Italy boat disaster due to crackdown: UN

The boat disaster that left 300 people feared dead off the Italian coast was the result of a repressive policy toward illegal immigrants, a UN official said.
Italian officials said at least 93 people were killed -- including three children and two pregnant women -- after a boat with up to 500 African asylum seekers caught fire and sank near the island of Lampedusa.
"These deaths did not need to happen," said Francois Crepeau, the United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, yesterday.
He said the "criminalisation of irregular immigration" had played a role in the worst recent refugee disaster in the Mediterranean.

"Treating irregular migrants only by repressive measures would create these tragedies," he told reporters.
"Irregular immigration is not a crime against persons or property or security... 99.99 percent of irregular migrants pose no threat to security."

By closing their borders, European countries are only giving more power to human traffickers, Crepeau said, adding that politicians must take some responsibility for tragedies such as the one at Lampedusa.
Crepeau said opportunities for legal immigration must be reinforced and migrants helped to better defend their rights.
He pointed to abuses by employers who take advantage of migrant labour, and said those people should be punished.

"Countries should embrace diversity and multiculturalism," Crepeau said.
The UN special rapporteur was speaking at the start of two days of debate at the UN General Assembly on international migration.
At the start of the debate, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered his "deep condolences" and said he hoped the tragedy would be a "spur to action."
The UN chief said protecting migrants' rights, fighting against exploitation and improving the public perception of migrants were all crucial.