People who pay middlemen large sums to travel illegally to Europe by sea are not only “victims” but also “responsible” for their fate, Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Antonio Alessandro has said. Speaking at a discussion in Dhaka on Monday, he remarked: “I noticed that in the media, you use the word victims for these people. I think that they become victims afterwards when they go through so many bad things, Libya, torture, that they travel by sea, some people die.”“Certainly they become victim. Citing media reports that some migrants spend up to 15,000 euro (around Tk 2.1 million) to reach Italy illegally, Alessandro advised investing that money in Bangladesh instead. “I think with 15,000 euros, if you live in a village in Bangladesh, you can do a lot.
