THE HAGUE, WILLEMSTAD – The Dutch political party D66 wants to know from the government whether it is conceivable that the Netherlands will intervene at any time in Curaçao and Aruba to guarantee the human rights of Venezuelan asylum seekers and refugees. This is evident from written questions posed by Dutch MPs Antje Diertens, Maarten Groothuizen and Achraf Bouali to the Undersecretaries Harbers (Justice) and Knops (Kingdom Relations) today.

The three D66 MPs are counting on the UNHCR's prediction that the number of Venezuelan migrants seeking refuge in the Caribbean will increase by 50% in 2019, while the Dutch government will not expect a large influx. The questioners point to Article 43 of the Statute that the Kingdom (read: the Netherlands) is obliged to watch over human rights in all countries in the Kingdom.

"What else could the Netherlands do to guarantee compliance with fundamental human rights regarding asylum seekers and refugees? Do you think that in case of a (further) deterioration of the situation for asylum seekers and refugees in Aruba and Curaçao, an intervention will be necessary in the future? How do you monitor the situation?"

By Rene Zwart (photo credit: Rene Zwart)