Jamaicans in the Diaspora Encouraged to Register with Diplomatic Offices
Key Points(3)
- Twenty of them returned.
- Jamaicans, including students, were advised to consider making arrangements to leave Russia.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">"We are aware that some students are already making plans to leave, and we encourage others to do the same.
- The fact is that, with the announcement by several countries of the imposition of restrictions on flights entering their countries from Russia, alternative routes out of that country will have to be explored.
Jamaica's State Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Leslie Campbell, recommends that Jamaicans living in the diaspora register with the country's diplomatic offices abroad.
Senator Campbell said the Ministry's challenges when attempting to repatriate the 20 students who were flown home from Ukraine on March 2, 2022, show the need for registration of all Jamaicans living overseas.
"We are concerned about the welfare of the children who returned home last night. Twenty of them returned. Jamaicans overseas need to have some kind of registration with us that, in the unlikely event that we have more situations like this, we can readily find them," the minister said.
Minister Campbell responded to questions raised by Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives Anthony Hylton, who expressed concern about the students' future now that they have returned to Jamaica.
Campbell represented Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, who attended the Caricom's 33rd Inter-Sessional Meeting of Heads of Government in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
The state minister noted that the Ministry had looked at the list of Jamaicans residing in Russia, which has invaded Ukraine, and found that it is much more than the eight documented.
"Initially, we were of the mistaken impression that there were eight persons, now it turns out that the most recent number we have is 21. If the students in Ukraine were registered, we could have had ready access to them," he pointed out.
In a press release last week, Johnson Smith said the Ministry had indications that Jamaican students were in Russia and surrounding eastern European countries and could have been impacted by the violent conflict. Jamaicans, including students, were advised to consider making arrangements to leave Russia.
"We are aware that some students are already making plans to leave, and we encourage others to do the same. The fact is that, with the announcement by several countries of the imposition of restrictions on flights entering their countries from Russia, alternative routes out of that country will have to be explored. Students and their families should try to be proactive as this may become more difficult as more sanctions are applied and as they tighten," Johnson Smith said.
In the meantime, Johnson Smith is reminding Jamaicans in surrounding countries in Eastern Europe to explore opportunities for safe passage to alternative locations.
