Royal Navy to intercept refugee boats heading to Europe
7 March
Three ships - the RFA Mounts Bay, an amphibious landing vessel with a Wildcat helicopter on board, and two cutters from the UK Border Force - will take their place alongside boats from Germany, Canada, Turkey and Greece as part of the Nato flotilla stationed in the Aegean Sea.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
They will monitor the waterway for signs of boats carrying illegal migrants and refugees from Syria to Turkey and Greece and notify the Turkish coastguard to intercept them.
The decision to deploy Royal Navy assets represents an escalation of British involvement in the crisis. Announcing the move yesterday, Prime Minister David Cameron said that "where we can help, we should".
He added: "We've got to break the business model of the criminal smugglers and stop the desperate flow of people crammed into makeshift vessels from embarking on a fruitless and perilous journey."
Hundreds have drowned on the perilous crossing to Europe after paying human traffickers for a place on a boat or dinghy.
Cameron's announcement comes as Turkish leaders join European leaders in Brussels today for an emergency summit on the refugee crisis. An estimated 3,000 people arrive on Turkey's shores every day and the country has repeatedly warned it can no longer cope with the situation.
Last year, the majority of the one million refugees and migrants who entered the European Union came via Turkey, the BBC reports. The EU is hoping to stem this tide and regain control of its borders by offering Turkey €3bn (£2.3bn) to keep economic migrants in the country.
Last week, European Council President Donald Tusk told those considering making the journey to Europe that only economic migrants would not be allowed to remain.
"Do not believe the smugglers," he warned. "Do not risk your lives and your money. It is all for nothing."
-
Political cartoons for October 26Cartoons Sunday’s editorial cartoons include Young Republicans group chat, Louvre robbery, and more
-
Why Britain is struggling to stop the ransomware cyberattacksThe Explainer New business models have greatly lowered barriers to entry for criminal hackers
-
Greene’s rebellion: a Maga hardliner turns against TrumpIn the Spotlight The Georgia congresswoman’s independent streak has ‘not gone unnoticed’ by the president
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Moldova gives decisive win to pro-EU partySpeed Read The country is now on track to join the European Union within five years
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Syria's returning refugeesThe Explainer Thousands of Syrian refugees are going back to their homeland but conditions there remain extremely challenging
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
