exercises that right all the time both in terms of a stop list, who it allows to stay in Bermuda and how long it allows them to stay.

Foreign nationals do not have a right of access to someone else's country.

Therefore it is very puzzling sometimes when Bermudians begin to demand entry to the United States and ask for explanations from the United States as to who is on their stop list and why they are there. Perhaps they should start by asking who is on Bermuda's stop list and why. But no, never that, because Bermudians who demand access to the United States expect people to be excluded from Bermuda.

It is not unusual for Bermudians to complain of their treatment when they arrive in another country and are searched or questioned. We had a move toward Independence because some people did not like the line they had to get in at London's airports. That totally overlooks the way people are treated on entering Bermuda, including strip searches.

A problem arises in Bermuda because the United States is the nearest neighbour and most air access to anywhere is through US airports. It is very difficult for Bermudians to accept that they can be prevented from visiting the United States or that they will not be able to avail themselves of education in the US if they are on the stop list.

We doubt that the US stop list is some kind of sinister listing of people for purposes other than protecting the United States from criminal activity.

People with drugs convictions are on the stop list if US authorities are aware of the conviction. Presumably they feel that their country has enough of a drug problem of its own without importing people who abuse illicit drugs.

Clearly the United States also places people other than drugs offenders on the stop list, people with other criminal convictions. That is their right. People have no right of entry to a country not their own no matter how inconvenient that may be.

That is a general immigration policy and not one which is specifically aimed at Bermuda and Bermudians. It may be harsh on Bermuda and Bermudians because it causes confinement to The Rock but it is not designed to be anti-Bermudian and there are, of course, exceptions made and dispensations given with good cause.

The PLP's Dr. Ewart Brown, who is a United States citizen, has called on Bermuda's Government to inform people if they are on the US stop list. Just how he arrived at that position is difficult to fathom. It might have been more sensible to ask the US Government to supply the list to the local Government which could then decide how to proceed. Would the United States do that? We doubt it but we see no reason why people should not know if they are on the list. It might also be fair for US Immigration to state just how Bermudians get on the list because that could be one more deterrent to criminal activity.