the opportunity to understand why some people have remained on the island, for there is no place like home and home is where your heart is, and those who have left; for some people can take so much and no more. Having different levels of endurance. The volcanic situation is one of uncertainty, unlike when a hurricane strike; one can pick up pieces and move on.

I want to encourage Montserratians to be strong and of good courage… God is able to see you through this dilemma and in him, there is strength. He has power over all things! I pray that he give you the strength to face each and everyday.

Who knows? Something positive may just come out of this situation.

ASH

OLD WISDOM

When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you. Isaiah 43:2

When I was a little girl, my grandfather, a Cherokee Indian, spent hours telling stories to his grandchildren.

One story has stayed with me all these years, tucked away in my heart as a valuable jewel is locked in a safe. On an autumn day, my cousin and I were sitting with Grandfather under a big oak tree. Grandfather began breaking twigs and laying them in a circle on the ground. On top of this he placed shredded leaves. In the center of the circle, he placed a tiny caterpillar, and then he lit the circle of leaves with a match. The helpless caterpillar began to slither from side to side, trying to find a way out, finally curling into a small fuzzy ball. Grandfather asked, "What do you see?"

My cousin spoke up first, "It cruel, Grandfather. The little caterpillar is scared, and he can't get out of the fire."

Grandfather reached into the fiery circle. The caterpillar crawled onto Grandfather's large, worn hand. He lovingly stroked the little creature and gently moved it away from the fire. Then Grandfather said, "Life is cruel, full of fiery trials. You don't understand this now, but you will walk through many fires. You can walk alone or with the Lord. If you trust in Jesus, there is no need to be afraid, because his strong hands will hold you."

Prayer: God, help us to look to your love and wisdom for help and refuge. Amen.

In the midst of life's trails, rely on the strong hand of God

Director of Agriculture, Claude Gerald, took part in the recently held Eighth Annual meeting of OECS Ministers of Agriculture in Dominica.

Gerald took part in two-days of discussions earlier this week, along with his counterparts from across the sub-region.

The meeting considered, among other things, the draft OECS Fisheries Management and Development Strategy.

The participants discussed the issues of fisheries future benefits, especially the incorporation of fisheries into a pension scheme and vessel insurance.

The challenges facing the Windward Island’s Banana Industry and the current status of the banana industry were also looked at.

The meeting also discussed actions taken by the OECS through it’s Natural Resources Management Unit and the key issues and constraints to watershed management in the sub-region.

The Chief Ministers of Montserrat and Britain’s other last remaining dependent territories in the Caribbean will be pushing for an opportunity to choose and report on the performance of Governors when they meet the British government in October, Chief Minister Mr. David Brandt has said.
"I am proposing, and other Chief Ministers have agreed with me, that they (the British government) must send the CVs (curriculum vitae) for more than one man and let us look at them and say which one we might like," Brandt told reporters at his Government Headquarters office.
The British dependent territories in the Caribbean are Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Montserrat.
Governments of British dependent territories also want "a say" about whether the three-year term of their Governors should be renewed, he added.
In addition to being privy to the contents of the Governor’s report about the island to British government, the Chief Minister said he and his other counterparts would be demanding an opportunity to file similar reports on the performance of Governors, regarded as the Heads of State of dependent territories.
"What happens is this is if he reporting on himself, he is going to give a good report so we have to report on him too because he reports on us so that they can have a basis for judging him," Brandt added.
The Chief Minister, who is a British-trained lawyer, argued that it is imperative that the British Governor files a good report on his own performance because such assessments would determine their salaries.
The Governors, he added, would not receive any "perks" if they did not perform to the satisfaction of the British government.

Jim Allen Annual Lecture Series being planned

Preparations are far advanced for the holding of the inaugural annual Jim Allen Lecture Series on August 3 in honour of Montserrat’s greatest cricket achiever, according to a top official of the Chief Minister’s Office.

