Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally is preparing to go to Syria on a fact-finding mission.
Rambally told Guardian Media yesterday that he made the decision because over 30 of his constituents have relatives who are detained in camps in Syria, Iraq and Turkey, after they left T&T to join the Islamic State (ISIS) years ago.
“Well, first of all, let me say that I view this whole scenario concerning the children in Syria, and some of them, their mothers, are still there in Syria with them, I view this whole scenario as one of an international human rights issue,” Rambally said.
“I view this matter as one where we, as Trinidadians, we have to show that we have this inherent compassion for our fellow citizens. They are, after all, our fellow citizens. It is said in our society and in all societies that the true test of the morality of a society is what the society does for its children.”
According to Human Rights Watch, there are over 105 Trini nationals in northeast Syria and this includes 56 children.
The issue of their repatriation came to the fore again recently, after Human Rights Watch produced a report which noted Trini nationals were living in squalid and unhealthy conditions in detention camps or in jails and urged the Government to repatriate those who were in such situations.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has since given his commitment to do so and formed a committee headed by former House speaker Nizam Mohammed to liaise with the local relatives of those individuals.
Yesterday, Rambally said he will now join the effort.
“I have given my commitment as a Member of Parliament, as a human rights attorney, as a public law lawyer, that I will engage and I have given a commitment to my constituents that I am engaging from the point of view of, I don’t want to use the word spearhead, but work is already in progress and I will be going to Syria. Most likely, if all things go according to plan, it will be during the month of June and going to Syria for the purpose of engaging in a cross-border identification verification exercise.”
Rambally added, “I am of the view that this is a scenario where we must rise to the occasion, and we must engage in a meaningful manner, in some kind of progressive manner, to ensure that we can bring these children home. These children, at the end of the day, are victims. According to law, we deem them to be victims of trafficking, whether we deem them to be victims of deceit, or whatever you may wish to call it as a matter of law. They are, at the end of the day, victims, innocent children who would have gone across on the will and instruction and directive of their parents. Mostly, in some of these families, it would have been the male fathers in the family.”
He also called out the Government and the Nightingale Committee it set up to deal with the repatriation matter.
“The Government needs to come forward. We keep hearing about the 2018 Nightingale Committee. There are public documents where they indicated in 2020 that they were at a very advanced stage in their work preparation, namely that they had already developed a policy and associated legislation which would then be taken to Parliament, so that Parliament would now use its collective wisdom to see what is in the best interest of the nation and how we move forward,” he said.
“I am saying that if that is, in fact, true, we need to fast-track that work and see how we can start implementing it by way of discussion in the public domain, whilst all these other exercises take place. Just like Canada, where today we have seen the repatriation of 19 of its citizens, I think that there were actually court orders. There were court proceedings and court orders which mandated the Canadian government to bring these persons back.”
Guardian Media attempted to contact the Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Brown for comment on the Chaguanas West MP planned trip to Syria but his phone went unanswered.
