BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS (FEBRUARY 1, 2007) - Ten Caribbean islands became a Single Domestic Space on Thursday, marking a historic but brief two and a half months of hassle-free travel ~~adz:Left~~throughout most of the CARICOM region.
Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago all form part of the Single Domestic Space, which will see the implementation of a number of new procedures including new entry and departure (E/D) cards, a CARICOM Special Visa, and an Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS).
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of National Security Mrs. Astona Browne says that all systems are "a go" for St. Kitts and Nevis. When asked how smoothly immigration processing of the first passengers to arrive and depart the Federation by land and sea, Mrs. Browne said there was little hick-up. "Generally everything has gone smoothly except for the occasional hick-up that is normal with any new system especially of this magnitude, but for the most part everything has been going quite smoothly."
Major Wayne Mykoo, who is the CARICOM Operations and Coordinating Staff (COPACS) assigned to oversee readiness for implementation of all procedures around the Single Domestic Space, is pleased with St. Kitts and Nevis state of readiness. ~~adz:Right~~
Last month St. Kitts and Nevis' Parliament, the law-making body, enacted the new E/D cards as well as the CARICOM Special Visa. The E/D cards are designed to capture similar information about travellers throughout the Single Domestic Space so that travel can be hassle-free being identified by a security wrist band that will be given to each passenger if they travel throughout the Single Space.
The CARICOM Special Visa, which also took effect on Thursday, is applicable to citizens of countries that are not exempted from the requirement. Travellers from select nations comprising more than 800 million persons will not need the CARICOM Special Visa; these comprise citizens from the following countries: Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Ireland, all CARICOM Nationals except Haiti, Italy, South Africa, Spain, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, and the United States.
In a previous statement to the Press, Permanent Secretary Browne said that one of the legacies for the region post World Cup, would be an enhanced security mechanism bringing together all of the appropriate agencies of the region to fight crime and tackle disasters.
