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News > Latin America

Venezuela Asks Trinidad & Tobago to Clarify Migrant Child Death

  • Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, 2022.

    Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, 2022. | Photo: Twitter/ @ponlecorazon22

Published 8 February 2022
Opinion

Over the weekend, the Trinidadian coast guard fired on a vessel carrying undocumented Venezuelan migrants.

President Nicolas Maduro's administration rejected the incident in which a Venezuelan baby died while traveling on a boat that was intercepted by the Trinidad and Tobago coast guard on the night of February 5.

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"The Venezuelan government extends its most sincere condolences to the infant's relatives and urges the Trinidad & Tobago authorities to carry out an exhaustive investigation to clarify the facts related to a fatal incident in which a Venezuelan child lost his life unfortunately," the Bolivarian Foreign Affairs Ministry stated.

On Monday, Keith Rowley, the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, also expressed his condolences for the "unfortunate loss of a child during a security operation." 

On Feb. 5, over 20 Venezuelan migrants embarked in the state of Delta Amacuro. While at sea, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard attempted to stop their vessel by "firing into the engine," said the guards, who allege they acted in self-defense because the boat had rammed them.

According to the Trinidadian official version, the maritime guards boarded the boat and "discovered" that there were undocumented migrants, whom they had not seen before because they had remained "hidden."

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro ordered the activation of diplomatic mechanisms and the "necessary binational protocols" to consolidate cross-border security dynamics that preserve "good understanding" between the two countries.

In correspondence with this provision, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez agreed with Rowley to expedite the process of presenting the accreditation of the Trinidadian ambassador Edmund Dillon so that he can meet with officials of the Venezuelan coast guard as soon as possible. It is hoped that this meeting will improve communication and collaboration between both countries related to migration processes.

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