Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 6 sepTember 2018
Venezuela launches airlift for migrants to return home

By FRANKLIN BRICENO — and spoke of enduring
JOSHUA GOODMAN hardships and discrimina-
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Some tion while trying to adjust to
300 Venezuelans gathered life in a new country.
outside of their country's Armando Salazar, 50, said
embassy in Peru on Tues- that he was earning around
day shouting "We want $90 a week cleaning floors
to leave!" after President at a fish processing plant
Nicolas Maduro offered to since arriving to Peru in Jan-
airlift migrants who want- uary from his home in cen-
ed to return back to their tral Carabobo state. But
homeland. last month he was let go
The Venezuelans, some of and had to resort to ped-
whom said they had been dling bottles of water on
sleeping on the streets and Lima's streets while sharing
were taken advantage of a tenement bedroom with
by Peruvian employers, ar- five of his countrymen who
rived hours after Maduro were in similar straights.
on national TV unveiled "Things are difficult here
the "Return to the Home- too," said Salazar, who said
land Plan" to welcome that once back in Venezu-
back those who marched ela he hopes to recoup a
abroad amid the spiraling business he abandoned
economic and social crisis. Venezuelan migrant Francy Rodriguez, 26, who worked in accounting in Venezuela and now selling fruit.
It also comes as regional cleans homes in Peru, waits in line outside her embassy in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. He said the future he faces
governments are rushing to Associated Press in Venezuela remains un-
address the exodus strain- certain but at least back
ing tight budgets in almost Fund estimates will hit 1 mil- cent regret the decision. load of Venezuelans from home he'll be surrounded
every South American na- lion percent. "We will hug you again, Peru is being organized for by family, including his wife,
tion, with a special session But Venezuela's govern- come to Venezuela, come Saturday. who didn't make the jour-
Wednesday at the Organi- ment disputes those figures, back to the homeland. We Some government oppo- ney with him across South
zation of American States and is accusing opponents Venezuelans are here, with nents have called the airlifts America. Inflation that the
in Washington. led by the U.S. of sounding our big, big Bolivian hearts." a PR stunt intended to de- International Monetary
According to the United an alarm about a humani- Last week, Maduro's gov- flect attention away from Fund estimates will soon
Nations, more than 2.3 mil- tarian crisis to justify a for- ernment chartered a plane the economic misman- hit 1 million percent is ex-
lion people, 7 percent of eign military intervention to to bring almost 100 Venezu- agement that has driven pected to accelerate after
Venezuela's total popula- remove Maduro. elans from Lima that he said so many people from their Maduro last month began
tion, have fled the country "I sometimes feel pain for had their dreams of a fresh homes in the first place. dismantling currency con-
over the last three years the Venezuelans who left," start crushed by the crude Those lining up outside trols in place for more than
during a period of wide- he said on state TV Mon- realities of living in a high- Venezuelan embassy in a decade. On Tuesday, the
spread shortages, deadly day, saying that fewer than priced capitalist country. Peru's capital were care- government began rolling
anti-government protests 600,000 Venezuelans left Another airlift is schedule to ful not to criticize Maduro out a new payment system
and now hyperinflation the country over the past leave Ecuador on Wednes- — many acknowledged to raise gas prices in eight
the International Monetary two years and that 90 per- day, while a second plane- voting for him in the past border states. q

UN anti-graft chief to work remotely after Guatemala ban

Associated Press Secretary-General Anto- to "continue to search for a
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — nio Guterres to name a re- solution through dialogue,"
The head of a U.N.-backed placement. the statement reads.
commission investigating The U.N. responded in a Working with Guatemalan
corruption in Guatema- statement that he had prosecutors, Velasquez's
la will continue to direct asked Velasquez to remain commission has pressed
its work from outside the in charge "from outside a number of corruption
country after being barred Guatemala until there is probes that have ensnared
from re-entering by Presi- more clarity on the situa- dozens of politicians, public
dent Jimmy Morales' gov- tion." servants and businesspeo-
ernment. "CICIG and its Commis- ple.
Matias Ponce, spokesman sioner play a pivotal role in One case over $1 million in
for the International Com- the fight against impunity in purported illicit campaign
mission against Impunity Guatemala," the statement financing allegedly re-
in Guatemala, known as says. "The U.N. Secretariat ceived by Morales remains
CICIG for its initials in Span- In this Sept. 14, 2017 file photo, Ivan Velasquez, commissioner of has serious concerns about pending. The president de-
ish, said Wednesday that the United Nations International Commission Against Impunity, this decision, which it is cur- nies wrongdoing.
Ivan Velasquez remains in CICIG, pauses during an interview, in Guatemala City. rently reviewing and which Multiple legal appeals have
his post and would work Associated Press does not appear to be been filed with Guate-
remotely from Washing- consistent with the Agree- mala's Constitutional Court
ton, where he was holding nounced Tuesday that lowed to return to the Cen- ment on the establishment seeking to overturn the or-
meetings. Velasquez, a Colombian tral American country and of CICIG." der barring Velasquez from
Morales' government an- national, would not be al- that he had asked U.N. Guterres urged Guatemala entering the country.q