Dear Editor, The excellent article and important research by Mags Gargan showing that the Government does not know the cause of death of more than one in three asylum-seekers who die in State care, once again exposes this country’s attitude towards ‘foreigners’ (IC 27/07/2017).
The sheer carelessness of this is hard to exaggerate. The State has a duty of care to the people who are de facto in their custody and yet does not think it is important to ascertain how they have died. The people living in direct provision have no voice in our society. They have no vote so politicians have no personal interest in helping their situation.
As Fr Paddy Byrne said “we have learned nothing from the secrets of the past” and this is a scandal that will come back to haunt us.
Yours etc.,
Janet O’Sullivan,
Enniscorty, Co. Wexford.