By Sue-Ann Wayow
PRIME Minister Dr Keith Rowley must facilitate a full, frank and honest debate with the families affected by their relatives being stuck in war-torn Syria.
Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West Dinesh Rambally said on Tuesday that although national security was a key consideration, the Government cannot use that as an excuse so as to delay resolving the serious issue.
“There are currently some 72 children living in subhuman and dangerous conditions in these Syrian detention camps and the longer we take to find a resolution, the greater the risk posed to our women and children,” he said in a media release.
Referring to the meeting Dr Rowley held with former House Speaker Nizam Mohammed, Rambally said he was concerned that the families who are seeking repatriation of their relatives nor their legal representatives were not invited to be part in the meeting.
He said he found it disconcerting that at the conclusion of the meeting, neither the Prime Minister, Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, nor Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds made any statement/s alongside Mohammed.
Rambally said, “With respect to Mr Mohammed’s statements, it contained nothing new and lacked any indication that progress is actually being made in this matter.”
He reminded citizens of that in September 2020, the Government advised that its ‘2018 Nightingale Committee’ had been drafting a policy on repatriation and reintegration of persons from conflict zones with supporting legislation.
It further advised that the necessary administrative and legislative processes were at an advanced stage towards an eventual submission of the draft policy.
“The special meeting held yesterday by Dr Rowley offered no information on the purported work of the Nightingale Committee. Furthermore, instead of explaining how the Government intends to partner with The United Nations, The United States and other international agencies to advance any repatriation exercise, the Government now appears to be repeating the same excuses from years ago that it lacks resources,” Rambally said.
He added, “No doubt our international partners will hold a dim view of our approach to this grave human rights situation. Important discussions involving funding to complete the verification process of persons, potential problems associated with repatriated persons and obligations required by repatriated persons, need to be robustly debated and addressed.”
Mohammed speaking to reporters on Monday following the meeting said, “It is not a simple matter of just taking our people and bringing them back home. All the circumstances surrounding this situation are such that they have all kinds of international implications and the Government, though it is committed, has to be very thorough in its approach.”
Last month, the New York- based Human Rights Watch Group held a press conference urging Government to do what it can to bring back home Trinidad and Tobago nationals from war torn North-East Syria especially the women and children.
Rambally had also met with Associate Director Letta Tayler and Advocacy Director Jo Becker of the group to further discuss the issue of having almost 100 nationals of Trinidad and Tobago return home.
