Finland to take five more rescued asylum seekers

From News Now Finland, Finland is to take in 'five more' asylums seekers rescued from one of the Mediterranean boats departing - typically - Libya.

It is demanding to know what controls are in place to ensure other EU countries do their share.

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The Finnish government says it will offer a temporary new home to five asylum seekers rescued in the Mediterranean Sea. They were rescued by the Alan Kurdi vessel and the Maltese navy, and their applications for asylum will be processed in Finland as normal: which means they could be accepted to live here permanently, or they might have their applications rejected for a variety of reasons. The majority of the rescued asylum seekers were from Sudan, Somalia and South Sudan according to a government press release. The Finnish government wants to see more permanent procedure put in place to make sure all EU countries are pulling their weight when it comes to helping out with rescued asylum seekers.

So what are the rules for migrants rescued at sea?

From The Local:

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Are the rules clear? Generally speaking, no. "International maritime law does not provide for specific obligations which would determine in all cases which state is responsible to allow disembarkation on its territory," the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says. But that does not mean a country can simply hold up a stop sign and wash its hands of the situation when a vessel packed with vulnerable migrants approaches its shores. UNHCR also pointed to "key treaties" stating that a nation which has responsibility for an area in which a search-and-rescue operation takes place is required to "exercise primary responsibility" for coordinating the migrants' safe disembarkation. The International Organization for Migration also said that while states are not forced to accept specific vessels, there is a collective duty to ensure a humane outcome. "Regarding disembarkation, states are obliged to cooperate to find a safe place to disembark migrants rescued in their search and rescue area," IOM spokesman Leonard Doyle told AFP, citing legal experts.

So what of the case of Italy, who recently refused to allow a vessel - claiming its occupants were in distress - to dock, complaining why should Italy have to be responsible for the numerous illegal boatloads of migrants arriving from Africa. ISTM only those from war-torn areas, such as Somalia, have a hope of being granted asylum. I am not sure what happens to the sub-Saharan refuges from West Africa. Presumably they are detained or sent back.

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In the case of the Aquarius, which is operated by SOS Méditerranée, UNHCR said that the dwindling provisions on board created "an urgent humanitarian imperative" for Italy and Malta to allow the boat to dock. Spain's intervention later appeared to defuse the crisis. What happens after the migrants disembark? In an apparent attempt to justify Rome's stance, far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said Italy's new populist government could not be forced to turn the country into "a huge refugee camp". But UNHCR said letting a boat dock did not mean a country would have to take long-term responsibility for those on board. "A state which allows disembarkation on its territory of rescued persons – particularly in situations involving large numbers of people – need not, in UNHCR's view, be solely responsible for providing durable solutions on its own territory."

Over to you. How should we solve the boat people crisis and what should happen to them on disembarkation?

What should the UK (or your resident country, if in the EU) be doing to help out?

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