Corrupt immigration in Nassau?

[cowboyneal]

Well, there goes the neighborhood...my post was deleted...too much truth I guess...lol...

 

[DandyDon]

I guess that's all Johnson could say, and she had to say something. Pretty bad. Nice that one of the guys had a cam phone for the video, proof is always good. It'd be difficult to seek damages, but with the bad press on a small country that depends so heavily on tourism, I think they'd settle well & quickly. The divers deserve whatever they can get.

$4,000 USD each on them? Wow! Sounds like a lot, encouraging other suspicions. You know if it was mostly travelers checks, US bills, or other...???

Well, there goes the neighborhood...my post was deleted...too much truth I guess...lol...

True or not, it did seem off topic and perhaps inappropriate for a Scuba forum. See Forum Tos.

 

[mike_s]

Didn't the minister of Immagration in the Bahamas just "resign" after pictures of him in bed and embraced with Anna Nicole Smith were released to the press?

 

[DandyDon]

Didn't the minister of Immagration in the Bahamas just "resign" after pictures of him in bed and embraced with Anna Nicole Smith were released to the press?

That could leave a uniformed & powerful force in a position of little oversight...

Updated: 1:11 p.m. CT Feb 19, 2007
NASSAU, Bahamas - Immigration Minister Shane Gibson resigned Sunday night in a flap over his relationship with Anna Nicole Smith.

Photos recently appeared in a Bahamas newspaper showing Gibson in bed with the former Playboy Playmate and embracing her. Both were fully clothed, but the pictures stoked a controversy because Gibson had fast-tracked Smith’s application for permanent residency on the island chain.

“I want to apologize to all persons who may in any way have been offended by anything that I have said, done, or perceived to have said or done,” Gibson said on state television.

 

[ianr33]

Well, there goes the neighborhood...my post was deleted...too much truth I guess...lol...

Scubaboard can't handle the truth!

 

[miketsp]

..snip..
$4,000 USD each on them? Wow! Sounds like a lot, encouraging other suspicions. You know if it was mostly travelers checks, US bills, or other...???

Not an unreasonable value for travelling divers.
1. Probably a reaction to unreliable Brazilian credit cards. Even though I have a couple of cards with fairly high limits the computers block them far too easily whenever my purchasing pattern deviates from normal and this causes real inconvenience.
2. If Cuba was in the circuit any credit cards with American banking connections are not accepted.
3. By paying cash in most Caribbean countries you can negotiate better discounts on prices.

 

[DandyDon]

Yeah I never trust credit cards. I like travelers checks.

 

[mike_s]

Well I've been the Bahamas only a couple times, I can say that I was very unimpressed with the immigration officials in Nassau. Very rude, grumbly, and acted like they were pissed they had to service us.

Nevermind the fact that if it wasn't for the tourists coming to their island, they wouldn't have a need for a job.

They just seemed not greatful. My experiences with folks in the out islands was much more positive.

 

[Blackbeards]

We have had a few Brazilian groups come out on the Aqua Cat who never encountered problems clearing through immigration in Nassau. That's the type of behavior that can kill tourism on the island. I would have liked to have been a fly on that wall to see what the trigger mechanism was.

 

[mike_s]

Blackbeards. do you represent the liveaboard sail boats? If so, you should contact NetDoc, the owner of this board. he can set you up a special forum so people can ask questions about BlackBeard cruises.



Back on the subject of immigration.

The Bahamas have already caused problems a few years ago with a immigration fee raised on boats.

If you went over for the weekend on your own boat, it used to cost about $50 to $80 for immigration fees for your passengers and your boat.

They raised it to a minimum $300 per boat a couple years ago.