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Belgium: Police raid Kurdish centre

01 January 1997

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Belgian police raided a Kurdish holiday centre in Zutendaal in the province of Limburg in November of last year which led to the deportation to Germany of 36 youths and four adults because they had no identification papers. However police allegations that the holiday camp was in fact a PKK guerilla training camp have so far failed to result in any arrests.

The raid was organised by the local Bewaking-en-Opsporings Brigade (BOB), the Belgian equivalent of the Special Branch, and involved over 100 police, gendarmerie and members of the special intervention squad. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice claimed that the holiday centre was being used by the PKK as a semi-military training camp for Kurdish youth. They also said that youths were being held against their will at the camp. The spokesperson failed however to explain why nobody had been arrested.

Organisers of the holiday camp have responded to the allegations by calling them "absurd" stating that the youths were only following courses on Kurdish culture and politics. These statements were backed up by local residents who said they had been "surprised" by the raids. One local resident described the Kurds as "excellent guests" and added that as far as he was concerned everything in the centre had been above board.

Gazet van Antwerpen, 23/24.11.96; De Morgen, 23.11.96.

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