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The Tragedy of Otranto took place on 28 March 1997 when the Albanian ship ''Kateri i Radës'' sank in a collision with the Italian naval vessel ''Sibilia'' in the Strait of Otranto and 83 Albanians lost their lives. The emigrants had been part of a large migration of Albanians to Italy following the Lottery Uprising in Albania, a popular uprising that took place after the collapse of several investment pyramid schemes. In order to prevent the unauthorized entry of illegals migrants into Italy, the Italian Navy set up a procedure to board Albanian vessels whenever encountered, implementing a ''de facto'' blockade. In proceeding to carry out a boarding, the Italian vessel ''Sibilia'' collided with ''Kateri i Radës'' and capsized it, resulting in the Albanian deaths. The captains of both ships were held responsible for "shipwreck and multiple manslaughter".〔 The event raised questions over the extent of power that a state may exercise to protect itself from unauthorized entry. Arguments were presented that a state must limit coercive actions that are disproportionate to the risk of unauthorized entry. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees criticized the Italian blockade as illegal since it had been established solely through an intergovernmental agreement with Albania. ==Background== After the fall of communism in Albania in 1990, thousands of Albanians travelled by ship or boat to Italy. One of the early migrations involved the landing of 640 Albanians in Otranto on the south-eastern tip of the Italian peninsula, and received help from the local population. Italian civil servants were soon sent to Otranto to observe the situation. This openness to the Albanians resulted in 20,000 more Albanians landing in Brindisi after a few days, 17,000 landing in Bari in August 1991, and 15,000 in early March 1997. Much of the Italian media portrayed the situation as "barbarians" invading Italian soil. As a consequence of the Gulf War, Italian opinion-makers voiced concerns regarding the alleged "Islamic danger"〔 of the migration. Others saw a connection between the Ottoman invasion of Otranto (1480–1481) across the wide Strait of Otranto and contemporary migration. In 1997, a crisis erupted in Albania after the collapse of several investment pyramid schemes which resulted in social deterioration in the country in the beginning of March. An imposition of a curfew and a state of emergency on 2 March provoked a popular rebellion, causing concern in Italy which feared an expansion of the conflict into the Balkan area and its exposure to the risk of massive migration flows. Albanian migration to Italy reached its maximum intensity in the latter half of March, bringing great pressure to Italian accommodation centers and provoking a strong reaction in Italian public opinion. Italy had been operating under a bilateral agreement with Albania to board Albanian vessels whenever encountered〔 starting on 3 April 1997 and Albanian would-be migrants going to Italy would be sent back to Albania, in exchange for Italian financial, police, and humanitarian assistance to the country. A military ''Operation White Flags'' was established in the international waters of the Strait and implemented a ''de facto'' naval blockade. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tragedy of Otranto」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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