Chief-of-Staff Mr. Salas Hamilton said that world renowned West Indies cricket commentator Mr. Tony Cozier would be delivering the lecture, being arranged in collaboration with the University of the West Indies (UWI).

"He has sent a response and is very flattered to be the first person to give the lecture," Hamilton told reporters.

Mr. Allen, now in his 40s is remembered for his brilliant performance on behalf of the Combined Islands at the level of the then Shell Shield regional cricketing competitition.

The Chief-of-Staff noted that currently Montserrat, still reeling from the effects of four years of volcanic activity, does not have the facilities to enable its preparation and participation in Leeward Islands cricket competitions.

"Twinning that with the Montserratian who has reached farthest even playing at the West Indies team level on the ‘A’ Team so that generations can know about Jim Allen and also instill in the new generations a love for the game," Mr. Hamilton said.

He envisaged that the lecture series would create a greater awareness of Montserratians’ "place within the region and cricket is well."

Montserrat to make case for CBU Meeting

Montserrat is to make a pitch to hold the Annual General Meeting of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) next year as part of continuing efforts to promote the island, Chief-of-Staff of the Chief Minister’s Office Mr. Salas Hamilton has said.

"It is time for Montserrat to be known that we are back on our feet," he told reporters.

The proposal for Montserrat to host the CBU’s meeting in the year 2000 would be made at this year’s meeting to be held in August in Guyana.

He envisages that if the CBU’s AGM is held here, newscasts could be done out of the island each night during the week "would be a big boost for Montserrat and the region.

Senior officials say broadcasting live from Montserrat should not be difficult with cooperation from the phone company or alternatively getting a fly-away satellite station.

The officials do not foresee any problem with accomodation of delegates as the hotel being built at Sweeney’s is expected to be completed by yearend.

An over 35,000- foot high volcanic ash cloud on Tuesday last forced the cancellation of a helicopter flight from Montserrat to Antigua because it caused poor visibility, a senior official of the Montserrat Aviation Services (MAS) said.
"It was drifting between Antigua and Montserrat in the direct route of the aircraft," the MAS official told the Reporter.
As a result, the 7:50 AM flight was cancelled due to "poor visibility," the official added.
Residents in neighbouring Antigua and St. Kitts also reported that ash was deposited on their island.

The eight passengers were offered alternative transportation on the inter-island ferry but at least one person is known to have refused and decided to stay over until the next available helicopter flight.

Chief Scientist at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) Dr. Simon Young said that, as is customary for any ash-cloud that is 8,000 feet and above, his unit sent out an air-traffic control alert through the United States (US)-based Regional Volcanic Ash Advisory Center located at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA.

A satellite image was taken of the direction of the ash-cloud and advisories dispatched to the various air-traffic control operations in the Caribbean.
"Obviously a cloud like this is a much bigger problem for them. Once the clouds get up to 30,000 feet or so, that’s the cruising altitude of jet airliners traversing the Caribbean region so that is when we get into the really serious problems in terms of the ash encounters with the aircraft. Events like this are much more important for air-traffic," he told the Reporter.
Preliminary assessments revealed that the ash-eruption was associated with a pyroclastic flow of super-heated ash, rock and gas that went down the uninhabited Tar River Valley area.
"…down to the east caused by a collapse of the lava dome on the north-east side. We have seen quite a lot of instability on that flank over the last two or three weeks. We have been suspecting that something like this will happen," the Chief Scientist added.
The MVO has already assured that there is no further growth of the dome and no new magma pushing itself upwards, technically signaling that the volcano is no longer in an eruptive stage.
The British volcanologist attributed the very loud rumblings to small explosions and the collapse of "very large blocks" that were hitting the flank of the volcano as thunder and lighting struck.
The alert was dispatched shortly after 5:00 PM (East Caribbean Time) when very loud rumblings of the Soufriere Hills volcano were heard around this 39.6 square mile island.
Tonnes of ash were dumped island wide, forcing residents to shut their windows and later sweep their verandahs and wash their vehicles before making their way to work.
About a quarter-inch thick of ash covered many roadways, and many residents recalled that previous ash-falls had resulted in as much as three inch thick layers on some thoroughfares.
The environment around buildings continues to be occasionally cloudy as light winds blow ash-deposits off trees and buildings.

