蜜芽传媒

Later today, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce plans that some people seeking asylum in the UK will be sent to Rwanda.

While details of the plan are yet to be confirmed, it is thought that the policy will mostly apply to single men who arrive in the UK on small boats across the English Channel. Under the proposal, Rwanda would then take responsibility for the people who make the more than 6,500 kilometre (4,000 miles) onward journey from the UK, put them through an asylum process, and at the end of that process, if they are successful, give them long-term accommodation in the country.

Opponents have said the annual cost of the full scheme would be far higher than the initial 拢120m that the UK is due to pay Rwanda for a trial, and raised concerns about Rwanda's human rights record.

Enver Solomon, Chief Executive of the Refugee Council of Britain, said: "I think it's rather shocking that Britain, which has always claimed that it's had a proud tradition of upholding human rights, of treating people fairly and with dignity, is now deciding to treat people who come to the UK seeking asylum, as though they are a form of human cargo, and transport them thousands of miles across the globe to Rwanda".

Photo: Migrants are helped by a lifeboat before being taken to a beach in Dungeness, on the south-east coast of England, on November 24, 2021 Credit: Getty Images / Photographer: Ben Stansall

Show less