WORKS Minister Desmond Bannister said his ministry spearheaded the demolition of 23 illegal structures in The Farm shanty town in Abaco last week, with some 20 more structures targeted for demolition this week.

The move comes despite widespread calls from local and international human rights activists urging the government to halt demolition works of homes in the storm-hit community.

Activists have said the move could result in thousands of residents being displaced.

Over the weekend, a group of residents from The Farm protested on the island, with some children seen holding placards that read “no shelters in Abaco, we have nowhere to go,” and “we need help” while delegates from the United Nations visited the island as part of their mission to this country.

Yesterday, Mr Bannister said Saturday’s demonstration shows that “people are being coached” and taught “how to evade” the law.
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Recent demolition work at The Farm in Abaco.

“The challenge is this throughout this country, there is an organised effort, a really organised effort to build shanty towns,” he said before going to a Cabinet meeting. “These are not coincidental. It’s highly organised. You can see by what happened when these children were put in front of cameras over the weekend.

“These people are being coached and they’re being taught how to evade the laws of The Bahamas. It’s very important that all of us Bahamians and people who come into the country obey the laws. That’s very important.”

Yesterday, Mr Bannister said he is concerned about the issue of unregulated communities on Abaco and several other Family Islands. He added his ministry is doing its best to “keep up” with the new developments.

He said the government remains committed to eradicating unregulated shanty towns across the country

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