The late Sir Samuel Weymouth Tapley Seaton GCMG, CVO, KC, JP, LLD, former Governor-General of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis from 2015 to 2023, will be accorded a State Funeral with full military honours on Thursday, July 20, at the Zion Moravian Church on Victoria Road, Basseterre at 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, July 20 has been declared a National Day of Mourning by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, and a national half-holiday for the public and private sectors has been proclaimed by the Governor-General Her Excellency Dame Marcella Liburd GCMG, JP to honour the life and contribution to the nation of the late Sir Tapley Seaton.

The body of Sir Tapley will lie in State at Government House from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on July 20, for public viewing and all flags on government buildings will be flown at half-staff on the same day.

Persons interested in paying tribute to Sir Tapley can sign the Book of Condolence, which will be opened at Government Headquarters on Wednesday, July 19, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Book will then be placed at Government House during the Lying-in-State on July 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados’ Heads of State have confirmed attendance.

Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton GCMG, CVO, KC, JP, LLD, who died on June 29, 2023, served as the Federation’s first Attorney-General after Independence from 1983-1995 and its fourth Governor-General of St Kitts and Nevis from 2015-2023.

Sir Tapley contributed significantly to the work of the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park Society. In 1982, Sir Tapley joined the Society as a Life Member, and during that time, he supported former President, the late Sir Cecil Jacobs. Several years later, in July 2005, he was elected as Vice President of the Council, again providing invaluable support to the then President, the late Sir Probyn Innis. Sir Tapley served in that capacity until May 20, 2015, when he was elevated to the esteemed position of Governor-General.

Please click on the link below for the Proclamation from the Governor-General:

https://mcusercontent.com/f9c18edcb5e81ee00df9977e6/files/0048b09a-ed61-aacc-240a-1b64a4a64811/Proclamationfor_July_20.pdf

The Administration of Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew has solemnly promised to clamp down on the trafficking of persons into St. Kitts and Nevis as this is becoming a national security concern with non-nations alighting from boats arriving at the country’s porous borders.

At the recent Prime Minister’s Press Conference with Cabinet Ministers on July 13, the government’s chief legal advisor, Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Honourable Garth Lucien Wilkin, said that legislation has been created to deal with this pressing issue.

“We are trying to deal with the smuggling of persons into the Federation. We have created a standalone Anti-Smuggling Bill and amendments to the Immigration Act and the Transnational Crimes Act to address this issue which is becoming heightened and a more frequent national security matter,” he said.  

Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are various motivations to smuggle. These include participation in illegal trade, such as the drug trade, illegal weapons trade, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, exotic wildlife trade, art theft, heists, chop shops, illegal immigration or illegal emigration, tax evasion and import restrictions.

Human Smuggling (Photo courtesy: Open Borders)

The terms “human smuggler” or “coyote” are used for people who smuggle people illegally across borders. Coyote fees, which are the fees charged by coyotes for their services, are a measure of the extent of people’s desire to migrate. 

The St. Kitts and Nevis Immigration Department is moving forward with plans to establish an Enforcement Unit that will strengthen the protection of the Federation’s borders.

Acting Chief Immigration Officer, Sheldon Jeffers, said that the creation of the unit is a priority as the department is an essential cog in the national security structure.

“With the absence of that Enforcement Unit, it sorts of restricts us in terms of going out in the field to look for persons who have overstayed,” Mr. Jeffers stated on the July 12 edition of the radio and television programme InFocus. “I believe it is needed at this time with what is happening right now especially with the increase in crime because we are an added arm of the security forces.”

The responsibility to conduct visits will be one of the main goals of the unit when it is established. In the meantime, immigration officers do periodic checks, visiting various establishments and gathering intelligence to identify persons who overstayed their visit.

When discovered, persons are given the option to regularize their status at the Ministry of National Security, leave the Federation, or they will be charged under the appropriate law.

Mr. Jeffers added that the border management system is also being upgraded. The software includes a built-in module reporting system that highlights cases of persons overstaying their visits.

