Dhaka: Bangladesh-origin British lawmaker Tulip Siddiq and along with her two other colleagues has written a letter to British Prime Minister David Cameron seeking a concrete and urgent action to end refugee crisis.  

‘We’re calling on the British government to internationally push for a number of practical actions to be taken to address this crisis,’ she wrote in the letter on the current refugee crisis.

Two other signatories to the letter are lawmakers Keir Starmer and Catherine West, according to the letter.  

They mentioned that they have turned a blind eye to the often dismal, appalling conditions which refugees have had to endure. ‘For those refugees who attempt seaborne access into Europe across the Mediterranean, the journey can often be treacherous and fatal.’

They said they believe the refugee crisis currently facing Europe demands urgent action. ‘All member states of the EU must look beyond their borders to address wider, global issues. But Europe - far from rising up to this challenge - is turning in on itself.’

According to them, it was their failure to engage with their European partners runs far deeper than this.  

‘Britain consistently grants asylum to considerably fewer foreign nationals than most other EU states. To help alleviate the pressures caused by the nearly four million refugees displaced by the Syrian conflict, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has set up an international programme, with a quota system, so that developed countries can equitably share in the burden. Britain - instead opting to operate our own separate programme - has persistently refused to sign up to the scheme.’

The British government’s current position on this issue is contributing to the very crisis they are facing, the letter reads.

‘The tragic, human effects of this were made all too clear on the front covers of Wednesday’s papers. They will continue to occur unless Britain plays its full part.’

Finally, they said, in line with other member states, they must also take their fair share of those affected by this crisis. ‘Britain’s full participation in the UNHCR programme for Syria’s refugees must be part of this.’