Prakash: TT nationals homeless abroad

St Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar claims some nationals abroad are now homeless as they can no longer afford accommodation in the countries where they have been stranded since March.

Endorsing the Opposition Leader's call this past week for Government to allow nationals to return home, Ramadhar said he had reports of people who are now in public shelters in the US because they no longer have places to stay there.

He said nationals aboard are "basically homeless and stateless in other countries."

He claimed they were "facing all forms of torture; in terms of their physical health, the lack of medical attention, the lack of money to buy food and in some cases even to be homeless."

He also spoke about people who have ailing relatives and who missed the birth of their children because they are stranded aboard.

"I learnt of a woman who is hospitalised in Trinidad, who is at death’s door, and her daughter in Orlando and her son in the United Kingdom cannot find their way to meet, and see, and touch their mom before she passes. This is completely unacceptable, inhumane and without any basis of logic, common sense or humanity," he said. He said he is ready to go to the court to force government to open the borders and allow these nationals to return to TT.

"I say, if it is that we now resort to the court, then so be it. Thank God that we still have the option to resort to the court."

The borders have been closed since March 16, however, there have been exemptions for the gradual return in batches over the past months, on the condition that people go into state quarantine.