Immigration authorities criticised after ferry birth

REFUGEE groups have criticised immigration authorities after an asylum-seeker gave birth on board a ferry hours after she was refused entry at Rosslare port.

The woman, believed to be Romanian, and her baby daughter are said to be well.

A doctor, flown in by helicopter from Cornwall, helped to deliver the baby on board Irish Ferries vessel Normandy during the Friday night crossing to the French port of Roscoff.

Peter O’Malley, chief executive Irish Refugee Council, said it was ironic that, on the day the country welcomed Special Olympians from all over the world, “we see the fruits of the policy that has been in place for some time now of turning away immigrants on arrival.

People are turned away without a chance to make any contact with legal representatives or human rights organisations.”

Unless the baby was born prematurely, Mr O’Malley claimed it would have been obvious the woman was heavily pregnant with the risk of suffering as a result of being turned back.

Defending their decision, immigration officials insisted they were not aware the woman was heavily pregnant when she and five others were turned away on Friday. She travelled with her husband and a child.

According to a garda source, the woman and her family arrived in Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris from Bucharest, the Romanian capital, on Thursday and then travelled by car to Roscoff. It is believed the family travelled on false Czech documents.

Captain Tom Sarsfield sent out a message for medical help after the woman went into labour on board his ship. A Royal Navy helicopter airlifted Dr Robert Bolton from Cornwall and, with a nurse already on board the ferry and members of the ship’s crew, helped at the birth.

A spokesman for Irish Ferrie 0073 pointed out the company would not have allowed the woman to travel had they known she was so close to giving birth.

Refusing asylum seekers leave to enter Irish ports and airports saves the Exchequer at least €12,700 for every refusal, according to arguments made to the Government by Department of Justice officials supporting overtime payments to immigration gardaí.

Last year over 3,000 asylum seekers were refused leave to land, while deportation of failed asylum seekers has been running at about 50 per month.

In 2002, the number of asylum seekers recognised as refugees was 1,990 of which 1,097 had successfully appealed refusals by the Initial Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner.