France: 900 Kurdish Refugees Arrive Off Riviera Coast

Record ID: 4263

  • Title: France: 900 Kurdish Refugees Arrive Off Riviera Coast
  • Date: 18th February 2001
  • Summary: France has warned more than 900 Kurdish refugees not to expect special treatment after they arrived unexpectedly on the chic Riviera coast crammed aboard a decrepit freighter. The group are now in the Colonel Le Coq holding camp near Saint-Raphael. French politicians on February 18, 2001 said they did not want to set any precedents by taking the Kurds in unconditionally and they called on immigration officials to follow asylum procedures rigorously when considering them for residency in France. The Cambodian-registered ship, the East Sea, ran aground with its human cargo midway between the resorts of Cannes and St Tropez early on Saturday, giving France its first taste of mass, illegal immigration. The Kurds -- 480 children, 180 women and 250 men -- were taken to a military base in the nearby Mediterranean town of Frejus, where they were registered and given food and bedding. Maritime officials said the East Sea's crew deliberately ran their ship aground and then fled. Police originally thought the captain and sailors were Greek but later officials said they were probably Iraqi. The East Sea sank last night 10 km (six miles) off France's Cote d'Azur after tugs pulled it clear of the rocks and tried to tow it to port. A spokesman at the local maritime office, Francois Villat, said it was 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) down and posed no environmental threat. Officials say the East Sea set sail from Turkey more than a week ago bound for Italy. However, they believe the captain lost his way - ending up off southern France. On February 22 the French authorities gave the shipwrecked Kurds eight-day 'safe conduct' passes to allow them to make formal applications for political asylum. However it was reported that 360, including many children, had vanished.
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  • Location: FRANCE SAINT RAPHAEL
  • Reuters ID: LDL0012F3MIWF
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
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  • Copyright Holder: Reuters Archive
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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