Barbados, July 21,TRADEWATCH-Customs operations could grind to a halt at the end of the year unless countries make critical changes to their computer hardware and software.

The problems were highlighted recently by a senior UN official speaking in Brussels to the World Customs Organisation.

UNCTAD Director John Gunrunlian stated that "international trade for a significant number of developing countries could be severely disrupted for weeks, even months".

As a result he added "this could have disastrous effects on Customs revenue since many countries, including those in the Caribbean, depend on it for more than half of total government revenues".
The problem arises due to the so-called millennium bug which means that computers and the software programmes they use could stop working on or before Jan 1, 2000 unless they are made Year 2000 (Y2K) compliant.

Caribbean Export has been working with national customs administrations to ensure that systems continue to work into 2000 and recognises that the failure of customs computer systems, even for a short period, could have tremendous impact on the movement of goods through ports and therefore on economies.
Caribbean Export, through its team of Customs Consultants has been working with most of the 18 countries who currently use ASYCUDA - the Automated System for Customs Data - in the region to adapt and test their systems well before the end of the year.

It can and is providing technical support says Caribbean Export but countries must make the financial resources available to buy new equipment and software as necessary.
According to the Agency, some countries have pretty much completed their Y2K readiness but a worrying number have yet to even place orders for new equipment and software. With less than six months to go before the end of the year time is running out.

The Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions (CCCU) is negotiating a 30-million EC dollar loan from which members in Montserrat and three other regional territories will benefit.

Credit Union members in Montserrat, Antigua/Barbuda and St. Kitts/Nevis will be able to gain assistance from the loan for home mortgages and small business financing.

CCCU’s Board Director and Executive Director of the St. Patrick’s Co-operative Credit Union Roslyn Cassell-Sealy says the eight credit unions in the three territories have agreed terms for the loan.

She says the Credit Union is also approaching funders for assistance for on-lending to members.

Cassell-Sealy says the assistance is needed for a special sort of mortgage and business loans and other kinds of infrastructual and technical assistance to make better credit unions in the region.

In addition, she also says another one million EC dollars will be disbursed shortly for institutional stengthening.

The Executive Director of the St. Patrick’s Co-operative Credit Union says the areas to be covered include management skills, portfolio, harmonization of operations among credit unions in the Leeward Islands, improving customer care practices and loan-interviewing techniques.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INTERGRATED SCIENCE FOR CXC

JANUARY 2000 EXAMS

In January 2000, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) will offer two additional subjects in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations. These are Information Technology at Technical Proficiency, and Integrated Science, at General Proficiency. This will bring to 14, the number of subjects offered at the January examinations.

Candidates sitting these two subjects will not have to do the School-Based Assessment (SBA) component. Those who are re-sitting the examination can carry over their SBA scores from the previous year if they obtained 50 per cent or more of the SBA marks. Candidates who obtained less than 50 per cent and those sitting for the first time will do an additional paper in place of SBA.

Subjects currently offered in the January examinations are Biology, Chemistry, English A, French, Mathematics, Office Procedures, Physics, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business, Social Studies, Spanish and Typewriting.

The January examinations provide another opportunity for persons to obtain secondary school certification.

Candidates wishing to take the January examinations should contact the CXC Local Registrar attached to the Ministry of Education in their respective territories.

The Montserrat Union of Teachers (MUT) is moving to raise funds to send five persons to the Biennial Convention of the Caribbean Union of Teachers in Barbados August 7 to 15.

