Tarom - the role of the Romanian Airline in Germany's deportation
policy
Anything but a single case
Achmed was in deportation detention in Kassel for three weeks,
before he was collected very early on a Tuesday morning and transported
to Düsseldorf airport, his hands tied behind his back during
the whole journey. There, the Central migration police (BGS) locked
him up in a big hall where two dozen people were already waiting
and more continued to arrive during the following hours. There was
a family and three young men from Romania, two from Lebanon and
about 50 were Turkish nationals. Among these were men who had already
been in jail for several years and were rather glad to be deported
on half of their time. Then there were people like himself who were
in deportation prison for weeks or even months because of missing
residence permits. There were also three families with small children
who were pounced upon in their hostels in the early hours of the
morning, arrested and taken to Düsseldorf. One family was totally
in despair, they had no money, mother and children cried the whole
time. Achmed was more than surprised as one of the Turkish men took
the initiative and collected about DM 300.00 from all the deportees
for this poor family. It is almost unbelievable that in spite of
the highly tense atmosphere shortly before deportation and the random
line-up of the group, such solidarity was achieved.
At around 3.30 p.m., after Achmed had been locked up in the hall
for more than 5 hours, the door was opened. A plane waited. About
30 central migration police (BGS) formed a double row from the exit
of the hall to the entrance of a bus. Some metres away were more
central migration police (BGS) armed with submachine guns. The message
was clear: No chance to escape. The bus took the almost 60 deportees
to the plane, same scenario - a double row of central migration
police (BGS), plenty of racist "good bye's" before the deportees
disappeared inside the plane of the Romanian Airline Tarom.
Inside the plane the Romanian security men seemed friendly, but
there was nothing to eat. About two hours later at Bucharest airport,
everybody had to disembark, escorted by heavily armed Romanian police
the Turkish nationals were locked up in a big hall. The Romanians
and Lebanese were taken away in different directions. Another hour
of waiting in the hall. Communication with the Romanian police was
impossible. No food. Even the request for a telephone call to Turkey
was denied. The second flight was shorter. At about 8 p.m. the plane
with the deportees landed in Istanbul where questioning and interrogation
began...
Apart from the man's name not being Achmed, the report states almost
accurately the kind of ordeal, as previously described in an interview,
that refugees and migrants have to go through every week. Regularly,
every Tuesday, such a charter deportation leaves Düsseldorf
for Bucharest and often continues to Istanbul, Beirut, Amman.
During the last two to three years more than 10,000 people were
thus deported with the Romanian airline Tarom.
New Deportation Strategies
The wording of the official report dated May 2000 is very clear:
"If violent resistance is expected during deportations, the use
of small charter planes (so-called Lear-Jets) and mass repatriations
will be increased. " The German interior ministers especially formed
a team of secretaries of state with instructions to work out suggestions
"for the elimination of problems during deportation". Their recommendation
might have forced the activities performed for years now with an
almost criminal energy by the central migration police (BGS) Koblenz
who are the specialists for deportations: to deport small and larger
groups of "potentially troublesome" refugees and migrants without
any public notice - whatever the cost.
The strategy was altered because of the increasing difficulties
the "professional deportation services" are confronted with since
the death of Aamir Ageeb in May 1999. More often pilots of scheduled
flights refuse to take unwilling passengers on board. The campaigns
against the airlines, in Germany especially against Lufthansa, have
done the rest, so that "problematic deportations" now require special
measures.
Tarom's Deportation Service
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.
Deportation Class Campaign against Tarom?!
Tarom, short for Romanian Air Transport, reports enormous growth
figures. Meanwhile more than a million passengers are yearly transported
on international and national routes through this state-run Romanian
airline (97% are owned by the ministry of transport). Tarom aims
for the business traveller rather than the Black Sea tourist. Since
1990 it is orientated towards the constant growing East-West-Market
'with the Eastern business centre Bucharest'.
Last year Tarom was admitted to the Association of European Airlines
(AEA) as their 28th member and is now obviously trying to get rid
of its "dirty" image. Tarom receives EU-money and co-operates with
Lufthansa in consulting programmes. They rely on Western jets for
their fleet of now 21 planes. 'Comfort, Safety and Style' are emphasised
and frequent travellers can expect 'Smart Miles' benefits.
In their magazine 'Insight' Tarom celebrates the 'dialogue' with
their passengers. There is not yet an e-mail address but a website
exists: http://tarom.digiro.net.
Tarom has offices in Berlin, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf and
agencies in Munich and Stuttgart. Besides the Tuesday charter flights
from Düsseldorf are predictable.
There are, therefore, quite a few links for initial actions and
all in all it might be worthwhile to threaten the up-and-coming
company Tarom with a "dirty image" campaign, if they do not give
up their role in the deportation alliance.
_______________________________________________
http://www.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/noborder
