HUMAN TRAFFIC

‘We will help you’. For the world’s refugees and asylum seekers, it is a message of hope. For criminals that agree to take them to a

new country, it’s big business. Thousands of people are promised a better life in the rich countries of the west, but many die on

terrible journeys. Things are not much better for those that arrive. How can the west fight the criminals and help the refugees?

There are no easy answers. One of the problems is the large number of people moving illegal immigrants. And they are not all big

criminals, because time and a vehicle are the only things anyone needs to make money in this way.

The story of Josip Loncaric is a good example. Loncaric was a Croatian taxi driver who, twenty years ago, started taking cheap

fruit and vegetables to the Italian border. When war came to Yugoslavia, Loncaric forgot about the fruit and preferred taking

refugees. He earned good money and bought more vehicles. Soon, he was transporting over five hundred refugees a week to the

Italian border. When Chinese criminals also began moving refugees into Europe through Trieste, Loncaric joined them. He now

had 200 people working for him. They brought illegal immigrants into Europe from all over the world. Loncaric grew rich.

His luck changed in 1998, when the police in Italy, Slovenia and Britain decided to work together. They listened to Loncaric’s

telephone conversations, and sent special officers to watch him. Then one of Loncaric’s workers, Tomo Fodor, agreed to help

them. Finally, in July 2000, Loncaric was arrested and his business of making money from refugees was over.

This is only one success story. Hundreds of other criminals are still moving refugees. But the story shows what can be done when

countries join together to stop the terrible trade in human traffic. Early this year, Italy and the UK decided to work together in

a number of ways. They agreed to exchange information, to plan police operations between the two countries, to punish criminals

more than before, and to help refugees return to their own countries.

This last point is perhaps the most important of all. The real answer to the refugee problem lies in helping to make their home

countries safe again. The west is having some success in Kosovo. Other dangerous parts of the world may be different. But the

message is the same: learn to live with your neighbour. Until the world understands this, the refugee problem will be here to stay.

ACTIVITIES

*ANSWER TRUE OR FALSE.

1- Things always go very well for those refugees that arrive to the western countries.

2- People moving illegal immigrants are not always big criminals.

3- Loncaric moved refugees to the Croatian border.

4- Loncaric was arrested in 1998 thanks to the police of Italy, Slovenia and Britain.

5- The best solution for the refugee problem is helping their home countries to be safe again.

*- FIND WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS IN THE TEXT FOR THE FOLLOWING DEFINITIONS.

1- One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution.

2- The act of traveling from one place to another, a trip.

3- The line or frontier area separating political divisions or geographic regions; a boundary.

4- To become wealthy.

5- To subject to a penalty for an offense, sin or fault.

*COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING TEXT USING THE CORRECT FORM OF THE WORDS IN BOLD

*COLLOCATIONS

1. to admit in a getaway car

2. to be given stealing something

3. to escape at the scene

4. [the police] arrived for witnesses [to something]

5. to appeal a sawn-off shotgun

6. to brandish a three month prison sentence

*REWRITE THE SENTENCES USING A COLLOCATION FROM THE PREVIOUS EXERCISE

1. The police want to speak to people who saw the accident.

2. The masked man held a knife.

3. The robbers left by car.

4. An ambulance soon arrived at the place the accident happened.

5. My neighbour has been sent to prison for 5 years.

6. The prisoner said that he had broken into the victim's house