Articles - News

   Is Saint Lucia’s World Heritage Site status under threat and has the media played a part in causing added scrutiny of the site and its management by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the organization that encourages the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world?
This question will soon be answered by a team from UNESCO’s World Heritage scheduled to arrive in Saint Lucia this Saturday.
The two man team is coming here as a result of a decision taken by UNESCO at its last convention held in Spain.
The trip to Saint Lucia is one of several decisions arrived at, at the meeting in Spain concerning Saint Lucia’s World Heritage Site, which is the 2,909-ha site near the town of Soufriere that includes the Pitons, two volcanic spires rising side by side from the sea (770 m and 743 m high respectively), linked by the Piton Mitan ridge.
The volcanic complex that makes up the site also includes a geothermal field with sulphurous fumeroles and hot springs with coral reefs covering almost 60% of the site’s marine area.
The team will be in Saint Lucia for about five days during which members will visit the World Heritage Site in Soufriere, meet with stakeholders and hold discussions with senior government officials, heads of the various sections of the Ministry of Planning and the Environment and the personnel of the Development Control Authority and other organizations.
The VOICE understands that the team is concerned about some of the things they have been reading in the press about the Soufriere based World Heritage Site hence they need to have a firsthand look of what is actually happening here.
The recent fire at the top of Petit Piton that burned for a few days, which burned itself out and which certainly was not the best thing the site’s management team wanted was a source of major concern for them because of the plants and animal’s species that are indigenous and endemic to the pitons.

For instance a survey has revealed that on the pitons there are 168 species of finfish, 60 species of cnidarians’, including corals, eight molluscs, 14 sponges, 11 echinoderms, 15 arthropods and eight annelid worms. The dominant terrestrial vegetation is tropical moist forest grading to subtropical wet forest, with small areas of dry forest and wet elfin woodland on the summits. At least 148 plant species have been recorded on Gros Piton, 97 on Petit Piton and the intervening ridge, among them eight rare tree species. The Gros Piton is home to some 27 bird species (five of them endemic), three indigenous rodents, one opossum, three bats, eight reptiles and three amphibians.
The Pitons Management Area contains the greater part of a collapsed stratovolcano contained within the volcanic system, known to geologists as the Soufriere Volcanic Centre. Prominent within the volcanic landscape are two eroded remnants of lava domes, Gros Piton and Petit Piton. The Pitons occur with a variety of other volcanic features including cumulo-domes, explosion craters, pyroclastic deposits (pumice and ash), and lava flows. Collectively, these fully illustrate the volcanic history of an andesitic composite volcano associated with crustal plate subduction.
The Pitons Management Area derives its primary visual impact and aesthetic qualities from the Pitons, two adjacent forest-clad volcanic lava domes rising abruptly from the sea to heights greater than 700m. The Pitons predominate over the Saint Lucian landscape, being visible from virtually every part of the island and providing a distinctive landmark for seafarers. The combination of the Pitons against the backdrop of green tropical vegetation and a varying topography combined with a marine foreground gives the area its superlative beauty.

   The first phase of the Caribbean Travel Pass (CARIPASS) will become operational by July this year. The agreement to bring the travel card into being was made at the just-concluded Inter-sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Dominica and Chairman of the Conference, described the development as a “major step towards hassle free travel,” as he spoke at a press conference at the conclusion of the meeting held in Roseau, Dominica on 11-12 March.

Ms. Lynne Ann Williams, Executive Director of the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) said that the treaty to establish the CARIPASS became effective following the signature of six Member States at the Inter-sessional Meeting.

The CARIPASS system will allow citizens of the Member States acceding to the treaty to travel using a travel card. According to Ms Williams, equipment already was in some participating member states and the system would “go live” in July, after participating Member States would have put legislation in place to recognize the pass as a legitimate travel document. The Travel Card, which was approved by the Twenty-Ninth CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government in July 2008, is a voluntary regime which will allow eligible CARICOM Nationals and legal residents to clear Immigration using designated electronic gates in Immigration halls.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org

   The Saint Lucia Tourist Board has announced that world renowned, Grammy-winning recording artistes Ne-Yo, Corinne Bailey Rae, Shaggy and Steel Pulse are set perform at the destination’s premiere festival from May 1 – 9, 2010.

Also joining the impressive musical line-up for Saint Lucia Jazz is 22-year old R&B singing sensation, Laura Izibor; the music of popular Cuban ensemble Buena Vista Social Club; the electrifying Haitian kompa band T-Vice; reggae veteran Maxi Priest, along with singing greats Jeffrey Osborne, Freddie Jackson, and Saint Lucia’s own Teddyson John and Ronald “Boo” Hinkson.

Saint Lucia Jazz, considered one of the leading music festivals in the Caribbean and the world, is marking its 19th anniversary this year.

“Saint Lucia Jazz is a spirit-filled experience and we are so happy to add this year’s stars to the long list of international artistes who have previously graced the stage here like John Legend, George Benson, Patti LaBelle, Anita Baker and so many others,” said Saint Lucia’s Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Allen Chastanet. “We are ready to host travelers from all corners of the globe who come to Saint Lucia to experience our legendary spot in paradise,” he added.

The rich dusky tones of jazz, sensual soul, cool calypso, reggae, kompa music and world rhythms gently fuse at Saint Lucia Jazz which features some of the greatest artistes in the music industry.

