Egyptian billionaire offers to buy island to house refugees

[Halb]

Egyptian billionaire offers to buy an island off Italy or Greece to rehouse refugees

If Greece or Italy sell him an island, Naguib Sawiris, the 10th richest man in Africa, says he will host the migrants and offer them jobs in the new country

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/1...

[Asterix]

Have to make sure there's no pedalos at the beach resort.

[simonrockman]

It would be good to have somewhere to house and protect refugees within Afghanistan. An area which could be protected from ISIS or whoever threatened the people and which had medical facilities and the ability to house and feed them. Such a place would ideally already be built and now be unwanted. I've even a name for such a place: Camp Bastion.

[V88Dicky]

The Republic of Refugeria

It has a ring to it

[Axionknight]

Jobs eh, well paying ones, or slave labour peanuts wage ones? Forgive my cynicism but these desperate people would likely be ripe for exploitation under such a circumstance, IMO.

[Getragdogleg]

This tide of humanity getting washed up on various shores is a great shame but in reality its human nature to create conflict and to try and suppress other people.

the problem with this donated Island idea is that if it happens the IS nutters will be there like a shot and that will be the new State, then onwards from that stepping stone.

No matter how good the intentions of those who feel they can and must help the other side will find ways to turn it bad unless serious money is spent on security.

[cayman-black]

Asterix said:

Have to make sure there's no pedalos at the beach resort.

That made me laugh.

[sealtt]

Wow what a generous guy, offers to create a third world state within EU boundaries. Bet there would even be tax breaks for any of his buddies who setup a holding company there.

This type of guy is the worst you can get, takes a load of peoples' suffering, a load of peoples' emotion, and tries to get some publicity out of it. Want to make a difference? Go donate that 100m to your buddies in the government and use it to start immediately constructing & providing services, accommodation, etc in the country where the refugees currently are, where no imaginary chain of events needs to take place for work to get underway. Asshole.

[JagLover]

sealtt said:

Wow what a generous guy, offers to create a third world state within EU boundaries. Bet there would even be tax breaks for any of his buddies who setup a holding company there.

This type of guy is the worst you can get, takes a load of peoples' suffering, a load of peoples' emotion, and tries to get some publicity out of it. Want to make a difference? Go donate that 100m to your buddies in the government and use it to start immediately constructing & providing services, accommodation, etc in the country where the refugees currently are, where no imaginary chain of events needs to take place for work to get underway. Asshole.

This

The UK government has just pledged another £100million in humanitarian aid and he should match that rather than play silly games.

[Axionknight]

sealtt said:

Wow what a generous guy, offers to create a third world state within EU boundaries. Bet there would even be tax breaks for any of his buddies who setup a holding company there.

This type of guy is the worst you can get, takes a load of peoples' suffering, a load of peoples' emotion, and tries to get some publicity out of it. Want to make a difference? Go donate that 100m to your buddies in the government and use it to start immediately constructing & providing services, accommodation, etc in the country where the refugees currently are, where no imaginary chain of events needs to take place for work to get underway. Asshole.

100% this, this has publicity stunt and exploitation written aaaaaaaaaall over it IMO.

[Thankyou4calling]

A total publicity stunt, wants to get his face in the papers.

No need to offer yo buy an island, no need at all.

Just buy it.

But he won't.

[Schermerhorn]

Put up or just shut the f*ck up.

Sick of these billionaire 'philantropists' talking a good game and then doing jack sh*t.

[s3fella]

Halb said:

Egyptian billionaire offers to buy an island off Italy or Greece to rehouse refugees

If Greece or Italy sell him an island, Naguib Sawiris, the 10th richest man in Africa, says he will host the migrants and offer them jobs in the new country

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/1...

The interfering tt would be better to invest properly within Africa and make safe havens for them there, in their respective homelands. Plus the weather is better!

[DBSV8]

s3fella said:

Halb said:

Egyptian billionaire offers to buy an island off Italy or Greece to rehouse refugees

If Greece or Italy sell him an island, Naguib Sawiris, the 10th richest man in Africa, says he will host the migrants and offer them jobs in the new country

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/1...

The interfering tt would be better to invest properly within Africa and make safe havens for them there, in their respective homelands. Plus the weather is better!

err he already has !!

he's the chap who invested and built Orascom in El Gouna its created a tourist resort in the red sea that employes 1000s of Egyptian locals providing infrastructure support for the tourist industry including shopping malls , a brewery 3 marinas , major hotel chains , golf courses etc.
it certainly works out there

http://www.elgouna.com/

we have a villa there , so indirectly pay for the maintenance and welfare of the infrastructure workers , who support the holiday resort
it works

[anonymous-user]

Why so cynical? Not everyone is selfish.

Here is a family that is reported to have spent $8 million on a private rescue operation.

http://www.moas.eu/

[BoRED S2upid]

JagLover said:

This

The UK government has just pledged another £100million in humanitarian aid and he should match that rather than play silly games.

We should buy the island next door to his.

[fido]

Ridiculous idea. Don't you think the Greeks would have tried the same idea themselves to escape from the Euro!

[AJS-]

Why does it have to be in Europe? There are Muslim countries from Morocco to Indonesia with islands and empty areas. Use any of that.

[RobinBanks]

I think that saying he has offered to buy them an island is a bit misleading.

He would be buying an island with a view to making himself enormous further amounts of money. Maybe setting up sweat shops or simply embezzling the tax and making it a dodgy tax haven.

It's simple opportunism.

[anonymous-user]

The man might also be trying to help. He has some track record of investments that make a contribution to an economy, whilst also making him money (not a crime). He may be just stunting, or seeking to gain from suffering, but why be so quick to judge a man who may be sincere? Many (not enough, but many) very wealthy business people are also genuine philanthropists who steer their businesses and/or use their wealth to make a difference to people's lives.