By Gustavius Smith, The Tribune
The Bahamas is under suspicion of buying arms from the UK and diverting them to other destinations, according to a leading British newspaper.
An international think tank called Saferworld has made the claim in a review of the UK’s arms trade.
“We have had comments before, nothing as negative as that,” said Mark Wilson, permanent secretary at the Ministry of National Security.
His comments came yesterday after being notified that the UK based Sunday paper, The Observer, published Saferworld’s suspicions that The Bahamas may be diverting arms internally and outside the country.
“I seem to recall a long time ago a US paper took up the question of the State Department authorising the sale of ammunition to The Bahamas – that was when the Defence Force was being formed,” added Mr. Wilson.
Saferworld, based in the UK, is an independent foreign affairs think-tank working to identify, develop and publicise more effective approaches to preventing armed conflict worldwide, particularly in “conflict-laden” regions.
In the UK Saferworld monitors arms exports and is working to ensure that the country’s new export control legislation is comprehensive and vigorously implemented.
According to the UK government’s annual report on weapons exports released last month, The Bahamas imported components for assault rifles, components for general purpose machine guns, components for semi-automatic pistols and components for sub-machine guns.
On its web site, www.Saferworld.org.uk, the organisation highlighted armaments bought by The Bahamas from the UK last year.
Mr. Wilson said he has an idea of what may have caused the suspicion.
“The prison purchased supplies last year for the first time in a long time. They had some decrepit shotguns that needed to be replaced or fixed so the amount of armament we bought was slightly higher than normal,” he said.
According to the annual budget for the year 2002/2003 government purchased $50,000 in “military equipment” for the Royal Bahamas Police Force and prison department and an additional $50,000 on “arms ammunitions, weapons and spare parts” for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force in 2001.
The prison had set aside $150,000 for armaments but they did not spend it all, said Mr. Wilson.
