A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Monday, May 7, 2018
Libyan coastguard prevents NGO boat from rescuing migrants: Witness
Libyan coastguard stops NGO ship from approaching, orders it to move away when migrants jump into water
The Libyan coastguard on Sunday prevented a rescue ship belonging to two
NGOs from approaching a boat in distress carrying migrants, an AFP
photographer witnessed.
The Aquarius, chartered by SOS-Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders
(MSF), was informed by the Italian coastguard of the presence of an
overloaded boat off the coast of Tripoli, reported the photographer on
board the NGO boat.
But Rome also alerted the Libyan coastguard, which took charge of
coordinating the rescue operation and stopped the NGO ship from
approaching, also ordering it to move away when migrants jumped into the
water to avoid being picked up by the Libyans.
Overcrowded migrant centre in Libya is ‘inhumane’ – MSF https://kichuu.com/overcrowded-migrant-centre-libya/ …
The Libyan navy later announced it had rescued more than 300 migrants in
three separate operations, reporting one dead and three missing.
The two victims were with 114 other migrants including 21 women and four
children, said a Libyan navy spokesman, General Ayoub Kacem, although
he declined to say whether they had been aboard the boat seen by the
Aquarius.
And he warned that tensions between the Libyan coastguard and the NGO
boats could worsen over coming days if they continued to approach
stricken boats.
The Libyan coastguard has previously accused NGOs of causing panic and
confusion through their presence during rescues as the migrants all
surge to reach the charter boats to avoid being returned to Libya.
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Still, Italian deputy Riccadro Magi, who was present on board the
Astral, a boat chartered by the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, earlier
Sunday when it rescued 105 migrants, accused the Libyans of being
heavy-handed.
"The Libyans act as pirates in international waters demanding that they
be recognised as an authority. They act outside the law and they do so
with the means provided by the Italian government," he said on Twitter.
On Saturday, the Libyan coastguard also forced the Astral and another ship to move away from a boat carrying 38 migrants.
Last November, German charity group Sea Watch said lives had been
needlessly lost because of a Libyan coastguard being trained and
financed by the European Union.
According to the NGO, the Libyans began "beating and threatening" the
migrants on the stricken boat, provoking panic that caused some to fall
overboard.