- Title: FRANCE: French Immigration minister says Calais migrant camp to be closed
- Date: 18th September 2009
- Summary: CALAIS, FRANCE (MAY 2008) (REUTERS) MAKESHIFT MIGRANT'S TENT IN WOODS NEAR THE ENTRANCE OF THE CHANNEL TUNNEL MAN THROWING PLASTIC BAG INTO TENT VARIOUS OF CLOTHING AND SLEEPING BAG INTENT RUBBISH OUTSIDE TENT MIGRANT WALKING TOWARDS OTHER MIGRANTS WHO ARE STANDING IN A GROUP SEATED MIGRANT MIGRANTS WALKING ALONG ROAD VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS WAITING FOR HANDOUTS TRUCK DOOR BEING SLID BACK TO REVEAL CHARITY WORKERS INSIDE TRUCK VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS SEATED BY SIDE OF ROAD VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS EATING FOOD HANDOUTS MIGRANTS WALKING THORU GATE WITH RED CROSS SIGN ON IT
- Embargoed: 3rd October 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: France
- Country: France
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,International Relations
- Reuters ID: LVAWI5JH0AX28I3AUOG1P18N14B
- Story Text: The French government has vowed to close down an illegal migrants' camp near the entrance of the Channel Tunnel, which has been used by hundreds of would-be asylum seekers as a jumping off point for the United Kingdom.
Speaking on French Television, Immigration Minister Eric Besson said the ramshackle collection of tents and improvised housing made of cardboard boxes would be torn down by the end of next week.
He said the camp, referred to as "the jungle" by locals, was a nest of crime and disease and placed an intolerable burden on local residents.
"The area is not a humanitarian camp, it's a lawless zone and it's the HQ for people smugglers," Besson said.
The French immigration minister said the camp was being closed because of people trafficking and racketeering in the lawless conditions which reigned there.
"Traffickers cannot make the law, the immigrants are dealt with in disgraceful conditions, the victims of rackets, victims of trafficking, Besson told TFI.
Many of the migrants came from Afghanistan, Iraq and Eritrea.
Migrants were being exploited to pay 15,000 euros to come from Afghanistan to Calais, Besson pointed out.
He said local residents had been putting up with increasing local crime levels as a direct result of the camp. "The residents, who deserve to be paid a tribute, they have been putting up with this for several years, Besson said.
"The only people benefiting from this business are the people traffickers, the mafias, people who make a lot of money without themselves taking any physical risks," Besson said.
"Residents and immigrants lose out, the traffickers make a lot of money," he added.
The makeshift camp is also an occasional source of tension with the British government, with parliamentarians often accusing the French of not doing enough to stem the tide of migration across the Channel.
The camp has sprung up in the years since the closure in 2002 of a refugee camp in the nearby village of Sangatte, which was shut under strong pressure from the British government which said it acted as a magnet for would-be migrants.
The 'jungle' has at time housed several hundred people as they waited to scramble on Britain-bound vehicles. But despite Besson's pledge, it is unlikely that there will be a stand-off between police and migrants.
Local eyewitnesses say that police have been rounding up small quantities of migrants in recent days to be offered the possibility of formally applying for asylum in France, an incentivised return to their home country, or forced repatriation.
Besot said it would be the local Calais authorities who would set the exact date for clearing the makeshift camps near the port but added that in any case it would be closed before the end of next week. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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