Sir, - Why should it take the deaths of asylum seekers in a container to highlight the extreme misery of thousands of desperate people? Surely it is past time to put in place a more equitable and compassionate system for those seeking to live in Ireland and in other parts of the European Union.
If the Irish authorities achieve the same "success" at foreign airports as at such sea ports as Le Havre in excluding almost all would-be asylum seekers, what alternative remains to them other than hiding away in containers?
Had the victims of the recent tragedy in Wexford arrived undetected in Ireland, what likelihood existed of their receiving refugee status? As things stand, only 7 per cent of asylum claims are successful.
The Irish Government should support the proposal of the UNHCR and the Irish Refugee Council for the provision of "Complementary Protection Status" in Irish law. This would ensure that people who fall outside the strict provisions of the 1951 Refugee Convention "but who nonetheless claim protection from the State on other specific grounds" (Refugee Protection Policy Group, Position Paper 1) are accommodated.
In addition, the recent calamity in Wexford has highlighted the immediate need for a much more generous granting of humanitarian leave to remain in Ireland. In the past two years, less than 100 people have received "humanitarian" recognition.
Is that figure the real and honest measure of our sympathy for the many asylum-seekers who die in search of a secure and decent life in a new country? - Yours, etc.,
Una McNulty, Bray, Co Wicklow.