Govt. cancels plans to restart Moleson Creek ferry operations - engages ambassador

Govt. cancels plans to restart Moleson Creek ferry operations – engages ambassador

Dec 09, 2020 News

Cubans in limbo at Suriname border…

By Shervin Belgrave

Minister Hugh Todd and senior government officials meeting with the Cuban ambassador to Guyana, Narciso Reinaldo Armador Socorro, on Monday to discuss the situation.

Cubans camping out at the Suriname border

Kaieteur News – The Government of Guyana has halted plans to restart the Suriname ferry operations, engaging with the Cuban ambassador to find a resolution.
Hundreds of Cubans are stranded in Suriname. They want to make use of the ferry service to cross to Guyana. The ferry service was halted earlier this year because of COVID-19 restrictions on the country’s borders.
Speaking with state-owned television- the National Communications Network (NCN)- Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hugh Todd, yesterday revealed that the re-opening of the ferry service at the Suriname border has been halted. The reason being is to address the campout there of hundreds of Cubans- said to be in excess of 600.
Kaieteur News had reported on December 4th that Cubans want to use Guyana as a transit point to the US.
Todd pointed out that the decision to delay the re-opening of the ferry was taken following talks with the Surinamese government.
He said that the idea is not to block the Cubans from entering, but rather to deal with a situation that can have serious implications, not only for Guyana, but for Brazil too.
“It’s a COVID-19 environment and it is in that context which we operate…we don’t want to have that situation in this kind of an environment,” he said.
He indicated that Guyana and Suriname are working side-by-side to address the situation.
Todd explained that the two countries want to attack the situation from its root in order to avoid a large influx of Cubans to the Suriname border. This, he says, can cause serious problems for both Suriname and Guyana.
“What we don’t want is for a caravan to develop which would see thousands of Cubans trying to get to the border which can cause problems for both Suriname and Guyana,” said the minister.
Nevertheless, he added: “We are trying to deal with the problem without breaking any international laws.”
He noted that the Suriname government has been and is providing assistance to Cubans there.
“We are working out some arrangements with the Cubans to have those who want to return to Cuba return, and those who have legal status can stay,” Todd said. “I am also trying to see how best we can accommodate them in Suriname.”
Suriname media house, Waterkant, had reported that around 600 Cubans were headed to Nickerie, a border area, on November 30th, in large buses with hopes of crossing over to Guyana.
Coincidently, that was the same day the Guyana Government revealed that travel to Suriname, via the Moleson Creek ferry crossing, will be opened from Saturday, December 12th.
As a result, this newspaper was told, the Cubans decided to set up tents at South Drain, near the Canawaima Ferry connection.
Videos seen by this media showed that the Cubans have been camping out, and expressing the hope that they will be allowed to board the ferry.
On Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, reported that Minister Todd convened a meeting with Narciso Reinaldo Armador Socorro, Ambassador of Cuba, to discuss the pressing issue of a number of Cuban nationals currently camping at South Drain, Suriname, who are desirous of transiting Guyana to get to the US to seek asylum there.
Minister Todd was accompanied by Gail Teixiera, MP, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance; Attorney General Anil Nandlall and Robeson Benn, the Minister of Home Affairs,

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