Saint Lucia Jazz schedule highlights include:

Wednesday, May 5: Fresh on the scene and described as one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s “Artists to Watch”, Irish singing sensation Laura Izibor raises the standard with her self-taught piano skills and sensual vocals. Izibor’s vocals have been compared to greats like Aretha Franklin and Alicia Keys and her writing to that of Carole King and Joan Armatrading. She will perform at Gaiety in Rodney Bay, the island’s epicenter of musical entertainment, featuring local clubs, lounges and restaurants. Laura Izibor will appear on the same stage as renowned guitarist Earl Klugh, who returns to Saint Lucia Jazz after five years; and the Saint Lucia School of Music Jazz Band (Black Ants), a group of young and extremely gifted music students whose repertoire consists of swing, funk, reggae, calypso, salsa, bossa-nova, and other genres.

Thursday, May 6: After a very successful U.S. tour in November, Jean-Luc Ponty, a pioneer and undisputed master of violin in the arena of jazz and rock, is poised to light up the stage at Gaiety. Born in France into a family of classical musicians, Ponty, who has collaborated with the likes of Sir Elton John, has recorded numerous albums which have reached the Top 5 on the Billboard jazz charts and sold millions of copies. He is widely regarded as an innovator who has applied his unique visionary spin to expand the vocabulary of modern music.

Friday, May 7: Three-time R&B Grammy winner Ne-Yo, who has had several Top 10 songs and albums on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard 200 respectively, is preparing for a show stopping performance, which will undoubtedly feature hits “Because of You”, “Closer” and “Miss Independent.”

Saturday, May 8: Having just released her new and popular album, The Sea, British-born singer Corinne Bailey Rae, who won an Album of the Year Grammy, is gearing up to entertain with new hits as well as chart topping favorites like “Put Your Records On” and “Like a Star”.

Sunday, May 9: The eclectic sounds of crooners Jeffrey Osborne, Freddie Jackson, Phil Perry and Howard Hewett will caress the souls of Pigeon Island patrons, before Jamaican and Caribbean music greats Maxi Priest and Shaggy bring Saint Lucia Jazz to an upbeat and memorable conclusion with their incredible repertoire of hits.

Saint Lucia Jazz 2010 will feature a dynamic line-up of other world class musicians, including the young and gifted bassist and vocalist, Esperanza Spalding, and talented African musician Dobet Gnahoré from Côte d’Ivoire.

For a full concert schedule with updates about the line-up and information about the island of Saint Lucia, call 1 (888) 4-STLUCIA or visit www.stluciajazz.org or www.saintlucianow.com. Fans can also follow the Saint Lucia Tourist Board on Twitter at @SLTB2010 and on Facebook under the fan group, ‘Saint Lucia Jazz’.

   Police Commissioner Mr. Ausbert Regis, says the administration of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force will continue to strive for excellence, and has sounded a warning that it will guard against attitudes that are not in keeping with the rules of the public service.



His comments came against the backdrop of the release of two police recruits from the police academy, resulting in fifty-eight out of an initial sixty, graduating from a six-month training at the Police Academy at La Toc.



Commissioner Regis told the new police constables, that they will be under the microscope during their two-year probation. However, Mr. Regis says based on the performance and potential of the new police constables during the training, he has no doubt they will live up to the task.



“I feel confident that when I retire I will leave the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force in the hands of competent men and women who can protect me in my latter years. We are facing challenging times right now; we are facing a new breed of criminals that persons like myself did not experience in our formative years in the force. But I am confident that you—being that new breed of police officer—are up to the task and will overcome the challenge they are posing to our society.”



Mr. Regis has assured the new police constables of the support of the management of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force.



“All of the policies and processes that we put together are to support you, and if does not filter to you we have to re-examine them because when we are in bed at 2: 00AM you are on the street representing the commissioner, the minister for national security, and the government of Saint Lucia. I want to urge you to seek God’s assistance and his direction. Every morning you may leave home without your wallet but do not leave without God.


Along with the fifty-eight new police constables, forty correctional officers have also been added to the corrections fraternity at the Bordelais Correctional Facility.

   Twenty-five-year-old, Chris Eleuthere of Ciceron, Castries, was stabbed multiple times early Sunday evening, March 14th at Cul-De-Sac. According to police reports, Eleuthere was in an area near the playing field when he was allegedly attacked by another young man who dealt several blows to him using a cutlass. Eleuthere was later pronounced dead on the scene.
In light of this tenth recorded homicide for 2010, many wonder if the new stance taken against crime and violence is sufficiently forceful. What seems more alarming is that more often than not, there are witnesses but these witnesses are afraid to speak up.
Increasingly, police and other authorities are finding that crime scenes may have witnesses but it is a struggle to get any information from them to make significant headway in a case. Officially, there is no program in St. Lucia protecting witnesses from those who may want to harm them because of the valuable information they possess. ‘
However, in cases where individuals provide valuable information to police, a reward is given. This incentive may seem small but it may go a long way in helping to solve a homicide or any other crime.
An investigation is currently being held to determine the details of Chris Eleuthere’s death, and up to press time, no arrests have been made. Police are appealing to anyone who may have information concerning the incident, to contact the Major Crime Unit at telephone number: 4563774 or 4563758.