Venezuelans get shelter at Irwin Park Sporting Complex

THE multi-million-dollar refurbished Irwin Park Sporting Complex in Siparia has been transformed into a shelter for some 101 illegal Venezuelan migrants who police found in make-shift camps in Santa Flora on Wednesday morning.

And a call is being made by the corporation's chairman Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh for donations of food, drink, detergent and toiletries.

Moved by the plight of the migrants, including women and children who made their way illegally to this country to beat the amnesty deadline, Ramadharsingh said he made the request on humanitarian grounds for the CEO to offer the facilities.

He said when the migrants “poured into Siparia” and he learnt “that the women and children did not have a roof over their heads”, his heart went out to them.

“While it is not our core remit, and while we do not have adequate facilities to house people, the exigency of this situation has caused us to take a very strong decision.”

In a voice note posted on What’sApp, Ramadharsingh said, “I have asked and advised the CEO to open the Irwin Park facilities to these mothers and children so they can be under a roof until this situation can be better assessed, analysed and be dealt with.”

He said because of the vast number of migrants, the corporation cannot bear the cost to feed them, and appealed to generous citizens to donate to make their stay a bit more comfortable.

“This situation tonight is about the children and mothers from a different land. Tomorrow we would need to reiterate the calls we have made for proper planning, for the contingency plans and for predicting the scenarios that we would have to deal with and having emergency interventions.”

Ramadharingh said government and its agencies have to shoulder up their responsibilities and come to the fore, not individually, but as a multi-agency task force to deal with this situation.

He said how it is dealt with must be done in a way, “that protects our economy but balances the interest of humanitarian treatment of people in TT and globally.”