Barbados Radio Station
US Department Of State Post Report
Barbados has two AM radio stations, several FM radio stations and a wire service available through subscription. The AM stations favor West Indian sounds, with lively discussions on local issues and extensive local news coverage. The FM stations present American pop, easy listening, and religious formats. One of the FM stations also presents a classical program on weekends. The wire service, Red Iffusion, carries classical music, drama, and literature. The BBC’s World News is broadcast on both AM and FM daily. In addition to the Barbados stations, several regionally based radio stations can be picked up on the AM band, including Radio Francaise Outre-Mer and stations in Grenada, St. Vincent, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Venezuela. VOA is carried 7 hours a day over Radio Antilles (930 AM). ... [Read More]
Barbados
The Constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press, and the authorities respect these rights in practice. There are two independent daily newspapers, both of which present opposition political views. The Government regularly comes under criticism in the newspapers and on daily call-in radio programs. There are six radio stations, two of which are owned by the Government. The Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) television service (the only television source, excluding direct satellite reception) is government owned. Although CBC is a state enterprise, it regularly reported views opposing government policies. Critics allege that the Government sometimes uses its influence to discourage media reporting on sensitive issues, but the press remained vigorously critical of the Government on a broad span of issues. The Government prohibits the production of pornographic materials. ... [Read More]
Barbados
b. Disappearance There were no reports of politically motivated disappearances. c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment The Constitution specifically prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading punishment or other treatment. The majority of complaints against the police alleged unprofessional conduct and beating or assault. At year's end, assault charges filed by students at the University of the West Indies against a police officer were still pending before the court. These charges arose out of an incident in 2001 when students barricaded the main campus road and clashed with police (see Section 2.b.). Police procedures provide that the police may question suspects, and other persons they hold, only at a police station, except when expressly permitted by a senior divis ... [Read More]
June
1111--06/25/02 Interview on Radio Sawa; Washington, DC ... 1111--06/20/02 Remarks at World Refugee Day Event; Union Station; Washington, DC ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Grenada has an amateur radio club. Amateur radio enthusiasts will enjoy Grenada because of its friendly ham radio community and its terrain, which allows for excellent antenna siting in prescribed areas. HF and 2-meter are both popular here. Permission to operate is granted on presentation of a valid FCC license, and third-party traffic is permitted. If your gear is 110v, bring an adequate transformer. ... Radio Grenada operates an AM station providing music, local and inter-Caribbean island news, as well as a BBC international roundup and some VOA programs. AM broadcasts in English can be heard from Trinidad, Barbados, Montserrat, and the Netherlands Antilles. Spanish-language broadcasting can also be received from Venezuela. VOA and BBC can be heard on shortwave, but quality of reception is often poor. Bring equipment that can be connected to external antennas if you plan to receive shortwave broadcasts regularly. ... [Read More]
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
There were 13 female inmates held in a separate section in the Fort Charlotte prison. A family court handled criminal cases for minors up to age 16. Children may be charged and convicted as criminals from the age of 16. In such cases, children then may be jailed with older criminals. Conditions were inadequate for juvenile offenders. Plans to place 40 to 50 first-time offenders in Fort Charlotte foundered because the prison system did not have the financial resources to transfer the prisoners. The Government permitted prison visits by independent human rights observers. d. Arbitrary Arrest, Detention, or Exile The Constitution provides that persons detained for criminal offenses must receive a fair hearing within a reasonable time by an impartial court, and the Government generally respected these provisions in practice; however, complaints continued regarding police practices in b ... [Read More]
G) The Caribbean
During 2001, the United States provided essential equipment and training to expand the counternarcotics canine units, helped the DNCD launch its vetted special investigation unit, supported the DNCD’s border units, provided radio equipment for the DNCD’s border units to use on the DR’s border with Haiti, and funded development of an automated tracking system to manage seized assets. The United States also delivered two decommissioned U.S. Coast Guard vessels to the DR Navy; an 82-foot patrol boat and a 180-foot buoy tender. The United States directed its military assistance in the DR toward training and maintaining military assets critical for narcotics interdiction. ... [Read More]
G) The Caribbean
The year was marked by a crack-down at Curacao’s Hato International Airport on “mules” who either ingest or conceal on their bodies illegal drugs, mostly destined for Europe. Since the inception of the “Hato Team” concept of interagency cooperation in April, at least 6,500 persons have been denied boarding based on suspicion of drug trafficking under the GONA’s legal authority to prevent disruption on air carriers. Suspected traffickers may request an X-ray in order to clear themselves of suspicion and receive permission to board the plane, but only about 10 percent do so. Of those, about three percent are found to have ingested drugs. Smugglers who ingest the illegal drugs are switching from latex condoms to cat and goat intestines to hold drugs that are mixed with a waxy substance to better conceal them from x-ray imaging. In December, the x-ray program was suspended because of threats against the hospital and the two private radiologists who conduct the tests. There have been three ... [Read More]
The Caribbean
The GOC reported an expansion of its coastal watch station program and reported the existence of 239 coastal watch stations with 7,344 personnel assigned around the island of Cuba. The GOC also claimed to establish counternarcotics units equipped with drug detection dogs and x-ray equipment at each international airport to prevent visiting foreigners from bringing drugs in for their personal use. The extent to which the coastal watch program and the airport teams are deployed cannot be verified and neither can their effectiveness when they are deployed. ... [Read More]
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