Here's one of the Libyans who didn't want to board the flight out of Norway.
PHOTO: KRISTINE W. ANDERSEN/ POLITIETS UTLENDINGSENHET
Posted on 02/14/2005 1:59:51 PM PST by franksolich
Costs high for Libyan deportation
They didn't want to go back to Libya, to put it mildly. It took 36 Norwegian police guards to escort 19 Libyans out of the country, after their attempts to win asylum in Norway were turned down.
The Norwegian immigration agency also chartered a jet to transport the Libyans back home, because it wasn't considered safe to take them on board a regularly scheduled carrier.
The would-be Libyan refugees, all of them men, were denied asylum after Libya started cooperating with western nations. Libya now willingly provides travel documents for the return of its own citizens who are denied asylum or residence elsewhere.
A consul at the Libyan embassy in Copenhagen, which has responsibility for Norway, said none of the men sent back to Libya last month faced political problems, and claimed all were now home living with their families.
Several of those who were deported had been in Norway for as long as four years, and also had been involved in criminal activity. When informed of their pending deportation a month ago, many of them barricaded themselves inside a room at the Trandum asylum center.
That meant they had to be taken to the airport, and on board the plane, by force. The most violent among them were kept in police custody until the chartered SAS Braathens was ready for takeoff.
The entire process cost around NOK 600,000 (about USD 100,000). "Such high costs can be necessary in these kinds of situations," said Arne Jørgen Olafsen, chief of the police unit handling immigration issues.
He noted that the authorities must consider the safety of other passengers, as well as crew on board chartered flights. Olafsen said similar flights are under consideration for mass deportations of other would-be refugees whose asylum applications were turned down.
LOL
"Ping" for the Norway ping list.
<<spent the day working on income taxes (for other people; mine were done a long time ago), and not much time for anything else.
LOL. I messed up the first post. I hope this doesn't show up twice.
Here's one of the Libyans who didn't want to board the flight out of Norway.
PHOTO: KRISTINE W. ANDERSEN/ POLITIETS UTLENDINGSENHET
Well, sir, the similarities between Norway and Nebraska are in fact quite startling.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we all know Norway has mountains and fjords and the sea, while Nebraska has plains and bison and is landlocked, but those are only superficial differences.
Anyone who judges a place merely by its scenery is shallow, sir, and I know you do not do this.
For one example--and I have compiled many--while Nebraska produces 100% of the edible beef in America, Norway produces 100% of the edible fish in Europe.
frank, you are cracking me up here.
Well, think of some other similarities.
Both Norway and Nebraska are very large areas with small populations.
Just as most Americans do not pay much attention to Nebraska, most Europeans do not pay much attention to Norway.
Both are burdened with irksome neighbors; Norway with the belligerent Sweden, Nebraska with [deleted] Colorado.
Norway and Nebraska have some of the highest literacy rates in the world--the highest percentage of high school graduates--the highest proportion of its people who have been elsewhere in the world (rather than just staying at home).
More than 50%, but not quite 67%, of all Nebraskans going into the military service enlist in the Navy (and the really good ones, the Marines); probably the proportion of Norwegians is similar.
There are tons and tons of similarities, here.
One just has to look for them.
Hello, sir; it is wonderful, having the Norway ping list graced by your presence.
I enjoyed the way you and MadIvan took on all those anti-British Free Republicans yesterday (Sunday); that was surely one of the most cerebral exchanges of ideas and opinions ever, on this web-site.
As you can see from my "profile," sir, I am especially partial towards the British.....excepting for fish and haggis.
Mmmm, must be lutefisk!
Apparently pretty good protection--remember, the Libyans are now home, and one assumes the pilots back in Norway (otherwise another whole new news story).
From what I have read of Norwegians who are serious about the War against Terror (which does not include all Norwegians), it is best to not mess with them.
The Norwegian special forces in Afghanistan were recently honored by George Bush in some sort of ceremony that the United States has not done for anyone else since 1964; one gets the impression the Norwegians are also the Ghurkas of Europe.
Funny.
Coming from a Swede.
Former Swedish long serving Prime minister Olof Palme (about the US):
"Those evil Satans!"
need to start feeding some of that good beef to the Nebraska football team again.....seems like they have been eating too much Norwegian fish the last few years....(wink)
True, sir, Nebraska used to boast one of the best college football programs in America--just as Norway has a perfectly fine national soccer team--but alas and alack, we are history.
It was great while it lasted, though; more than 40 years, during which time Nebraska, the smallest state in the union with a major college football program, consistently dominated the pigskin.
The history is glorious, but it is no fun being history.
not unless you are part of it.......LOL........
<<now knows how the ancient Romans would feel, if the ancient Romans were still alive.
Hey. I used to go college at Ward Churchill's place. We never liked the Cornhuskers(is that right?) much :-)
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