US and Cuba trade blows over boat

[Talon]

US and Cuba trade blows over boat

By Stephen Gibbs

BBC News, Havana

The governments of Cuba and the US have both blamed each other for the apparent deaths of 31 Cubans believed drowned while trying to leave Cuba on a boat.

Just three people survived after the speedboat reportedly overturned on 16 August, between Cuba and Florida.

The US Coast Guard, who say they are dealing with a surge in Cubans crossing the Florida Straits, called off its search for survivors on Wednesday.

But mystery still surrounds the precise circumstances of the shipwreck.

Automatic asylum

Two women and a man were found drifting at sea by a merchant ship around 50km north of the Cuban coast last week.

They had apparently been in the water for five days after their boat capsized.

They were brought back to Cuba, suffering from severe sunburn and dehydration.

The 31 passengers believed to be on the same speedboat are all now assumed drowned.

Cuba says that the US is responsible. Appearing on state television, President Fidel Castro blamed US immigration policy whereby Cubans who make it to American soil are usually granted automatic asylum.

Dangerous voyage

He described it as an incentive for Cubans to risk their lives in the dangerous voyage.

Cuba is also calling on the American authorities to do more to stop professional people smugglers who charge around $8,000 (£4,440) a head for a fast boat crossing from Cuba to Florida.

But the United States has retorted, saying Cuba is cynically trying to deflect blame from itself for the tragedy.

A strongly-worded statement released by the US Interests Section in Havana says those who died were attempting to flee political repression and government-inflicted impoverishment.

It says that while the US Coast Guard searched for survivors, Cuba did not.

It accuses the Cuban authorities of showing a blatant disregard for their citizens' welfare.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...cas/4190192.stm

[bathory]

lol of course its the US fault, god knows it wouldn't have anything to the cuban political and economical climate:)

[wunarmdscissor]

im goin to cuba on wednesday

[__Kratos__]

The US is to be blamed for giving asylum to those that reach out beachs by leaving Cuba? Shouldn't Cuba be to blamed because their the ones that are forcing the people to leave cause of the crap they put up with?

Note: I don't agree with the US policy of auto asylum for reaching our beaches.

[Thanato]

The US should lift the Cold War trade embargo on Cuba, that might solve alot of Cubas problems.

Im going to Cuba in November.

~Thanato

[Mekorig]

That would be a logical action. The only you get form the embargo are some dreaded "illegall aliens" (scary music)

[bathory]

interesting, why should the US lift the imbargo?

where are all of Cubas allies etc?

i would hazard a guess and say even without the imbargo, things would still be pretty sucktastic for the average cuban

[kill_them_all533]

Blame the US the rest of the world will immediatly agree. i hope thats not the case. thats the impression i get from the press and people in chatrooms. sad really its our fault and your not looking for them. wow you really cared.

[Mekorig]

The problem is that whit a Trade Embargo of that magnitude, the cuban gov is almost afixiated. Soo, enduring this events, it had one of the best health care and education public services of the continent.

I dont like Castro too, but neither one of the USa puppets that Cuba had in the past (Batista? ). whiout the embargo, thing would be a lot better in the island, and the influx of cubans temtep by the USa propaganda would be less.

[dmgspycat]

I think it is dangerous to have all of those right-wing Cubans in Miami messing with our voting system and such. All migrated here to hide thier money and assets which was involved with Mafia Casinos and kickbacks from sugar companies and others who were granted concessions during Batistas reign. Batista was a right wing puppet set up by powerful US interests to loot Cuba.

These right wing factions of Cubans assisted the CIA in Dallas the day Kennedy was shot.

Back to the topic, it sounds like these people were going to Miami to be with thier families where they feel more at home in that right wing community. What I hear is that there are alot of people from other countries who are moving to Cuba including Americans.

Dont you all understand that Americas hatred at Castro is economically driven? Its about the corporation and exploitation. Kennedy worked out peace there before he died but after his death the embargo restarted and enmity was re-initiated.

From what I read Castro is hard on American CIA spies and troublemakers. Or agent provacateurs.

PS- If it wasnt for greedy corporate/mafia killers and warmongers, Castro never would have imported nukes. You can thank CIA boys for that...they are the agency that escalated this on behalf of thier interests.