The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin met with the Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Perry Christie, in Nassau this week. The two discussed the vision, goals and priorities of the government of the Bahamas as well as the opportunities for further collaboration and assistance through OAS programs.

Of particular interest was the issue of employment opportunities for youth. Ambassador Ramdin, also the Chair of the OAS Inter-Departmental Working Group on Youth, identified the potential for further collaboration in The Bahamas, with the OAS' Young Americas Business Trust (YABT)...

Residents get Bahamas t-shirts and flags at Southern Recreational Grounds yesterday morning. Photo: Kyle Smith/Tribune Staff SCORES of people gathered at the Southern Recreational Grounds today, in support of an "equality" march planned for tomorrow morning. Organizer of the march, Darold Miller, said the group is not protesting "numbers" or "gambling" but rather standing up for the rights of Bahamians.

Mr Miller, who handed out Bahamian flags and T-shirts, encouraged all Bahamains who felt disenfranchised for what ever reason, to join him in the march to Parliament. The march is expected to begin at the Southern Recreational grounds at 8:30am tommorrow and will end at the bust of Sir Milo Butler.

Assistant Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson said officers are doing all they can to mitigate retaliation killings after rumours of gang wars started to spread around the island. ACP Anthony Ferguson (Photo: www.royalbahamaspolice.org) According to sources, the war began after alleged leader of the “Fire N Theft gang” Julian “Heads” Collie was gunned down in a hail of bullets nearly two weeks ago.

A day later, a 21-year-old man, suspected of being a member of rival gang “One Order”, was chased by two men and shot to death in Union Village off Wulff Road. The latest alleged gang related death, occurred Sunday afternoon in Southern Heights, Nassau Village.

Police say the victim, who sources have identified as Lavado “Shorts” Miller, 29, was cleaning his Honda in his driveway when a man got out of a dark coloured vehicle that was parked across from his residence. Miller was chased and shot several times before he fell and died between his residence and a neighbouring residence.

The Tribune understands Miller was a senior member in the “Fire N Theft” gang. Sources close to the situation said a war is brewing and there is little the police can do to stop it. “What do you expect, you have the alleged leader of one gang, ordering a hit on the alleged leader of another gang.

Don’t you now think there would be retaliation? People in the streets don’t wait on the police. This will not end until the street ends it or everyone is dead,” the source said. “Tensions are high and people are preparing for a war. Every week someone has died since ‘Heads’ got killed. It’s not going to slow down right now.” ACP Ferguson told The Tribune the police are always on alert for cases of retaliation.

The Privy Council’s “deeply rooted philosophical objection” to capital punishment means it is unlikely there will be another hanging in the Bahamas. That was the verdict of Sean McWeeney QC, Chairman of the Constitutional Reform Commission, responding to public questions about the issue fielded at the commission’s first town hall meeting.

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London is the apex of the court hierarchy for The Bahamas. It acts as the final court of appeal and decides whether murderers are hanged. Mr McWeeney told the crowd last week: “There is absolutely no question if you examine the judgments of the Privy Council over the last ten years or so there is a deeply rooted philosophical objection that they have to capital punishment.

“Frankly, the Privy Council has gone out of its way sometimes, even to the point of appearing to be ridiculous, to find ways and means of moving the gold post on this. They would establish certain minimal requirements before the death penalty can be opposed. Then you meet those changes that they’ve asked for and as soon as you do they say “by the way here is a list of new things you have to meet.” “The point is that it is perhaps not going too far to say that they are manipulating the system to achieve a philosophical objection which is the abolition of capital punishment because they just don’t believe in it.

“I regret to say that as long as the Privy Council remains your final court of appeal, it is extremely doubtful that you will ever be able to hang any one.” It was suggested at the commission meeting that the government move to do away with the council.