Jamaican authorities mull fate of Haitian migrants

Thursday, February 19, 2004

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica (AFP): Jamaican authorities Tuesday mulled the fate of 10 Haitian refugees who fled fighting in their country and who were picked up in a canoe off the eastern coast of the island at the weekend.

The group includes eight armed policemen, still in their uniforms, who told Jamaican police they had fled Haiti in the hope to land in the United Sates, but got lost in bad weather.

The boat people had been at sea for about three days, after leaving late Thursday and arriving in Jamaica early Saturday.

The policemen said their station had come under attack from rebels opposed to Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide and they had to run for their lives.

Haitian police have been the targets of rebel groups trying to oust Aristide. More than a dozen police stations have been set ablaze by rebels who see the buildings as symbols of Aristide's authority.

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