By Raymond Kongwa,Guardian Staff Reporter

Prompted by the "tragic and inexplicable" slaughter of a Bahamian student in Jamaica, a "saddened and concerned" Minister of Foreign Affairs , Fred Mitchell, on Thursday advised Bahamian students remaining on that island-nation to move with caution.

Speaking of the murder of 22-year old Joseph Darius Burrows, the first of several matters addressed during a press conference held following his return from a meeting of CARICOM Heads in Trinidad and Tobago, Fred Mitchell warned, "Crime is a serious issue in Jamaica."

For this reason he said his Ministry is reiterating previously stated calls for students to "be careful and cautious, to stay near their campus and not wander far off the beaten path."

Extending further sympathy on behalf of his Ministry and himself, Mr Mitchell revealed that he had had talks with the Jamaican Foreign Minister, the family of the slain student, officials of the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) where Mr Burrows was studying at the time of his death, and Bahamian student representatives at the Seventh Day Adventist run institution.

"I want to assure the Bahamian people that the Jamaican Government has indicated that they will do all that they can to ensure that the perpetrator or perpetrators of this incident are brought to justice."

Mentioning a difficult conversation with the father of the slain scholar, Stephen Burrows, with whom he was well acquainted, a somber Mr Mitchell said, "I didn't quite know what to say."

Though Mandeville is considered safer than other Jamaican cities like Kingston where Bahamian students are presently studying at the University of the West Indies, the criminal element there has been a concern at least since three weeks ago, when the foreign minister met with most of the 45 students enrolled at NCU.

During this visit, Mr Mitchell noted that a distressed female student voiced her concerns about crime after a computer was stolen from her apartment.

Based on his conversation with student representatives at NCU since the murder, Mr Mitchell said that Bahamian students on the campus were

"stunned, grief stricken and couldn't understand how it could have happened."

Missing since Wednesday after leaving his wife, Altemarae , and 2-year-old daughter at their apartment to buy corn from Kentucky Fried Chicken,

Mr Burrows's body was discovered Saturday near a highway in Mandeville with what was initially reported by police to be a gunshot wound to the head.

However, following a post-mortem conducted on Wednesday, it has been determined that he succumbed to a wound inflicted by a blunt object.

Manchester's Liaison and Information Officer, Corporal Salmon, told The Guardian late Thursday that the wound resembled the kind made by a gunshot, leading investigators to make that determination at the outset.

Investigators have reported that they were probing surveillance tape which showed a black male using Joseph's ATM card to withdraw cash.

Family members in Grand Bahama said that Joseph, a devout Christian, called his wife minutes after going on an errand Saturday and said he was going to a party. The following day she was reportedly phoned by an anonymous caller warning her that his life was in danger and suggested steps that needed to be taken to ensure his safety.

A 1999 graduate of Freeport Anglican High School, and a fourth year Biology major pursuing a Bachelor's Degree at NCU, Joseph had intended pursuing further studies in the field of medicine.

Mr Mitchell said that The Bahamas Government would likely send a representative to the memorial service for Joseph, which has been planned for this weekend at NCU.