Vice President of the Montserrat Union of Teachers Hyacinth Bramble-Browne says at the last annual general meeting of the Caribbean Union of Teachers, a call was made by Montserrat representatives for the staging of a Caribbean teachers calypso competition.

However, it was agreed to organize an international teachers show.

Bramble-Browne says the MUT is hoping to have representatives in at least three of the events being held during the show.

Herman "Cupid" Francis and Pat "Belonger" Ryan are expected to participate in the calypso show, Gregory Julius in the cricket competition and Bramble-Browne in activities of the Women’s Committee.

Janelle White of the St. Augustine School has been chosen as the local representative for the 1999 "My Caribbean" Essay Contest.

The CTC-23 is scheduled for the Dominican Republic in September this year.

She was among eleven year of children from the Primary School who were asked to write an essay on the topic --"My Island, Our Future…..Making the 21^st Century a Better Place to Be."

The children were asked to describe, in detail, the many qualities that make the island a special place and what each one would do to preserve or improve upon in the next millennium.

The competition is part of the tourist Board’s "Tourism Awareness" drive within the Montserrat’s schools.

The My Caribbean Essay Contest is sponsored by Conde Nast Traveler in cooperation with the Caribbean Tourism Organisation and American Airlines.

The Government of Montserrat has reached a welcomed solution to the sand mining issue.

The Government initially announced that Foxes Bay beach was opened for this purposes, but with the nesting season for turtles coming into the equation.

There has been some intense debate as to whether this practice is wise considering that more than sixteen percent of turtles use Foxes Bay beach for nesting during what has been termed the "closed season" from June 1^st to September 30^th.

The Honourable Chief Minister David Brandt summoned a meeting with a cross section of Montserratians, including the business community, contractors, architects and civil servants at both Foxes Bay and Isles Bay Beaches.

The Honourable Minister with Responsibility for the Environment P. Austin Bramble and Communications and Works Minister Rupert Weekes were also on hand for the meeting.

After a number of points and concerns were raised it was decided then, by consensus, that the Foxes Bay Beach would be closed and Isles Bay would be opened to controlled sand mining.

The loss suffered by Montserratians, by virtue of this crisis, has been unprecedented.

People have lost their homes, their personal effects and several persons have been bankrupt. And we have to start all over again.

This has never happened in any other country in the Caribbean within the last century. We have to import everything. We have lost two-thirds of our homes and two-thirds of our properties.

The most important thing in Montserrat today, therefore, is the building of houses to house our people. There are several persons in shared accommodations, several in shelters, several Montserratians abroad who would want to come home but cannot because there is a lack of housing.

We have to import everything. The only natural resource we have is this sand. We are pinioned on the horns of a dilemma. There is the question of the environment, which we respect, there is the question of people building houses to live in. Most people are poor.

We want to co-exist with the environment. It is very important for us to so, and taking everything into consideration, I think it is fair for the Government of Montserrat to decide. And we have decided by consensus that we will use this beach here at Isles Bay, but, that Public Works will stockpile the sand in a controlled manner.

After Public Works have stockpiled the stand, they will grade the area sufficiently and that people would be able to take sand from this area free of cost.

Community Services Summer Workshop ’99

In an effort to keep the island’s children occupied during their break from school, the Department of Community Services has organized a Summer Workshop in this regard to run from July 26 to August 13.

The 1999 Summer Workshop, which will incorporate art and craft, drama, tye-dye, steel pan and sports among others, will be conducted between 9:00am and 2:00pm each day.

There will be a formal opening at the Brades Primary School at 10 o’clock on the morning of July 26.

Some of the highlights of the summer programme include story telling through drama with Adziko Simba, Drama with Yvonne Weekes, and Dance from " On the floor with Zazelle".

There will also be a number of other local resource persons for the workshop.

So far a total of 215 children have registered for the 1999 Summer Workshop.

Sponsorship for the programme is coming from Brown and Root, Cable and Wireless, Lions Club and the Montserrat Branch of the British Red Cross among other partners.

