MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Brazil sending troops to Venezuela border following clashes between locals and refugees
The deployment was announced after dozens of Brazilians in Pacaraima attacked makeshift immigrant camps a local merchant was stabbed, beaten and robbed 
An initially peaceful demonstration turned violent when locals threw rocks at the migrants and set fire to their belongings 
Tens of thousands of Venezuelans have crossed into Brazil in the past three years, fleeing an economic, social and political crisis that has ravaged their home country. Brazil is sending additional troops to its northern frontier after residents of one of its border towns attacked Venezuelan immigrants, forcing hundreds of them to flee back into their country. Brazil's Ministry of Public Security said over the weekend it would send an additional 60 soldiers to Roraima on Monday, reinforcing a contingent already operating in the northern state.
The deployment was announced hours after dozens of Brazilians in the town of Pacaraima attacked makeshift immigrant camps on Saturday after a local merchant was stabbed, badly beaten and robbed in an assault blamed on Venezuelan immigrants.
An initially peaceful demonstration turned violent when locals threw rocks at the migrants and set fire to their belongings. Police said hundreds of immigrants crossed back into Venezuela to escape the violence.
A military police spokesperson said three Brazilians were hurt in the violence. There was no information immediately available on injuries among the Venezuelans involved.
Tens of thousands of Venezuelans have crossed into Brazil in the past three years, fleeing an economic, social and political crisis that has ravaged their home country.
An estimated 1,000 of them are thought to be living on the streets of Pacaraima.
The violence came amid rising tensions in parts of Latin America over migration triggered by the crisis in Venezuela.
According to the United Nations, 2.3 million Venezuelans have fled their country - mostly for Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and Peru. UN officials have reported that 1.3 million of those who fled were suffering from malnourishment, with food shortages a major issue affecting Venezuela.
On Saturday, Ecuador put in place new regulations that ban Venezuelans without a valid passport from entering the country. Many Venezuelan migrants travel only with national ID cards, which was previously sufficient to enter Ecuador.
A similar rule will take effect in Peru on August 25.
Venezuela's currency has collapsed against the US dollar on the black market since President Nicolas Maduro came to power in April 2013. Maduro blames the crisis on an economic war led by opposition leaders with the help of the US, which last year levied several rounds of sanctions against his administration.
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Read all commentsBad news if things are getting so bad in Brazil already, because Venezuela isn't likely to improve any time soon.
Aug 20th, 2018 - 05:44 pm +2@DT
Aug 24th, 2018 - 07:27 pm 0(Continuation of “Argentina offering reward for recovery of assets..”
The poll has some very interesting indicators, but still does not inform in which towns it was held, nor mentions the socio-economic class of those interviewed ...interesting to note however, is that 75% expect the job situation to remain the same or get worse in 2019 ; 78%, the same regarding public health, and 80% rgdng security. Less than 25% bothered to look into the history of who they indicated as their candidate, and 55% admitted knowing nothing abt their candidates’ proposals etc…sounds as if people are giving absolutely no serious thought abt their choices, or are very poorly informed, which makes one wonder how credible the findings are…or that people are saying the first thing that crosses their mind. Also, those who indicated Lula don’t seem to realize he cannot run – perhaps they will after his candidacy is impugned by the TSE.
Another : if over 1/3 (in answering the ‘stimulated’ question) chose Lula, it implies that they believe Lula will solve all Brazil’s problems – jobs, health, security, popular housing (although most got worse under the PT, and despite his criminal record) - yet between 75-80% see no improvement for 2019, even if they think Lula can work miracles….a bit contradictory, imo.
One thing that caught my attention, was that apparently 47% get their information on politics from the internet and blogs, which we know are full of fake news. Not encouraging.
Considering the various countries’ benefits, looks like Germany’s is the most attractive…which reinforces my impression that the asylum seekers are not just trying to flee from danger, but also looking for the most generous benefits…whether they will take advantage of their opportunity, or just be a burden, remains to be seen.
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