Kambon: We must help V'zuelans

Mia Henderson

TT must continue to help crisis-stricken Venezuela, chairman of the Emancipation Support Committee Khafra Kambon said yesterday.

“Venezuela is being systematically destroyed and we have to help to the extent that we can,” said Kambon at the Yoruba Village Drum Festival in Port of Spain.

In a speech at the Yoruba Village square, on Besson Street, Kambon recognised the innate humanity of citizens who, he said, should help migrants regardless of their nationality. Alternatively, he condemned the role of the United States and Britain in exacerbating the economic instability in Venezuela, stating, “They have stolen the people’s gold, Britain has US$30 billion in their gold and the country cannot buy medicine. People are owing, including the United States is owing billions of dollars to Venezuela and wouldn’t pay them their money.”

He thanked Government for recognising the needs of the tens of thousands of Venezuelan migrants as he believed this allowed the six African refugees held in detention centres, to be given similar status as legal refugees in this country.

“We still have a number of brothers and sisters locked up in detention centers … I am extremely happy that the government has made a decision that those people are going to be released under similar conditions as the people who came from Venezuela,” said Kambon.

He stated that prejudice against anyone because of their appearance and nationality “can destroy a lot of productive human lives” and expressed hopes for a change in these perceptions as he said without change, the process is likely to continue.