And the list goes on and on as another Montserratian student gains rave reviews in the United Kingdom.

This time, it’s twenty-year-old Treisha Francis who has been featured in "Your future in your own hands" Prospectus 1999/2000 which is a work-based training programme for young people in England.

Currently, she is working as a modern Apprentice at JHP Training in Wood Green, a Training Provider to North London TEC.

The customer Service Modern Apprenticeship is designed for young people going into jobs where the main requirements is to handle an organization’s day to day relationships with customers.

Francis is pursuing a NVQ Level 3 in Customer Service.

Under the programme communications, personal, numeracy, Information and Technology skills are developed.

Treisha’s working day takes in a variety of activities including inputting data on training assessments and achievements, helping the trainees with their onw work, filing, petty cash and other office activities.

She has been quoted as saying she is developing her communication skills and enjoys dealing with people as well as working on the computer.

Veteran Speaker of the House here in Montserrat, Dr. Howard Fergus, was with his counterparts from across the region at a recent post parliamentary seminar in Antigua.

The two-day seminar brought together these Speakers of the House of representatives to discuss constitutional government under the subject:

"An Analysis of the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda."

In his presentation, Dr. Fergus examined the role of the Voice of the Constituency in Parliament.

Speaker of the House in Barbados, George Brancker, spoke on five subject areas, including the Second Chamber, Powers of Parliament and Critical Aspects of Debate in the House and Committee.

Montserrat focuses on rebuilding for the future

As the rebuilding process continues in Montserrat, efforts are likely to be constrained, not only by financial considerations, but also by the availability of human resources.

Montserrat has lost a significant amount of its human capital through migration. Senior civil servants and other skilled personnel have taken up residence abroad.

The shortage of managerial and other skills poses a major challenge for the rebuilding efforts, but the Government has had some success with filling vacant specialist and professional positions and other initiatives. A job evaluation exercise and a review of salary and conditions of service are being undertaken this year.

A central thrust of the Government is on putting the required infrastructure in place to create growth in the north of the island. Government continues to take the lead in investing in the north, and its capital works programme provided the major stimulus to economic activity, which during the year is being driven by construction.

All the signs are that with the volcano said to be in a state of repose, confidence is growing and the people of Montserrat have resolutely embarked on the task of rebuilding the island.

The reopening of Salem and its environs, which were parts of the exclusion zone, has seen some people returning to the island.

It is clear that the task ahead is a difficult one and requires significant external financial assistance.

There is likely to be continuing pressure on Government revenue for the foreseeable future. The avenues for raising recurrent revenue are limited. To the extent that economic activity accelerates, this should have a positive impact on revenue, but the use of tax incentives and other allowances to stimulate economic activity is likely to erode the tax base.

Of necessity, the Government of Montserrat is required to play the lead role in the redevelopment of Montserrat, given a weak private sector.

The St. Kitts Christian Council has announced the start of its Montserrat Community Assistance Programme.

The Programme, which was launched at the beginning of July, consists of several components.

These include the TAMEC (Targeted Assistance For Montserrat Evacuees in the Caribbean) Special Needs Project, which is aimed at elderly and disabled Montserratians, the Montserrat Information Desk and the TAMEC Community Empowerment Project.

It’s anticipated that through the programme, information about Montserrat will be disseminated to Montserratians and other interested parties in St. Kitts through the Montserrat Information Desk.

The programme is supported by administrative and field staff, all of whom are relocated Montserratians.

Elvina Fergus is the Administrative Assistant, Denise Phillip - Project Officer and Andrea Samuel - Communications Officer.

THIS WEEK WITH THE NURSES

Beginning July, the Ministry of Health will introduce two new vaccines into its immunization schedule.

This article will focus on the two diseases ie. Hepatitis B and Haemophilus Influenza Type B infection, and the immunization process.

It is a viral infection that affects the liver causing liver disease, liver cancer and even death.