The deployment of the Enforcement Unit will also include identifying cases of persons entering the country from an unauthorized point as well as cases of human smuggling and trafficking.

 The construction of model homes by the East Coast Housing Development in St. Kitts has been delayed as the company adjusts to meet the feedback expressed by locals following the National Housing Corporation (NHC) Housing Fair on May 18, 2023.

The Honourable Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Housing and Human Settlement said the original designs for the one, two and three-bedroom homes have been changed as well as the sizes of the bedrooms.

“The feedback I have been receiving is that the houses look good,” Dr. Hanley expressed at the Prime Minister’s Press Conference with Cabinet Members on Thursday, July 13, 2023. “We made some changes based on what the community was saying and as a result that would have caused some delays in shipping [materials], but in quick order we are going to be breaking ground that will showcase other homes.”

The size of the one-bedroom houses has increased from 450 square feet to 592 square feet. The two-bedroom homes will go from 862 square feet to 879 square feet, while the three-bedroom houses will increase from 1,200 square feet to 1,288 square feet. Prices for the one, two and three-bedroom homes remain the same however, at $111,375.00, 213,345.00 and $297,000.00 respectively. All prices are in East Caribbean Dollars.

More than 3,500 persons took advantage of the online application process to register their desire to become homeowners. However, officials at NHC explained that some 800 submitted applications are still pending. This is due to incorrect or missing information on the application forms.

NHC staff is available to assist persons to complete the registration process. Applicants needing assistance can visit the corporation at East Park Range or telephone 466-4701.

Effective Thursday, July 13, 2023, the Ministry of Sustainable Development resumed payment for persons who were allocated lands in 2020 and 2021.

The announcement was made by the Honourable Dr. Joyelle Clarke, Minister of Sustainable Development, at the Prime Minister’s Press Conference with Cabinet Ministers held at the NEMA Conference Room on July 13.

“All persons allocated land up to December 2020 can resume payments at the Treasury. All persons who were allocated lands in 2021 are kindly advised to submit their surveyed documents and to confirm their payment status with the Ministry of Sustainable Development before proceeding to the Treasury,” said Dr. Clarke.

Dr. Clarke said that the resumption of payments for persons who were allocated lands in 2022 is yet to be confirmed as the ministry continues to work assiduously to “finalize the major challenges associated with land distribution during that year including double and triple allocations and allocations to lots which do not exist.”

Minister Dr. Clarke said that land allocation will resume in August 2023 “whereby an announcement on the improvements and changes of the process will be made by Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew.”

Dr. Clarke made mention of the Ministry of Sustainable Development’s land initiative which deals with allocation, normalization and distribution. She noted that the ministry “remains committed to the mandate of the empowerment of citizens through land ownership and its updated land initiative which has sought to document, assess and restructure the process of land allocation and land use in St. Kitts.”

In February 2023, the Ministry of Sustainable Development hosted a two-day Land Fair where representatives of various agencies availed themselves to answer all questions related to the distribution of lands in St. Kitts. Agencies on hand at the fair were the National Housing Corporation (NHC), the Treasury, Lands & Survey, Physical Planning, Urban Planning, Development Control and Planning Board and the Sustainable Land Management Unit.

 Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, assured the residents of the Cayon community, which is one of the communities within his constituency, that they will enjoy a sustained consistent availability of potable water soon.
 
He said this during his monthly press conference held at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Conference Room in Lime Kiln, Basseterre on July 13.
 
The prime minister said that the water issues in Cayon have been an ongoing problem that started many years ago, however, he said “I am happy to say that this government has put in place a significant number of policies that would resolve the water issue once and for all.”
 
He said that his administration has executed several policies successfully.
 
“We have sought to expand our water availability by purchasing water from Marriott so that we can make more water available. We have re-engaged BEAD and presently BEAD (Bedrock Exploration Development Technologies St. Kitts Ltd. has done a lot of work thus far even though that work is preparatory work, but BEAD is back this week to continue that work,” he said.
 
The prime minister further explained that his team is working towards expanding the water availability throughout the Federation and added that “we are going into desalination and that would have a tremendous impact on the people of Cayon.”