Page 10 The Skanner September 6, 2017
News
Boat With Rohingya
Refugees Capsizes, Killing
5 as More Flee
KUTUPALONG, Bangladesh (AP) — A
trawler carrying Rohingya Muslims
fleeing violence in Myanmar capsized,
drowning at least five people, as the
country’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi
blamed a misinformation campaign
for fueling a crisis that the U.N. says
has now pushed more than 125,000 ref-
ugees into Bangladesh.
Residents of Shah Porir Dwip fishing
village recovered five bodies from the
Bay of Bengal on Wednesday, hours af-
ter the boat capsized around midnight,
said police official Yakub Ali.
It was not immediately clear where
the boat began its journey, or if the
passengers had been among some
450 detained by Bangladeshi border
guards and ordered Tuesday to return
to Myanmar.
While some border guards were let-
ting refugees across the borders, oth-
ers were sending them back.
Faced with a mounting crisis and a
lack of space and basic supplies, Ban-
gladesh said it will set up a new camp to
accommodate Rohingya refugees who
have arrived from Myanmar since Aug.
25, many walking for days and crossing
jungles and rivers to reach safety.
After Trump Halt
of Program, Young
Immigrants Vow to Fight
PHOENIX (AP) — Immigrants are
vowing to fight to stay in the U.S. and
advocates are launching campaigns
including fundraisers and registration
drives after the Trump administration
announced it would dismantle a pro-
gram that protected hundreds of thou-
sands of young people from deporta-
tion.
Immigrants who were brought to the
country illegally as children or whose
families overstayed visas said they are
veterans of setbacks in the political
arena. They added that they are also ac-
customed to being persistent, and they
pledge to do the same in this situation.
The Trump administration an-
nounced Tuesday it was ending the De-
ferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
(DACA) program that former President
Barack Obama started in 2012. Those
already enrolled in DACA remain cov-
ered until their permits expire. If their
permits expire before March, 5, 2018,
they are eligible to renew them for an-
other two years as long as they apply by
Oct. 5. But the program isn’t accepting
new applications.
Opponents of the program said they
are pleased the Trump administra-
tion’s decision. They called DACA an
unconstitutional abuse of executive
power.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who
made Tuesday’s announcement, said
DACA was an overreach that could not
be defended by the Justice Department.
The Trump administration and other
DACA opponents argue that it is up to
Congress to decide how to deal with
such immigrants.
Powerful Hurricane
Irma Hits First Caribbean
Islands
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua (AP) — The most
powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in
recorded history made its first landfall
in the islands of the northeast Caribbe-
an early Wednesday, churning along a
path pointing to Puerto Rico, the Do-
minican Republic, Haiti and Cuba be-
fore possibly heading for Florida over
the weekend.
The eye of Hurricane Irma passed
over Barbuda around 1:47 a.m., the Na-
AP PHOTO/JOSE LUIS MAGAN
World News Briefs
Dreamers from left; Isaac Montiel, 28, of NYC, Monica Camacho, 23, of Bethesda, Md., and Cynthia Toyco,
33, of Rogers, Arkansas, hold their pictures, during the House and Senate Democrats, news conference
on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. House and Senate Democrats gather to call for
Congressional Republicans to stand up to President Trump’s decision to terminate the Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative by bringing the DREAM Act for a vote on the House and Senate Floor.
tional Weather Service said. Residents
said over local radio that phone lines
went down. Heavy rain and howling
winds raked the neighboring island of
Antigua, sending debris flying as peo-
ple huddled in their homes or govern-
ment shelters.
“
Officials warned
people to seek pro-
tection from Irma’s
‘onslaught’... ‘May
God protect us all’
Officials warned people to seek pro-
tection from Irma’s “onslaught” in a
statement that closed with: “May God
protect us all.”
In Barbuda, the storm ripped off the
roof of the island’s police station forc-
ing officers to seek refuge in the near-
by fire station and at the community
center that served as an official shelter.
The Category 5 storm also knocked
out communication between islands.
Midcie Francis of the National Office
of Disaster Services confirmed there
was damage to several homes, but said
it was too early to do tally or assess the
extent of the damage.
Foreign Affairs Minister Charles
Fernandez, who has temporary over-
sight for Disaster Management told
The Associated Press via text that the
northern end of island was hit hard by
the storm. He did not elaborate on the
extent of damage.
Even Intrepid Keys
Residents Ready to
Evacuate Ahead of Irma
KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) — Residents of
the Florida Keys are known for riding
out hurricanes, but with Irma’s poten-
tially catastrophic wind and rain set
to crash through the low-lying island
chain this weekend, not many seem
willing to risk it this time.
Throughout Florida, officials and res-
idents are making preparations, but
forecasts indicate the Keys could take
the country’s first blow from the Cat-
egory 5 storm, which was packing 185
mph (295 kph) winds early Wednesday
as it crossed Barbuda. From Key Largo
south to Key West, residents and offi-
cials said Irma is a storm that needs to
be fled.
Keys officials expected to announce
a mandatory evacuation Wednesday
for visitors, with residents being told
to leave the next day. Florida Gov. Rick
Scott, who plans to fly to the Keys on
Wednesday, said a hospital in the island
chain would have its patients evacuat-
ed by air.
“This is not one to fool around with,”
said Cammy Clark, spokeswoman for
Monroe County, which contains the
Keys.
Janet Roberts, 51, was getting ready
Tuesday to leave her mobile home com-
munity on Key Largo for her daugh-
ter’s house 30 miles away in Florida
City, which is the first city north of the
Keys on the mainland.