Cubans to meet with UN officials today

MORE than 100 Cubans continued their protest outside United Nations (UN) House, Chancery Lane in Port of Spain yesterday seeking to have applications for asylum expedited. “We want to get the right to live like human being,” said spokesman Osmel Borges.

Some of the Cubans tied themselves to the gate of UN House with garbage bags. At around 11 am, police arrived but by that time, the protesters had untied themselves. The police eventually left without incident. Borges said that at this point the refugees are prepared to “go anywhere.”

“We have been here more than three years. We don’t have rights to be here in Trinidad. So right now we don’t have money to pay rent, we don’t have food. That’s why you see this amount of people here.” Borges said the Cubans are asking for resettlement in a third country where they can work, their children can go to school and they can have a social life. He said the Cubans can access local health centres but are not being treated well.

“They not treating us like Trinidadian people; they treating us like dogs.”

He said UN officials told the group they would meet with them tomorrow (today) at 10.30 am. A UN official yesterday confirmed the meeting.

Fellow spokesman Andris Moiset says the group is showering and using the bathroom at a nearby apartment, but sometimes they have to use a park or KFC to relieve themselves. He said some locals have been giving them food, water and medicine.

He said UN officials in TT have homes and good living conditions but, “the Cuban people don’t have good conditions. They don’t have nothing.” The Cubans say they are pacifist protesters against the “totalitarian” system in Cuba.

At the start of the month, about eight began camping out on the pavement outside UN House, saying they had been evicted from the Living Water Foundation in St Joseph because they were unable to pay their rent. The protesting group, however, has swelled to more than 100 including 30 women.

Co-ordinator of the ministry for migrants at Living Water Community Rochelle Nakhid could not be contacted yesterday.

In September eight Cuban asylum seekers who were arrested for illegally camping at the site were released after their case was dismissed.