Turks and Caicos: British colonial hangover

Immigrants' horizons disappear with British withdrawal

BBC Radio 4's Crossing Continents: Turks and Caicos: British colonial hangover, broadcasts on Thursday 19 December 2002 at 1100 GMT. The programme is repeated Monday 23 December 2002 at 2030 GMT

This is a story of misery in one of the most exclusive holiday spots of the Caribbean.

Thousands of men and women have fled Haiti - the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere but now live in constant fear of deportation.

Many are denied health care, even if they have AIDS. And their children are barred from local schools.

Who is responsible for this abuse of basic human rights? The British Government.

Britain has attempted over the years to grant considerable autonomy to its remaining "colonies" of overseas territories.

But, as Claire Bolderson discovers, there are signs that in attempting to shed the role of imperial ruler, Britain is failing in its legal duty to uphold human rights.

Correspondent: Claire Bolderson
Producer: Lucy Ash
Editor: Maria Balinska
Online Producer: Andrew Jeffrey