VATRY, France – A chartered plane grounded in France for a human-trafficking investigation took off Monday for India, after an unusual holiday ordeal that left some 300 Indians traveling to Central America stranded in a rural French airport for four days .
Associated Press reporters outside Vatry Airport in the Champagne country saw an unmarked Legend Airlines A340 take off after the crew and about 200 other people boarded the plane.
It was not immediately clear what would happen to those who did not board the plane.
Passengers detained in France included a 21-month-old child and 11 unaccompanied minors placed under special administrative care.
Some passengers have requested asylum in France, according to an official in the Marne region.
Two passengers were arrested and appeared before a judge Monday to face possible charges including involvement in an organized crime group helping foreigners enter or stay in the country illegally, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.
It did not say whether human trafficking – defined by the UN as “the taking, transportation, transfer, protection or reception of people by force, fraud or deceit, with the aim of exploiting them for profit” – is still suspected, as prosecutors initially. said.
The plane was grounded after authorities received an anonymous tip that it might be carrying victims of human trafficking. AP Photo/Christophe Ena
French authorities are still investigating the purpose of the original flight.
The Legend Airlines A340 plane stopped Thursday for refueling in Vatry en route from Fujairah airport in the United Arab Emirates to Managua, Nicaragua, and was grounded by police based on an anonymous tip that it might be carrying a victim of human trafficking.
Prosecutors would not comment on whether the passengers’ main destination might be the US, which has seen a surge in Indians crossing the Mexico-US border this year.
Two passengers on the flight have been arrested and face charges in France. AP
The airport was requested by police for several days, and then turned into a makeshift courtroom Sunday as judges, lawyers and interpreters filled the terminal to hold emergency hearings to determine next steps.
Lawyers at Sunday’s hearing objected to the authorities’ overall handling of the situation and the passengers’ rights.
French authorities worked through Christmas Eve and Christmas morning on formalities to allow passengers to leave France, regional prosecutor Annick Browne told The Associated Press.
Legend Airlines A340 aircraft departs for India. Photo AP/Christophe Mr
Legend Airlines lawyer Liliana Bakayoko said it received approval from French authorities to carry 301 of the 303 passengers on Monday’s direct flight to Mumbai, but the final figure is expected to be lower.
Bakayoko said some other passengers did not want to go to India, because they were paying for a tourist trip to Nicaragua. The airline has denied any role in possible human trafficking.
Foreigners can be detained for up to four days in the transit zone for police investigation in France, after which a special judge must decide whether to extend that period to eight days.
Local officials, medics and volunteers set up cots and ensured regular meals and showers for those held at Vatry airport.
The US government has designated Nicaragua as one of several countries deemed to have failed to meet minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking.
Nicaragua has also been used as a migration springboard for people fleeing poverty or conflict due to relaxed or visa-free entry requirements for some countries. Sometimes charter flights are used for travel.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
