Migrants Advocates Chide UK Gov't Over Barge Accommodation

Migrant rights campaigners and the main opposition party in Britain have condemned the UK government for starting the process of housing asylum-seekers on a giant barge moored in southern England. On Monday, British media reported that a small number of asylum-seekers were transferred to the Bibby Stockholm, as the government tries to cut the cost of sheltering a rising number of people arriving in the country. UK home office minister, Sarah Dines, said the new housing arrangements signals "a forceful message that there will be proper accommodation but not luxurious." The British government has come under heavy criticism over its plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda on a one-way ticket. It said the plan is to deter people from arriving in the country "illegally," via "dangerous and unnecessary methods."