English Channel: Spotlight back on UK's asylum policy as migrant boat capsizes and 6 drown| Oneindia
The UK government’s controversial asylum policy is facing renewed criticism after at least six people died after a small boat crossing the Channel capsized and sank in the English Channel yesterday. Another two people are still believed to be missing after the sinking, prompting fresh calls for the government to urgently introduce safe routes for asylum seekers to prevent further tragedies. With this, now the spotlight has shifted back to UK govt’s asylum policy…ad once again to a controversial barge that is being used to house asylum seekers….the Bibby Stockholm barge.
#Bibbystockholmbarge #Englishchannelmigrantsdeath #UKasylumpolicies
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#Bibbystockholmbarge #Englishchannelmigrantsdeath #UKasylumpolicies
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00:00 The UK government's controversial asylum policy is facing renewed criticism after at
00:08 least six people died when a small boat crossing the English Channel capsized and sank yesterday.
00:14 Another two people are still believed to be missing after the sinking, prompting fresh
00:18 calls for the government to urgently introduce safe routes for asylum seekers to prevent
00:23 further tragedies.
00:26 With this, now the spotlight has shifted back to UK government's asylum policy and once
00:31 again to a controversial barge that is being used to house asylum seekers - the BB Stockholm
00:36 barge.
00:37 BB Stockholm is a barge that is berthed in Portland Port and is the first of its kind
00:42 in the UK.
00:43 It accommodates single men while their asylum claims are being processed.
00:47 Residents whose claims are refused and have exhausted their appeal rights will be outrightly
00:52 removed from the country.
00:54 Until then, they are planned to house here.
00:57 The barge, which is to be operational for at least 18 months, is also slated to provide
01:01 basic accommodation and healthcare, catering facilities and round-the-clock security.
01:07 It was previously used by the Netherlands and Germany to house asylum seekers.
01:12 The government announced in April its plans to house around 500 single adult men on the
01:17 BB Stockholm, which was meant to serve as a deterrent to those hoping to seek asylum
01:22 in the UK.
01:23 The barge was originally designed to house 222 people but was retrofitted to increase
01:28 its capacity.
01:29 Critics say that the increase in capacity and density of the vessel, which now has berths
01:34 for 500, was creating a health danger and safety concerns.
01:38 The UK has now removed a group of asylum seekers off this barge just a few days after moving
01:44 them onto the vessel because Legionella bacteria was found in the water supply - an embarrassment
01:49 for the government as it tried to showcase a tough new immigration policy.
01:53 The bacteria discovered in the water supply can cause Legionella disease, a lung infection
01:58 that the UK health service describes as uncommon but very serious.
02:02 The UK has started moving the asylum seekers onto the BB Stockholm, a barge anchored off
02:07 Dorsey on the south coast earlier this week as part of its high-profile strategy to deter
02:12 people from arriving in the country on small boats.
02:15 The policy was controversial before it even got underway.
02:18 UK ministers have said that they wanted to reduce the cost of accommodating asylum seekers
02:23 in hotels while human rights campaigners had compared the barge to a prison ship and said
02:28 its use was completely inhumane.
02:31 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to stop crossings of the English Channel which hit
02:35 more than 45,000 last year.
02:38 Almost 88,000 people have made the crossings of one of the world's busiest waterways since
02:43 2018, leading the country's asylum system to become overloaded.
02:47 More than 160,000 people are waiting for asylum decisions as of the end of December 2022,
02:54 with most having waited more than six months, according to official figures.
02:58 The BB Stockholm serves as yet another example of the government's challenges in implementing
03:03 alternative housing solutions for asylum seekers.
03:06 Similar projects in other parts of England have been postponed or abandoned due to logistical
03:11 hurdles and public resistance.
03:12 [music]