More than 100 missing in shipwreck off Colombia

[3dGameMan]

More than 100 missing in shipwreck off Colombia: ~source (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050818_columbia_boat_050817/?hub=TopStories)

CTV.ca News Staff

More than 100 people are feared dead, after the small boat they were in capsized in rough water off Colombia's Pacific coast.

The boat capsized some 160 kilometres from Colombia's southwest coastline on Friday night, trapping most of the 113 illegal immigrants on board in its hold.

On Sunday, an Ecuadoran fishing boat came across nine survivors -- seven men and two women -- scorched and peeling from two days afloat on the open ocean.

"The boat tipped, there were lots of people. We then spent two days at sea and had to swim a lot,'' 25-year-old Julio Cisalima told Ecuadoran television.

In interviews with Colombian and Ecuadoran television, the survivors describe clinging to a buoy and a gas container, surviving on a little bag of water floating with them.

According to the Colombian Navy, their vessel was designed to carry 15 people.

"The boat, with way too many people aboard, was unable to resist a strong wave and it tipped over,'' Elizalde Ecuadoran navy Capt. Armando Elizalde told Colombian RCN television on Wednesday.

It is believed the passengers were headed from Ecuador's coast to the United States.

[maud'ib]

What could possibly have posessed over 100 people to get onto a boat designed to carry no more than 15.

These guys must have been packed in tighter than sardines. I Equador really so bad that it would drive people to do this?

Frankly I can't see the attraction of sneaking into the U.S. It's not as if you can make a real life for yourself there if you are in there illegally.

[wazman]

What could possibly have posessed over 100 people to get onto a boat designed to carry no more than 15.

These guys must have been packed in tighter than sardines. I Equador really so bad that it would drive people to do this?

Frankly I can't see the attraction of sneaking into the U.S. It's not as if you can make a real life for yourself there if you are in there illegally.

You'd be surprised. As much as I disagree with egarrard's feelings about illegals in some of his posts, he does have one point - they have had a pretty good ride here in the past few years, compared to actual US citizens.

My feeling, though? If you want to come to another country badly enough that you're willing to risk life and limb to get there, become a citizen of that country. Learn the language, get a job, and become a citizen.

[Bobenis]

Ah but that is the thing, America is a melting pot and thus there is no primary language one should learn.

[wazman]

Ah but that is the thing, America is a melting pot and thus there is no primary language one should learn.

Yes, there is: English. That's what the people that founded this country on spoke, and that's what we speak.

There are more than just German people in Germany. Does that mean they should all speak whatever they want? No. They speak German.

[bejohnson]

Ah but that is the thing, America is a melting pot and thus there is no primary language one should learn.

For any nation or people to flourish there must be communication between the citizens. For communication to happen there must be a common language that is spoken, read and written by everyone. In the United States the most common language is English, which is spoken by 90% of the population. English should be made the official language of the country if only to facilitate communication and understanding.

Anyone can speak any language they wish in the confines of their own group or home but in public when there is a desire to communicate with others the common language of the country where one is located should be spoken.

[maud'ib]

Yes, there is: English. That's what the people that founded this country on spoke, and that's what we speak.

There are more than just German people in Germany. Does that mean they should all speak whatever they want? No. They speak German.

I would have to agree there. The United States was settled by British colonists and thus English is the official language.

If someone emigrates to another country, it is in their own best interest to learn the official language of the country. At this point I'm the pot calling the kettle black because while I am literate in the English language, my French is limited to what I can figure out when I read the bilingual labels of products that I buy -- in other words, it sucks bigtime.

Thankfully when I did my citizenship I was not required to sing "O Canada" in both French and English ! (plug your ears - I sing like a bullfrog during mating season :lmao )

Sometimes it is a serious pain having two official languages...

[egarrard]

I love it! I don't post a thing and still start a fuss... :lmao

[wazman]

:What the :What the

[brasherman]

Illegal immigrants are having a good time of it here; there's no real enforcement. We send them back and they reenter again; they even can get ID cards and temporary drivers licenses. Unfortunate as it may seem, I see this and think: Good, maybe we can keep a few jobs. What's funny is that soon we will possibly have all manufacturing offshore (NAFTA my a$$) and we will watch these people move to other countries to find work! There are a lot of immigrants in Kalamazoo and I am pretty sure quite a few of them can't speak english, but then again Western's engineering and math departments fall under the same heading.

How's Canada's illegal immigrant population?

[maud'ib]

Illegal immigrants are having a good time of it here; there's no real enforcement. We send them back and they reenter again; they even can get ID cards and temporary drivers licenses. Unfortunate as it may seem, I see this and think: Good, maybe we can keep a few jobs. What's funny is that soon we will possibly have all manufacturing offshore (NAFTA my a$$) and we will watch these people move to other countries to find work! There are a lot of immigrants in Kalamazoo and I am pretty sure quite a few of them can't speak english, but then again Western's engineering and math departments fall under the same heading.

How's Canada's illegal immigrant population?

Illegals? Not that bad really. With a population of only 30 milliion, Canada is not as difficult to get into as the States. Thing is though, you don't get people coming all the way up here from places like the Latin-American countries. The winters get too damn cold for them! :KICK ASS Most of our illegals are coming from the U.S - usually fugitives trying to escape the law and disappear.

However we do have a very annoying (and expensive) foreign policy with regards to refugees. Whenever there is something happening in the world that people will flee from, we end up getting boatloads of them. Our Vietnamese population skyrocketed when the Vietnam war ended as people tried to escape.

Refugees are treated like royalty here - they get their own homes given to them free & clear as well as welfare money to live. They also get their landed immigrant papers immediately and are eligible for citizenships after 2 years. Want to live on easy street? Come to Canada as a refugee! :grumble

[maud'ib]

I love it! I don't post a thing and still start a fuss... :lmao

What fuss? Everyone is being quite civilized at the moment.