Suffering TT children in Syria will freeze to death

HEAD of the Islamic Front Umar Abdullah has expressed concern that Trinidadian children at the al-Hol refugee camp in north-eastern Syria may freeze to death with the upcoming winter season. He also announced families in TT were planning legal action to have Government repatriate their relatives from Syria.

Last week news site Middle East Eye reported that almost 100 TT citizens, including 71 children, are being held at the dangerously overcrowded al-Hol camp where 70,000 people were mostly living in makeshift tents.

National Security Minister Stuart Young in a response to a media house said the reports had to be verified, which was a repeat of a similar statements he had made since responding to a question in Parliament in July this year. He also cited the multi-agency Team Nightingale, which was formed to deal with the possible repatriation and reintegration of TT nationals who have been held in refugee and detention camps in Iraq and Syria.

Abdullah, speaking to Newsday Monday in a telephone interview, said he estimated there were about 90 TT nationals at the camp with about 25 adults and the rest children.

"The children are suffering as well. They have contracted small pox. Winter is coming on. They are in the cold season right now. Soon individuals will be freezing to death. They are not weather-proof for this type of weather. And our nationals not accustomed to those extremes."

The average minimum winter temperatures in Syria are about zero degrees Celsius.

He claimed the Government was being deceptive to the country "that they are actually doing something as regards to these nationals." He said whenever there is a Trinidadian killed in battle in those countries a National Security Ministry official would visit the family and inform them what happened.

“How could the Minister of National Security say they are still gathering information?"

He pointed out that courts in Germany and the Netherlands have ordered their respective governments to repatriate their citizens from Syria. He said locally the Islamic Front has taken a proactive approach and spoken to their lawyers, had the families of those in Syria meet with the attorneys, and are moving ahead to file legal action against TT to repatriate citizens. Abdullah reported that he has not been able to communicate with all of the families but the lawyers were in the process of getting the necessary statements and information gathering.

"You will hear more about that in the coming months."