President Bharrat Jagdeo has asked Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rudy Insanally to take a personal interest in pursuing the case in which a Guyanese man was strip-searched at the Grantley Adams Airport, relieved of US$300 and then deported.

Jagdeo, who has spoken out about the harassment of Guyanese by Barbados officials, told Stabroek News yesterday that he was taking the report seriously.

At the last Caricom Heads of Government meeting in Jamaica he raised the issue and together with the Prime Minister of Barbados, Owen Arthur agreed that Guyanese immigration officers would be stationed at Grantley Adams to ensure that Guyanese were not singled out for harassment. Guyana is in the process of identifying those immigration officers.

The matter was reported to the Protocol Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Guyana’s Honorary Consul in Barbados, Norman Faria. But the President has asked that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rudy Insanally take a personal interest in the matter.

Stabroek News understands that the Honorary Consul is awaiting instructions from Guyana on how to proceed.

When asked yesterday if he would travel back to Barbados, the 20-year-old told Stabroek News he would, but would not be willing to do so unaccompanied since he would most likely have to give evidence and he felt that he could be further victimised as the matter has been reported in the local media as well as in Barbados.

The man was travelling to Barbados to take part in the Crop Over festival. He was interviewed by a female immigration officer who claimed that US$300 from a sum of over US$700, was counterfeit.

She confiscated the money but according to reports out of Barbados, there were no records of the money being confiscated nor was the police called in to investigate. (Miranda La Rose)