The disease presents with the following signs and symptoms:

. Anorexia or loss of appetite.

. Mild abdominal discomfort

. Nausea and vomiting

. Arthralgia or severe pain in a joint especially one not inflamatory in character.

. Generalised body rash and eventually jaundice, where there is a yellow discoloration of the eyes and skin.

Hepatitis B is passed from one person to the next as a result of direct contact with infected body fluids mainly blood, semen, vaginal secretions and even saliva.

1. 70-90% of children 0-5 years.
2. All health workers namely:- Doctors, Nurses, Laboratory Technicians, Dentist and Dental Nurses, Orderlies and Maids.
3. High risk workers namely:- First Aiders, Police Officers, Defence Force Officers, Search and Rescue Officers, Undertakers and Garbage (Collector) Workers.

Since Hepatitis B is a viral infection, there is no specific treatment. However the disease is preventable through immunization.

Hepatitis B vaccine will be introduced into our infant immunization schedule this month July, as a means of protecting our children from Hepatitis B infection. Our health and high risk workers will also immunized later this year.

The vaccine will be given in the form of an injection into the thigh muscle for infants, and the deltoid muscle in the arm for adults. Three (3) doses are required for full immunization coverage, and will be given at 2 months, 3 months and a booster at 7 months.

Haemophilus Influenza Type B infection is a bacterial infection that affects children from 2 months to 5 years. This infection can cause.

1. Epiglottitis or inflammation of the epiglottis.
2. Pneumonia or inflammation of the lung.
3. Osetomyelitis or inflammation of the bone.
4. Pericarditis or inflammation of the pericardial muscle of the heart.
5. Otitis media or ear infection.
6. Meningitis or inflammation of the brain and meninges.
7. Also arthritis.

The signs and symptoms of Haemophulus influenza Type B infection include:-

Fever, Vomiting, Lethargy or General Listlessness, meningeal irritation which includes twitching and seizures, bulging fontanelle in infants, stiffness of neck and back in older children.

The disease is passed on from one person to the next by droplet infection and discharges from the nose and throat.

Antibiotics such as Amoxyl has been the drug of choice. However approximately 35% of the strains of the germ, are not responding to the treatment, therefore prevention through immunization with Hib vaccines becomes imperative.

Studies have shown that 90-99% of children immunized develop protective levels of antibody, following 3 doses.

The vaccine is given by injection in the thigh muscle of the infants. It is also very user friendly because it can be mixed with the DPT vaccines (Diptheria, Tetanus and Whooping Cough).

The schedule is as follows:-

Three months (3), Five months (5) and seven months (7) for infants under 1 year. For those between 1 year and 4 years, a single dose provides effective coverage. No additional boosters are needed.

The Community Nurses are extremely grateful to our Government for the commitment to our National Immunization Programme. Our focus at community level is disease prevention. Hence education, and immunization are the two main methods in preventing people from getting ill (sick).

Dear Reuben, please don’t take offense;

Your heliport, ferry comments,

While splendid suggestions

Faced knee-jerk rejections,

Just because they make so much sense.

Hear ye, let the message go forth,

Isles Bay is restored to the north;

Still among its futilities

Is the lack of utilities,

So what’s all that free access worth?

Just wonderin' if Montserrat's is now supposed to consider the name "Port John John."

Jus wondering if we'll be able to buy extinct turtles for $1100 per truck load.

Jus wonderin what the little Black Bird by Royal Bank will do with the Kingdom’s chief if he walks to work one day.

Jus wonderin how HE has an ADC if the RMDF is stood down.

Jus wonderin how soon the C-o-S will change from STOP to GO.

Jus wonderin what Antigua and St. Kitts and Nevis would do if Montserrat could have controlled the wind carrying the ash.

Jus wonderin when taxpayers will stop paying to listen to ZJB radio on the television.

Jus wonderin if no ash blew over HE office yard.