15 Cubans Repatriated by US (= Refugees handed over to brutal dictator by US)

VOA News ^ | July 21, 2003 | David Gollust, State Dept.

[FairOpinion]

The United States Monday repatriated 15 Cubans who had been aboard a Cuban government boat they seized at gunpoint last week and was later intercepted in international waters off the Bahamas by the U.S. Coast Guard. The return came after the Cuban government promised that anyone found guilty in the case would receive no more than ten years in prison.

The return of the 15 Cubans followed intensive bilateral contacts climaxed by a diplomatic note from Cuba pledging the ten-year limit on any jail terms handed down in the case.

The affair began last Tuesday, when 11 Cuban men and one woman surprised three guards watching the government surveying vessel, the "Gaviota-16" in a northeastern Cuban port. They took over the vessel and headed north into the Florida Straits after tying up the guards and locking them in a cabin.

Cuba immediately denounced the seizure as a hijacking. The boat was intercepted the next day by U.S. Coast Guardsmen, who detained all those aboard pending an investigation of the case.

At a briefing here, State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said the Cubans who seized the craft were found ineligible for U.S. refugee status because of acts of violence committed in Cuba and because they had assaulted Coast Guardsmen during the intercept.

But he said U.S. officials did not immediately accede to Cuba's demand for their return, because of the case last April, in which three men who seized a ferry boat, the "Beragua" in Havana Bay and were later captured by Cuban forces, were executed a few days later after a summary trial.

Mr. Reeker said those who had been aboard the "Gaviota-16" were sent back only after both an informal and a diplomatic pledge from Cuba that they would not meet the same fate as the three in the "Beragua" case, whose executions drew world-wide condemnation:

"On July 17, Cuba volunteered an informal statement to us indicating that they did not view this case as similar, that is the new case with the "Gaviota" as similar to the "Beragua," and informed us that the accused would be tried on charges of armed robbery and kidnapping, not on charges of hijacking," said Mr. Reeker. "And that the Cuban government would insure that no individual would be sentenced to more than ten years in prison for any act committed with respect to the "Gaviota" case, and we received that communication in the form of a diplomatic note that includes their commitments with respect to the charges as I outlined."

The pledge to limit any prison terms to ten years was also reiterated in a public statement Monday by the Cuban government.

In rare expression of praise for the United States, the Cuban statement said that by returning the vessel, which went back to Cuba last week, and its occupants, the United States had made a "valuable contribution" in the fight against the hijacking of planes and boats for illegal emigration from Cuba.

But the decision to return the Cubans was condemned by Cuban-American members of Congress, who had written Secretary of State Colin Powell last week appealing for U.S. protection for them.

Florida Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart called the repatriation "totally unacceptable" and an "inconceivable act against freedom-seeking refugees."

[FairOpinion]

This is an outrage. "Cuban government promised that anyone found guilty in the case would receive no more than ten years in prison. " Cuban gov=Castro, and he is such a kindly and trustworthy leader, obviously we can believe everything he says.

And note -- and I think this makes it a front page story -- the STATE DEPARTMENT has been fully involved, i.e., I bet it was their decision to send back those poor wretched souls seeking freedom. How can they sleep at night with this on their conscience?!

[FairOpinion]

Ping

All Americans should be outraged at this. The media is also hardly covering it.

Where are all the "compassionate" liberals, who don't want to send a single illegal Mexican back, but don't bet an eyelash, when Cubans who are truly refugees, are sent back to be jailed and murdered by a communist dictator?

[BenLurkin]

These guys are going to be murdered and still we hand them over. I don't get.

[FairOpinion]

Why is the State Department catering to Castro?!

[Fiddlstix]

You may find this interesting

[Luis Gonzalez]

This is not a good thing.

[Our man in washington]

Okay, I hate Castro as much as any freeper, but if people "tie up guards and throw them in the cabin" are they really choice people to become Americans?

I admire the escapes where the escapees don't risk the lives of others.

[BlindedByTruth]

I hear you there, these Cubans should be sent back to Cuba and locked away for their crimes, no ppampered by the U.S as refugees and become repatriotnized, they should be hung by their feet and flogged for this! We need to tighten or close our borders to illegals!

[FairOpinion]

It's a terrible thing.

I think these things should be publicized more and have Bush repeal the wet-foot/dry-footpolicy, as well as clean out the State Department.

Anyone can see that these poor people were fleeing Castro's communist dictatorship, we used to allow in refugees from communist countries. So how can we send these people back?

Reno sent back poor Elian, but this kind of thing shouldn't happen under Bush. I know he has his hands full, but this needs to be brought to his attention.

[FairOpinion]

With all due respect, you can't put the Cubans fleeing a brutal communist dictatorship in the same category, as the illegal Mexicans flocking over the borders by the millions, and they are not being returned.

The only crime these poor guys committed, was to steal a boat, what did you want them to do, swim to the US?

[FairOpinion]

I don't think you are aware of the level of their desperation.

They didn't kill the guards, did they, they just tied them up.

This could be you or any of us, if we lived under Castro's communist dictatorship as long as they have.

[Luis Gonzalez]

What's baffling me about these hijackings is the timing.

My foil is acting up, but I swear they are fabricated in order to put BUsh and the US government in a serious quagmire.

Never, ever understimate the absolute evil that is Fidel Castro.

[BenLurkin]

My guess is that the career diplomats see themselves as a counter-balance to the Defense Department. Unfortunately that means turning against our national interests and instead backing some kind of global "co-op". (Maybe even a world commune).

War is bad, but peace can be just as bad if it is bought at the price of principles and liberty.

[RLK]

Where are all the "compassionate" liberals, who don't want to send a single illegal Mexican back, but don't bet an eyelash, when Cubans who are truly refugees, are sent back to be jailed and murdered by a communist dictator?

--------------------------

You should be referring to our compassionate conservative president.

[FairOpinion]

I wouldn't put anything past Castro.

You may well have something there about the timing. Cuba has been jamming the TV broadcast to Iran, I do recall reading about some contact between Castro and Saddam back some time ago, so it's quite plausible that he is trying to stir up more trouble for Bush. I think they operate on the principle that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" and they unite in their hatred of the US.

Maybe that's where Saddam is. :)

Actually that would be nice, it would give us a great reason to invade Cuba and get rid of Castro.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"Maybe that's where Saddam is. :)"

I say we go look.

[Fiddlstix]

This is not a good thing.

No it isn't. I am disgusted.
(The Clintoon "legacy" lives????)

[BlindedByTruth]

well, with all do respect, they attacked and tied up the guards and U.S Coast Guards, they've committed a crime, I'm not for our sea to shore policy for Cubans, I know that Castro is cruel bastard, but they are illegals, true and tru