|
Tarom's services fit well in more than one aspect into this
context: Regularly every Tuesday a Tarom plane with 30 to 80 so-called
deportees starts from Düsseldorf airport. Tarom employs its own security
personnel. They take care of the deportees at the plane's entrance and in case
of resistance they are equipped with electric shock devices. Tarom does not
only transport Romanian nationals but mostly Turkish nationals, often Kurds and
also Lebanese nationals.
Tarom is anything but a newcomer to the
deportation business. Since the pilot repatriation treaty concluded between
Romania and Germany in September 1992, Romanians who are arrested crossing the
Eastern border, are taken from Berlin airport Schönefeld to Bucharest by Tarom.
At the end of 1994 it became known that in the framework of the meanwhile
established carrier sanctions Tarom returns people of all continents to
Bucharest. At Otopeni Airport they operate a kind of detention centre. There the
deportees remain locked up, until they are forwarded to their supposed home
countries.
As described in the current case above, after arriving from
Germany the Turkish and Kurdish "deportees in transit" are imprisoned in a
heavily guarded hall at Otopeni Airport until they are transported with a second
plane to Istanbul.
Tarom, therefore, offers an all-round deportation
service which is based on a special transportation contract with North
Rhine-Westphalia regarding the weekly Tuesday flights. Planning and
co-ordination of the mass repatriations are partly the responsibility of the
district government Düsseldorf. But also the central migration police (BGS)
headquarter Koblenz admitted at least "arrangements" with Tarom. The central
migration police (BGS) surely is highly interested in that co-operation. After
the deportees are inside the Tarom plane, the central migration police (BGS) do
not get their hands dirty in cases of mass deportations. Tarom's security men
take over that job, if necessary even using electric shock devices as became
known in 1999.
On 11 May 1999, the Kurdish refugee Fercent Ucar had his
hands and feet tied, was beaten and supposedly tranquillised by the central
migration police (BGS) even on the way to the airport. During the whole flight
Mr. Ucar remained tied up, he was beaten again and maltreated with an electric
shock device. According to official statements, Tarom claimed that it was not
possible "to calm down the troublesome Mr. U., to avoid an emergency landing and
to restore security and order, the electric shock device was used once". In a
further meeting with representatives from UNHCR in Bucharest the Tarom
management confirmed that three electric shock devices are taken along on every
deportation flight.
The 1999 deportation figures of Düsseldorf airport
showed a rapid increase. According to official statistics most of the 4,355
deportees were 'accompanied' - by 'private security personnel' in fact. This
development is mainly based on the mass deportations through Tarom. Taking the
weekly figures of 30 to 80 deportees as a basis, makes up a yearly figure of
2,500 to 3,000 deportations from Düsseldorf alone: this is most certainly the
largest and most profitable item of Tarom's deportation business. In addition,
there are deportations from all over Germany through Tarom, some are even
destined for Nigeria or Sri Lanka.
Moreover Tarom tried to conclude
further deportation agreements with the German authorities, at the end of 1999
deportations to Kongo were definitely discussed.
|
