By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

MORE than 600 Haitian migrants have been apprehended in the southern Bahamas since last month, with the latest interdiction happening at the weekend.

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) said it thwarted a large-scale migrant smuggling operation on Saturday when it intercepted 257 Haitian migrants in waters east of Northeast Point, Inagua.

The vessel intercepted had 218 males and 39 females, bringing the total number of migrant apprehensions in the southern Bahamas to 676 since March 11.

In a press statement, the RBDF said acting on information, it deployed surface asset HMBS Bahamas to the location of the migrants where it later intercepted them.

“Following standard procedures, the vessel was rendered inoperable. The migrants were safely transported to Matthew Town, Inagua for processing by immigration authorities,” the agency added.

RBDF Commodore Raymond King said this latest apprehension follows the repatriation of 150 Haitian nationals days earlier.

“HMBS Lawrence Major just recently con- ducted a repatriation exercise a couple of days earlier at Cap Haitian. She was en route to New Providence, but she was rerouted, and she’s headed back to HMBS Matthew Town to assist with the eventual repatriation of this latest group.”

Last month, the RBDF established a blockade in the southeastern Bahamas to guard the country’s borders against possible mass migration from Haiti amid worsening conditions there.

Commodore King said yesterday the operation has been successful.

“The most critical component is we’re working in a coordinated effort with the Turks and Caicos and the United States Coast Guard (and) the use of aerial assets, primarily the OBPAT Hilo as well as our aircraft, in order to determine early on the detection and the eventual interception because migrants do shift their strategy to try to be evasive so the aerial assets are key in determining any shift in movement on their part,” he said.

“We have subsequent layers of assets to ensure that none reaches the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.”