SEYCHELLES REALITY

Azerbaijan has recorded the highest rate of injecting drug users in the world. This is stated in the UN World Drug Report 2013, which was published on June 26 in Vienna.  Thus, according to the document 5.2 per cent of the Azerbaijani population uses drug though injecting. In Seychelles and Russian Federation they make the 2.3 per cent of population, in Estonia 1.5 per cent, Georgia - 1.3 per cent, Canada - 1.3 per cent, the Republic of Moldova - 1.2 per cent, Puerto Rico - 1.15 per cent, Latvia - 1.15 per cent and Belarus 1.11 per cent of population. Azerbaijan is also on the list of high rate use of opioids, especially heroin and opium in Central Asia and Transcaucasia. Thus, the annual use of these drugs among the adult population in Azerbaijan is 1.5%, in Georgia 1.36%, and 1% in Kazakhstan. As noted in the UN report, the fight against the use of opioids, especially heroin and opium in Central Asia and Transcaucasia remains of primary concern. In the U.S...

A U.N. report released Monday has urged nations hosting North Korean embassies, missions or trade offices to be on guard against diplomats and officials covertly facilitating illicit trade in nuclear arms or other prohibited items. "Countries hosting embassies, permanent missions or trade representative offices of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea should be particularly vigilant regarding its diplomats and officials," the roughly 130 page report said, referring to North Korea's official name. The report mentioned incidents involving Pyongyang's officials acting in countries such as Ukraine, Austria and the Republic of Congo ranging from attempts to obtain classified information, to conducting illicit activities out of a diplomatic office and violating arms embargoes. Information provided by authorities in Ukraine and Belarus indicates two North Korean representatives accredited through their country's trade office in Belarus tra...

US State Department lists Seychelles on Human Trafficking List The Seychelles Committee on Trafficking in Persons have today issued a statement in response to the US State Department's 2013 Report on Trafficking in Persons in which Seychelles is featured and which was rejected by the Government last week, as being poor in its analysis and based on anecdotal evidence. The Committee, which consisted of representatives from Social Development, Employment, Immigration, Police, Office of the Attorney General, Seychelles Civil Aviation - as well as NGO’s, such as WASO and the NCC and other relevant sectors, described the report as a distortion of the reality on the ground: “The Committee on Trafficking in Persons (TIP Committee) denounces the narrative of Seychelles in the 2013 report and refers to it as a distortion of the actual situation and reality in the country. A plethora of inaccuracies and misrepresentations have been identified throughout the narrative, w...

Seychelles Tourism Board CEO resigns. (eTN) - A press release yesterday late afternoon from the Office of Seychelles President James Alix Michel, confirmed that the Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), Mrs. Elsia Grandcourt, will retire from STB on June 30 of this year. Elsia, who served as CEO since March 1 of last year, previously served as Deputy CEO under Alain St.Ange, before taking over as Chief Executive when Mr. St.Ange was appointed as Minister of Tourism and Culture. The relevant part of the statement from the Office of the President in Mahe reads as follows: “Following the resignation of Mrs. Elsia Grandcourt from the post of CEO of the Seychelles Tourism Board, the President has appointed Ms. Sherin Naiken, formerly Principal Secretary for Tourism, as the new CEO of STB. Mrs. Grandcourt has been nominated for a high-level post in an international organization.” The announcement was part of a more comprehensive statement of ne...

Discrimination becoming a real issue in Seychelles Dear Madam, One of our greatest pride as a nation is our racial harmony and the dignity of being Seychellois with no regard to colour,creed, gender, etc. This harmony that defines our nationality must neither be taken for granted nor allowed to be challenged in any way. For some time I had been reading about, and hearing of.incidences where Seychellois were not allowed entrance to public areas in certain hotels. I had dismissed these incidences as exaggerations or misunderstandings. Last night, however, this happened near home and it has left me with a feeling of great sadness and anger. Before I go further, I would like to say that I agree that it is the perogative of establishments to ensure that visitors are bona fide and behave in a manner that is circumspect without causing any embarrassment to the other clients. In the evening of 19th June, my son took a visiting relative to the Coral Strand Hotel at Beau Vallon. Both of ...

                                                                             June 26, 2013.  AL AIN: President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Tuesday left the country on a private visit. He was seen off by General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region,  Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Ruler`s Representative in the Eastern Region. Also present were Sheikh Saif Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Suroor Bin ...

SEYCHELLES, June 20 (ChinaMil) -- Wu Haihua, political commissar of the 14th Chinese escort taskforce under the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLAN), and his party went to the Elizabeth Orphanage in Seychelles to visit the teachers and children at the orphanage on June 18, 2013, local time. The officers and men of the 14th Chinese escort taskforce walked into the Elizabeth Orphanage at 09:00 on the day. Wu Haihua, on behalf of the officers and men of the 14th Chinese escort taskforce, presented cultural and sports goods including Chinese paintings, Chinese knots, cultural shirts, basketballs and footballs, and extended their cordial greetings and good wishes to the workers and staff as well as children of the orphanage. After that, the officers and men of the taskforce conducted interactive exchanges with the children of the orphanage. Female soldiers of the "Harbin" guided-missile destroyer of the taskforce including Gao Jie, Kong Xiangyun and other...

Dr. James A Michel. Like many Seychellois, we all listen in on the President’s National Day Speech. Each year, this mid year declaration, gives us an insight into what the man at State House is pondering, and what he is not pondering; what is genuine, and what is not. Just as he relishes the moment to bullshit a nation, I relish the moment to dot the I’s and cross the t’s, because it is always a jackpot of lies. Here it goes, but let’s start with a truth first. In 1992 Our Reserves Was $35Million This is true. But behind this truth Mr. President, is the lie. Who was the Minister of Finance: James Michel. That is you, or is it someone else? How many years did you make the people of Seychelles suffer under ridiculous policies that made us poor as individuals, and poor as a country, when given a small population, vast potential in fisheries and tourism, after 35 years, we are still hearing from you the same message we heard 35 years ago: “we need foreign auto...