Franklin

Anyone "pick up" on this?

Quite a tragedy.

The gangmasters behind this tragedy should be shut down pronto. It is scandalous that this happened.

Those poor poor people, worked like slaves and entrapped in misery. They should be freed and given citizenship, every soul entrapped by such gangs should qualify for citizenship, this should help undermine the gangs and stop them exploiting such vulnerable people in such an uncaring and horrible way.

http://www.thisislondon.com/news/art...esDeat?source=

Taffyles

I read about on the Beeb site- latest is that police have evidence of who is responsible - hope they throw the book at them.

JeanDupont

I believe it would be wrong to give these illegal aliens citizenship. They should be deported back home amidst much publicity so that they may be a warning to others who may be tempted to pay thousands to enter illegally.

If others are deterred from illegal entry then THAT will stop more deaths at the hands of snakehead gangmasters.

Giving them citizenship will just encourage others to try for it.

There is a fair immigration system in UK - don't undermine it.

sibsie

It was a real tragedy.

We have a huge number of Chinese here in Spain. I've been told that they are brought over, their passports taken away and they work without wages for up to five years. One of the houses I looked at when I was buying was Chinese owned. I was staggered at the number of people living in a 3 bed place. I counted 15 put you ups and there were even more in the large underbuild.

Franklin

But the charge that the gangs make to bring the poor fellows over to the UK would go up since the gangs would not be able to use the poor devils as slave labor/labour for so many years, which is where they really make their money. With a higher charge for smuggling them over this would likely cut down on the numbers who can afford the higher charge (supply and demand curve and all that).

Also, if the gangs are not brought to heel, they will grown in power and end up corrupting the authorities through bribes and threats (and actual killings). It is FAR better to bring the gangs to heel before they become a significant threat to an otherwise decent and honest society. Such gangs should not be tolerated and they should be checked.

sibsie

The gangs behind it like the Triads are pretty much as big as they get.They make the various mafia organisations look like a kindergarten group. I really don't think they will lose a moment's sleep over this or any attempt to stop them.

Franklin

I am thinking about the poor souls who are used as slave labor and kept in miserable conditions. Slavery is a crime against humanity and must never be tolerated. Every effort should be applied to stopping this dreadful business. Clearly it has grown exponentially and will carry on doing so unless urgent steps are taken to nip this appalling trade in human misery. It has grown into a problem across the EU. Clearly what is being done to stamp it out has had little effect. The authorities need to think up and deploy new ways of tracking this slave trade and putting a stop to it. The rewards are clearly very great for the gangs, so great strides must be taken to stamp it out.

sibsie

Steps could also be taken against oppressive regimes like China that make people so desparate to leave that they will put themselves through things like this.

NC Penguin

It's my thoughts that everyone, including myself in fact support slavery even though we unintentionally do so. The cheap products made in countries like China and India, to name a couple are produced by cheap labour, some (maybe most?) of it by virtually slave labour.

I believe I've read about in the press some time ago and maybe even seen TV programmes about this kind of labour. The poor, mostly country people (including children under the age of 16) are enticed to work in the cities, thinking they'd work in something other than sweatshops. Their families believe that their children or themselves are making a better life for themselves but end up being in debt to a "middleman" whom they end up owing a lot of money. This debt is huge and can only be gradually paid off through working in the sweatshops at a pitiful hourly rate.

This is probably one reason why Indian and Chinese manual labour can undercut even Mexico and most certainly developed countries.

Franklin

Yeah, I think you are spot on.

It is a very sad state of affairs.

Each day I think the WTO and global trade is just causing too much pain all round. Jobs are outsourced, vulnerable people lied to and exploited mercilessly.

I am beginning to think that the WTO should be abolished.

doctor scrumpy

At the end of the day they were illegal immigrants and laid themselves open to the explotation they endured. It may not be right, but it is sadly a fact of life.

Franklin

I just think we should not have such hard hearts and we really should be mindful of these wretched souls. To turn a blind eye to their plight is just plain wrong. They are not deserving of such treatment. In addition, the gangs must be checked or we are looking at a much bigger problem for society. Illegal immigrants are one thing; illicit gangs pose a far greater danger to society.

sibsie

The gangs are a massive problem that have to be dealt with on a global scale. The Dragon Syndicates have been operating very successfully for years and years. You can't eradicate them overnight and illegal immigrants being forced to work for them is just one tiny aspect of their operations.

It's a nice idea but sadly it just ain't gonna happen.

Franklin

I agree with you that such a complex problem will not be solved by a single action or in a single day. But we need to inflict damage on the gang network in the UK. Make it very uncomfortable for them (i.e. not profitable) and they will naturally devote their resources to other countries where they can make more money. If each country takes the same concerted action we will get somewhere. The gangs need money, so get their money. Fine any bank that handles their money. Impose severe sanctions on every part of their operation and on all those that aid them in their activities. Death by a thousand cuts.

One thing that is obvious, the authorities have not taken any effective steps to undermine the gangs. Piecemeal action will not do it, it has to be a concerted action across international borders, but the UK should not flinch on imposing its own sanctions on the gangs and all those that support them. Failure is not an option because society is at risk. Raise the alarm. Hoist the flag. The EU should declare war on these gangs.

sibsie

No one's managed to stamp out the mafia or any other of the gangs that operate throughout the world. As soon as you shut down one operation another will open. Put one gang leader behind bars and another will take over. You can no more stop organised crime than you can stop crime itself.

I'd venture to suggest that if any sanctions were going to be placed, they be placed against China itself for its dreadful human rights record that makes people go through such awful conditions to leave there in the first place. But of course that's not going to be happening any time soon.