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A6 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 18 april 2023
Italy pushes crackdown on migrants reaching its shores

By FRANCES D’EMILIO Mediterranean.
Associated Press For years, humanitarian
ROME (AP) — Italy’s right- groups have lamented that
wing government pressed Maltese authorities often
ahead with plans to crack ignore distress calls from
down on migrants as they foundering migrant vessels.
arrived by the hundreds on But on Monday, two hu-
Monday at a Sicilian port manitarian organizations,
after a coast guard rescue. Alarm Phone, which moni-
Dozens more were taken tors migrant boats in dis-
on board a charity boat tress in the Mediterranean,
from an unseaworthy ves- and Emergency, which
sel operated by smugglers, operates a rescue vessel,
while others came ashore tweeted that Malta had
unaided. instructed cargo ships to
This week, the Senate is come to the aid of a cou-
due to take up proposed ple of boats, and that the
legislation put forward by rescued passengers would
the government of far-right disembark later in the ar-
Premier Giorgia Meloni that chipelago nation.
aims to make it harder for On Sunday, Alarm Phone
migrants to gain temporary indicated there were a to-
permission to stay in Italy. tal of about 60 migrants on
Coalition ally Matteo Sal- the two distressed boats.
vini, who leads the anti-mi- The others arrived in Cat-
grant League party, wants ania late Sunday night
the country to eliminate a Some 300 migrants are disembarked from the Italian coast guard ship Peluso in the Sicilian harbor aboard a vessel operated
of Catania, Italy, Monday, April 17, 2023.
status known as “special Associated Press by Frontex, the European
protection” for many of Union’s border protection
the tens of thousands of Salvini claims the possibil- nated, lawmakers from an- Sera on Monday. agency.
migrants who have come ity of “special protection” other coalition party, Silvio The number of migrants ar- Also on Sunday, an Italian
ashore in Italy for years now acts as a “pull factor,’’ in Berlusconi’s conservative riving this spring has risen naval vessel brought about
aboard smugglers’ boats encouraging migrants to Forza Italia, have indicat- relentlessly. 300 rescued migrants to an-
launched from Libya, Tuni- leave their homelands in ed they could push for the A Italian coast guard boat other Sicilian port, Augusta,
sia, Turkey and other plac- Africa, the Middle East and time to be slashed from two with about 200 migrants Italian media said.
es. Asia. Many of the migrants years to six months. aboard pulled into the har- Stepping ashore on the tiny
That status allows migrants are fleeing poverty or a “It’s not so much a question bor of Catania, Sicily early island of Lampedusa were
who are unlikely to win refu- lack of decent jobs in sub- of numbers, but of (send- Monday. scores of other migrants
gee status to stay in Italy for Saharan Africa, northern ing) a signal of severity that They were among some who arrived unaided.
two years, pending renew- Africa, Pakistan, Bangla- we want to give,’’ Maurizio 600 migrants rescued by Among them were sev-
al. During this time, they desh and Egypt. Gasparri, a prominent Forza the coast guard during the eral spotted walking on a
can work legally and rent While Meloni has said she’d Italia senator was quoted weekend in Malta’s search- beach by residents of the
housing. like to see that status elimi- as saying in Corriere della and-rescue sector of the tiny tourist and fishing isle.q

Freak storm in Thailand capsizes fishing

boats, killing 3

BANGKOK (AP) — A freak provincial Public Relations lished an announcement
storm in southern Thailand Department reported. warning small fishing boats
capsized a dozen fishing One of the survivors, Som- against going to sea until
boats and killed at least kid Maneewong, said his Monday, but it was issued
three people, but more boat encountered a wave Sunday afternoon, after
than 100 others who were about 4 meters (13 feet) Somkid’s and other boats
also at sea have been ac- high about an hour after had already encountered
counted for, officials said leaving shore. the storm.
Monday. He told TV Channel 3 that The disaster agency said
Seven people were injured he and his 31-year-old son 10 provinces had been
after the sudden storm tried to swim to safety but affected by the storm, in-
off the coast of Nakhon Si strong currents eventually cluding Nakhon Si Tham-
Thammarat province on tired his son out and he marat and Surat Thani in
Sunday morning caused died. the south, where officials
the fishing boats to capsize He said he was surprised by reported a large private
and damaged dozens of the winds and currents so ferry was damaged while
others in the Gulf of Thai- strong he “could not con- docked Sunday after a In this photo released by the People Unity Foundation, rescuers
land. There were no missing trol the boat.” strong wave sent it crash- from the charitable organization help a survivor from a boat
reported among the 149 The provincial disaster ing into the pier. There were that capsized off the coast of Nakhon Sri Thammarat province,
southern Thailand on April 16, 2023.
people on 61 boats, the prevention agency pub- no casualties.q Associated Press