Stand off drowning migrants and report – or face prosecution, sailors warned

There are international conventions about duties to save people in danger at sea. The UK would become a pariah state, if it just ignored drowning people.

I can't imagine anyone, not even Nigel Farage (well, maybe Nigel Farage), standing by and watching someone drown.

I can't believe for one minute that any British sailor would leave people to drown.

So you are stood on your yacht watching a child drowning, and you don’t make any attempt to save the child begging for help?

Takes a special sort of person doesn’t it?

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What a despicable thing to say about ANYONE MaizieD.
I hope you have the decency to ask for your comment to be removed.

If you don’t I suggest it says far more about your mindset.
Nasty.
And goady.

But you knew that when you pressed ‘send’ didn’t you?
And did it anyway.

Prove me wrong, then, Ug

I cannot believe any human being would stand by and watch a person in difficulties in water. Sailor or not.

Whitewavemark2

So you are stood on your yacht watching a child drowning, and you don’t make any attempt to save the child begging for help?

Takes a special sort of person doesn’t it?

Believe me, I've read comments on Facebook from individuals who when this question was posed basically said that children drowning was 'not our problem' but the parents' problem for risking their lives in these boats. Some commenters were even more forthright and said they couldn't care less.

As you say, it takes a special sort of person... and they walk among us.

Standing off and reporting is probably good advice if the people are on a boat that isn't sinking. There would probably be too many of them to take aboard a yacht anyway.

However, once the people are in the water its a different matter. Of course, once the migrants know this they'll all be jumping overboard from their boats anyway.

When you consider what a small percentage they compose of the British population, it would be better to have a proper system of filtering them and bringing them in legally if they're entitled.

And the French police at Wimeraux stand watching desperate migrants risk their lives in boarding overflowing dodgy inflatables- wonder why the EU don’t put a stop to it...oh wait!

And they're off...

Clause 38 increases the minimum sentence from 14 years to life imprisonment and criminalises helping an asylum seeker to arrive in the UK, even if not for gain. At the moment it is only a criminal offence to help an asylum seeker to arrive in the UK if this is done for gain (i.e., if done by a people smuggler).
www.lawscot.org.uk › ...PDF
Second Reading Briefing Nationality and Borders Bill - Law Society of ...

I suppose this is a grey area.

And now there are "several" drownings in the channel I've just heard. It is thoroughly heartbreaking and I don't want to hear that it is to be expected when nobody cares either side. Why have we become a country of asylum haters? Oh wait a minute....
I could weep.

Clause 38 is shameful, then. Criminalising people for being humanitarian.

However, it's got to get through parliament yet.

It would also take a special form of government that was willing to pass such a law.

Perhaps Clause 38 is needed though as a deterrent if migrants and the criminal gangs know they are not going to be picked up they might think twice about making the crossing.

Maudi

Perhaps Clause 38 is needed though as a deterrent if migrants and the criminal gangs know they are not going to be picked up they might think twice about making the crossing.

How would that help, if no one is inhumane enough to carry it out?

How would it help if the people smugglers are based in another country and play no further part once the boats/lorries have set off?

Because the criminal gangs (the smugglers) would not be able to say that our useless Border Force or the RNLI will pick the migrants up from the dinghies halfway and surely this would put some migrants off from risking their life, but who knows. All I know is something has to be done.

Maudi

Because the criminal gangs (the smugglers) would not be able to say that our useless Border Force or the RNLI will pick the migrants up from the dinghies halfway and surely this would put some migrants off from risking their life, but who knows. All I know is something has to be done.

Do you mean that those seeking asylum should be prevented coming to the U.K.?

I think they should be prevented from getting on dinghies in France, we the UK are supposedly paying them millions to stop this, but then you have pictures of French police just standing by and watching them go. I think perhaps although obviously I have no proof that the police might be in on the take making a few euros to turn a blind eye.

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So you aren’t against asylum seekers coming to the U.K. just the transport that they are forced to use to get here?