Politicians angry over U.S. treatment of Jamaican fishermen
Bert Wilkinson | 1/21/2021, midnight
n the late 1990s, the U.S. government came up with a controversial scheme to control the waters south off the Florida coast by signing agreements with various Caribbean governments to allow American coastguard officers to board a vessel in the Atlantic to intercept shipments of drugs, arms and other illicit products with virtual impunity.
From its inception, some governments had opposed the Shiprider Agreement contending that it had given American officers way too much power to intercept and board vessels, arrest crews and indict them on charges related to international smuggling.
In recent years, not much had been heard of activities related to the Shiprider Agreement until a visit last year to the South Caribbean by outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as he renewed agreements with Guyana and generally moved to give new life to this highly disputed concept.
Now the bad side effect of this agreement has raised its ugly head after a Jamaican fishing boat crew of four was detained late last year after their vessel was boarded by American sailors on the presumption that they were on a cocaine smuggling errand.
The Jamaica Gleaner newspaper reported that their boat was destroyed after the interception and the men left to rot in an American jail from October last year up to the end of December, traumatized and angry and not compensated for their ordeal whatsoever, not a blind cent.
More:
http://amsterdamnews.com/news/2021/jan/21/politicians-angry-over-us-treatment-jamaican-fishe/
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