Trinidad refuses entry to 32 Guyanese
– Passports lodged with local police
No one that boarded a Caribbean Airlines flight on Monday morning expected that hours later they would be back in Guyana. However, that is now the reality for 32 Guyanese who were reportedly sent back without explanation after being held for hours at the Piarco International Airport. One of the passengers told Kaieteur News that she went to Trinidad for vacation and medical purposes. She explained that she was a frequent traveler to the country and even had relatives there. She emphasised that at no time did she spend more than a few months in the country at a time. According to the woman, everything had been going well until the flight arrived at Piarco. There, some persons were allowed to leave while others were forced to remain at the airport by staff. From 10:20am right up until about 3pm, the passengers were not told why they were being held at the airport. “They just offered us a little juice but didn’t tell us a thing,” the woman said. She added that a pregnant woman and elderly persons were amongst those being kept at the airport. The passengers were subsequently sent back to Guyana on the flights they had initially been scheduled to. On their return to Guyana, the passengers immediately complained to staff of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. However, instead of helping, the woman said the representatives simply laughed. “I’m not going back to Trinidad; that was just an embarrassing, crude experience,” she said. Meanwhile, the passengers’ passports have been lodged with the Brickdam police station.
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