Migrant baby killed by TT Coast Guard, PM expresses “deepest sympathy”

Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has expressed Trinidad and Tobago’s “deepest sympathy to the family and wider Venezuelan community” after a nine-year-old child was shot and killed during an operation at sea involving the country’s Coast Guard.

“I expressed my deepest sympathy on my own behalf and of all the people of Trinidad and Tobago with respect to the unfortunate loss of life of the baby during the security operations. We continue to appeal to our Venezuelan neighbours to not be encouraged to risk their lives and the life of others in illicit and dangerous border crossings.”

In a statement on Sunday night, Rowley said he had spoken to the Vice President Venezuela conveying “our deepest sympathy to the family and wider Venezuelan community at this time of grief over the loss of life of the young child, at sea, during security operations involving Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and traffickers transporting illicit entrants”.

Rowley said that the Vice President has promised to fast track the presentation of credentials for  retired Major General Edmund Dillon, as the country’s Ambassador to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

“That will facilitate an early meeting between Senior Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard officers and senior officers of the Guardia Nacionale, to bring about better and more effective collaboration against the illicit trades of trafficking in people, guns and drugs etc, which are detrimental to both our nations,” Rowley said.

In a statement, the Coast Guard said while patrolling the south coast, the “TTS Scarborough” detected a vessel that had crossed the border from Venezuela on Saturday night and that it pursued the boat which attempted to evade the TTS Scarborough.

“All available methods were used including the use of the loud hailer, ship’s horn, searchlight and flares, to try to get the suspect vessel to stop, however, the vessel continued to attempt to evade TTS Scarborough. In keeping with standard protocols, warning shots ahead of the vessel were next employed,” the Coast Guard statement said.

“At this time, the ship’s boat from TTS Scarborough attempted to intercept the vessel, however, the vessel continued with aggressive manoeuvres, first coming into contact with the ship’s boat and then making attempts to ram it.”

The Coast Guard said it was familiar with “the catastrophic results that can occur when ramming is used as an evasive technique since twice before in the recent past Coast Guard interceptors have been rammed by suspect vessels resulting in total loss of the interceptor in one incident and major damage to the hull and interior of the other interceptor in the second incident. In both incidents, the lives of the interceptor crews were put at risk since they narrowly escaped major injury and death. On this current occasion, the ramming effort by the suspect vessel, which was larger than the ship’s boat, caused its crew to fear for their lives and in self-defense, they fired at the engines of the suspect vessel in an attempt to bring it to a stop.”

The Coast Guard said the boat eventually stopped “and only then it was discovered that there were illegal migrants on board who had remained hidden and were therefore not seen before.

“Further checks discovered one adult female illegal migrant who was holding an infant and who indicated that she was bleeding”.

It said that the boat was brought alongside the TTS Scarborough and the injured mother was subsequently stabilised and transferred to a local health facility.

“Regrettably, the infant was found to be unresponsive. The remaining persons on board the vessel will be processed in accordance with immigration and health protocols. The Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard extends sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of the infant and takes the opportunity to wish the injured female a speedy recovery.