The report in The Star of Friday December 5, titled '20 Women sexually assaulted at airport - Jamaicans touched on their private parts after landing in Barbados', should be properly investigated and not allowed to just fade into the darkness. This is not the first time such an event has occurred, and it is now becoming the norm in that country.

If that story is true, then those immigration officials should be made to answer to some serious charges. These women were bundled together and placed in holding cells at the airport without being given proper explanations as to why they were being held. They were treated like animals and sent back to Jamaica on the next available flight.

Advertise properly

If the Barbadian government does not want Jamaicans travelling to their country, they should properly advertise this so we can spare ourselves the embarrassment.

When Dennis Kellman, the Barbados representative to Caricom, said they could no longer accommodate more Caricom skilled professionals to their country, (which they also need to properly inform Caricom nationals of), no mention was made of vacationers.

Embarrassing

Many of these countries treat Jamaicans with disdain because they know they can get away with it. It is true that some Jamaicans, on entering their countries, have caused embarrassment to us all by their criminal behaviour, but this does not give the authorities the right to treat everybody as criminals.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the prime minister himself, should intervene in this matter. The country should know whether or not its citizens are permitted to travel to Barbados, and by extension, whether Barbadians are permitted to travel to Jamaica, as they often do for various reasons.

I am, etc.,

NEBERT PRYCE

nebertpryce@yahoo.com

Via Go-Jamaica