Sir, - The tragedy which befell the 58 people found dead in Dover raises some questions which need to be answered, but are rarely asked. Instead of the hype about illegal immigration, the criminalisation of "traffickers" and the joint police inquires into the whereabouts of certain container lorries, there needs to be a realistic assessment made of the following issues:
What drives people to leave their countries of origin?
Why do people choose such dangerous methods of transit?
Why can people not enter the EU through orthodox means?
I would like to suggest for debate that 58 people died in a container lorry in transit to the United Kingdom because their circumstances forced them to flee their own countries; because asylum-seekers are often unable to use ferries and aeroplanes, since certain governments impose fines on carriers who transport them; and finally, because strict immigration legislation at EU and national level (such as finger-printing asylum-seekers) forces people to take life-endangering risks rather than entering our countries with dignity. - Yours, etc.,
Brendan Hennessy, NASC, The Irish Immigrant Support Centre, St Maries of the Isle, Sharman Crawford Street, Cork.