Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd on Monday visited Linden to meet with migrants from Venezuela who have settled in Region 10. Accompanying the Minister was Dr. Peter Ramsaroop, CEO of the Guyana Office for Investment.
Todd’s visit comes after a September 29 Sunday Stabroek report about Venezuelans living in squalid conditions in the region. The authorities did not appear to know that they were there.
Todd is the Chair of the Government of Guyana Multi-Agency Coordinating Committee that addresses Government’s coordinated response to the influx of migrants from Venezuela to Guyana.
A release yesterday from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that during his meetings with the migrants from Venezuela, Todd reiterated the commitment of the Government of Guyana to continue its efforts to provide humanitarian support and facilitate their socio-economic and cultural integration into the Guyanese society.
Todd also addressed matters such as regularization services, provision of healthcare and education and sustainable employment, to further improve efficiency in areas where there may be gaps or delays.
The release said that the migrants told him that they are adapting well and have been taking advantage of the opportunities available in the Region, including employment and education, to sustain their livelihoods and that of their children.
“Guyana continues to remain steadfast in its commitment to international humanitarian law and international law on matters related to migration, particularly irregular migration, through the various regional mechanisms, including the Quito Process which are commitments established in 2018 by Latin American countries to coordinate the response to the Venezuelan migration crisis and at the multilateral level through the Global Compact on Safe Orderly and Regular Migration”, the release said.
The September 29th Sunday Stabroek reported that some residents of Linden had expressed growing unease over the number of Venezuelan migrants in the town living in poor conditions and they said no help from Georgetown appeared to be forthcoming for them.
Since June and July this year, residents have reported feeling uncomfortable and unsafe as newcomers established makeshift camps and competed with them for limited resources.
One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, shared her experience when a group of 20 Venezuelans approached her home. “I am a resident of Guyana, and I am disappointed in the Venezuelan demographic because they are making me uncomfortable,” she stated. “About two months ago, I came home one afternoon, and there were over twenty of them—children, teenagers, and adults—wanting to camp out in my yard. They said they had nothing to eat, and I gave them two packs of chowmein and two cans of tuna.”
Despite her initial kindness, the situation quickly escalated. “My neighbours came over and told me not to allow them to stay, and I was going to tell them they couldn’t,” she recounted. “They eventually left after starting to row and went down to Bounceland, where they camped out for four days until they were driven away. They set up tents and built a toilet on someone’s property. I’m scared of them.”
Following the Sunday Stabroek report, Todd vowed to take decisive action in partnership with local authorities.
