States urged to do more to help Haitians fleeing insecurity by sea

Speaking to journalists at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Shabia Mantoo, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency (

), told journalists that many of the dangerous crossings in the Caribbean Sea take place in overloaded and unseaworthy boats

Ms. Mantoo cited a recent example of a vessel carrying over 800 Haitians, bound for the United States, that instead arrived in Cuba after being abandoned by its captain and set adrift at sea.

Many…