Charging Vietnamese families to repatriate their dead, trafficked, family members

A sensible resolution gallusquine!

Very sad story, and there are multiple viewpoints, but "makes me ashamed to be British"? Come on, that's a bit of an hysterical reaction? We can all have a view on what's right and wrong in these cases, but it would take a lot more than this to make me "ashamed" of my country. What about all the great things we do/have done? Let's try to get some balance and reasoning, FFS.

Absolutely gallusquine

There are many ways that returning children and loved ones to their families could be facilitated. I'm not ashamed of my country but the judgement of this Govt leaves a lot to be desired.

I agree gallusquine (as I stated up thread)

The Vietnamese Government have paid the costs and are now charging the families. The Vietnamese Government and British Government together can recoup the money in that way so no family should have to pay anything.

We are part of the world Poppyred. We have a responsibility to the whole of humanity. We are a rich country.

Who actually said it was Dominic Raab charging the families? I have read it is the Vietnamese Embassy who has told the families they will have to pay. Can we get the true facts before we start saying what dreadful people we are in this country. If a British person dies abroad, who is responsible for getting the body back? Does anyone know?

If a British citizen dies abroad (outside of the EU) it is down to the family to repatriate the body, usually paid for by holiday/health insurance.

This is a very different set of circumstances though. British men committed these crimes and as gallus rightly pointed out, there’s a method of funding their repatriation that wouldn’t cost the taxpayer anything (for those who are worried about that) which would show the UK to be the kind of compassionate country with values most of us uphold. It’s quite obvious that these families did not have insurance - it simply doesn’t apply here.

Sirchenjin totally agree, but it seems (as I see it) that the problem lies with the Vietnamese Government not ours.

Take it out of the Foreign Aid budget. The government should be using that to cover the cost of for all deportations as well.

I think it’s both Govts - the UK govt has passed the cost to the Vietnamese Govt. I’m sure that it’s not beyond the abilities of these politicians to come to a better and kinder arrangement.

SirChenjin do you think they are using these bereaved families as a warning to others who may be considering sending their young folk here via “traffickers”?

SirChen I am not trying to be difficult but the OP states that Dominic Raab is charging the families. You say you think that the UK govt has passed the cost to the Vietnamese Govt but I would like to know where it actually says this is the truth and not someone’s interpretation of it. I have looked on a couple of places and heard no mention of Dominic Raab or the UK govt. Where have you read it please so I can look it up. Thanks

EllenVannin, They begged, borrowed and stole from friends and family, money lenders and some by selling their bodies. All the ways desperate people do when life is utterly hopeless but they see one, just one, small chink of light.

As long as the British taxpayer does not have to pay. I am sorry that people died but they tried to cheat their way into this country instead of coming in the official way. I also think that people caught crossing the channel should be sent back and not brought into GB.

@Gagajo I can't find anything online about them charging... Have you got a link to it, please? It's probably a joke.

Gagajo you have got your facts wrong (the OP) as so often happens on GN now, shoot first and ask questions later.

ACTUALLY, lemongrove, I checked the BBC article the original info came from before I posted. I SHOULD have added the link then, because now I can't find it (and I have looked).

So. If it's wrong, the article I read got it wrong. I'll have another browse, see if I can find the link. It was a link from a link, so...

The only thing I have found is a report on scramnews, which itself is an anti-Tory ‘vessel’.
In fact, it’s the Vietnamese government that is charging the families.
Scramnews also says ( outrageously) that these poor people perished as a result of the UK’s hostile environment to immigrants, and that there was no other way to get in here.

That's the only reference I could find as well.
Never heard of scram news before, it sounds like a load of fake news.

Yes, the Vietnamese govt IS charging them. Because the British govt charged THEM. Two wrongs. The victims, yet again, are the poor (of another country this time).

Well, we DO have a hostile environment to immigrants. Only got to look on THIS thread to see that. The poor sods died in horrific circumstances and people on here are still saying, in effect, that it was their own faults. More or less mocking utter desperation.

Scram News wasn't where I found it. I found a link to a BBC page (no idea which one) via a link on Twitter.

These desperate families just want the bodies of their loved ones returned:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/11/27/vietnamese-families-mourn-39-truck-migrants-funds-raised-help/

Some have said that morally we should pay but it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that these people were trying to enter our country illegally, and, amazingly, with the blessing of their families .

We need to send out a strong message to the rest of the world who think that we are a soft touch. Unfortunately though they are right.

The sooner we secure our borders to prevent something like this happening again the better.

But we don't secure our borders. We just spot check the odd lorry and staff numbers at ports have been reduced. Our security is a joke!