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German-Poland relation strained by yet another border incident
Radio Polonia, Tagesspiegel Online | 18.10.2006

Posted on 10/19/2006 1:02:58 AM PDT by Schweinhund

The version of Radio Polonia:

German cruiser kidnaps Polish customs officers

A German cruiser refused to submit to the control of Polish border guards and escaped detaining three Polish customs officers on board. They were later arrested in the German spa of Hergisdorf .

On Tuesday the German cruiser Adler Dania was nearing the Polish port of Swinoujscie, after it had entered Polish territorial waters the customs officers who were on board presented their documents and demanded to check whether there was no illegal transport of alcohol carried.

The ship suddenly turned and began sailing away. The customs officers contacted the port authorities which banned the German ship to leave Polish waters. The Adler Dania refused and despite various demands from the Polish side continued the escape. When the ship arrived in Germany the Polish customs officers where arrested on charges of illegal activities. After the intervention of the Polish side the officers were released. The affair is now being dealt with by the Polish Foreign Ministry.

The version of Tagesspiegel Online (quick and bad translation by me):

Poland's border patrol fires at German cruise ship

During a conflict about customs controls, polnish border patrol fired warning shots at a german cruise ship.

Warsaw/Usedom - The crew of the 'Adler Dania' had refused to be controlled, said a speaker of the polnish customs office. The shots were supposed to prevent the ship from returning to german waters. A speaker of the Bundespolizeipräsidium in Bad Bramstedt confirmed that there was an incident with the 'Adler Dania' on tuesday and that three poles were questioned by the police in Germany. Because of running investigations the speaker would not give more details.

According to the polnish speaker, three plain-clothes customs officers were on the ship, they were to reveal themselves, when the ship reached polnish waters. Their mission was to control whether the cigarettes and alcoholica sold aboard had been imposed with polnish taxes. But the captain of the 'Adler Dania' had refused to be controlled or to steer for the next polnish harbor.

Then the customs officers had alarmed the border patrol which had fired some warning shots at the 'Adler Dania'. In spite of the shots, the captain returned to the close german waters. The customs officers had been questioned for some hours and were then set free. The neubrandenburgian 'Nordkurier' reports that polnish security forces had shot over the 'Adler Dania' before Swinoujscie and Ahlbeck, citing crew members.

Obviously polnish customs suspected the german ship tp elude the EU-wide ban on duty-free shopping. Before the entry of Poland into the EU, the shipping company Adler specialized in so-called Butterfahrten to Poland, wheere they sold goods like alcohol, cigarettes or perfume. Since the entry of Poland into the EU these goods are still sold on the cruises because they are still cheaper in Poland. The incident in the East Sea could further strain the already damaged relations between Poland and Germany.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Germany; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: adlerdania; border; germany; poland
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Looks like criminal behaviour of the captain. Other German articles stated that he was told by his employer not to accept controls.
1 posted on 10/19/2006 1:02:59 AM PDT by Schweinhund
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To: Schweinhund; lizol; Grzegorz 246; Lukasz
Wow, this doesn't sound good, Schweinhund. Is this an unusual flare-up or ongoing difficulties?
2 posted on 10/19/2006 1:06:38 AM PDT by bd476
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To: Schweinhund

It's rather stupid for a patrol boat to fire at a cruiser, what if it returns fire?


3 posted on 10/19/2006 1:09:56 AM PDT by Freelance Warrior
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To: bd476

These things are becoming more frequent in the last time. There had been some border violation in the recent past by the German navy, but I didn't find that one to be as openly criminal as this here. My guess is that this will have consequences for the Adler company, and I would say that the warning shots were justified.


4 posted on 10/19/2006 1:12:31 AM PDT by Schweinhund
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To: Freelance Warrior

Does it say cruiser? It should say cruise ship. A civilian travelling ship.


5 posted on 10/19/2006 1:14:09 AM PDT by Schweinhund
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To: Freelance Warrior

Ah, I see. My english > Polnis journalist's english. Nice to see that my visits to FR finally pay off :D


6 posted on 10/19/2006 1:17:46 AM PDT by Schweinhund
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To: Schweinhund
Does it say cruiser? It should say cruise ship. A civilian travelling ship.

Look at the Radio Polonia's headline. ROFLMAO

7 posted on 10/19/2006 1:18:24 AM PDT by Freelance Warrior
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To: Schweinhund

Thank you for the translation.
This is news to me.
I didn't know there was a problem in this area
of the world.


8 posted on 10/19/2006 1:20:47 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: Cindy

It's quite strange. Most Germans do not even notice the conflict with Poland. Yet the Poles seem to take alot of this very personal. The last occasions where this conflict flared up (primarily on the polnish side) seemed pretty ridiculous to me. This time it's a clear violation of terretorial rights by the Adler company.


9 posted on 10/19/2006 1:34:01 AM PDT by Schweinhund
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To: Schweinhund

Hmmm.

Well I like both Poland and Germany, so keep those updates and articles coming when you can. I'll look for them.


10 posted on 10/19/2006 1:38:15 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: Schweinhund

Gotta believe Poles still harbor grudges against Germany over WWII?


11 posted on 10/19/2006 3:02:50 AM PDT by Joe Boucher (an enemy of islam)
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To: bd476

The Poles deny that they fired on the ship. I guess it´s not a Polish-German-affair but rather law enforcement vs. criminals.


12 posted on 10/19/2006 3:15:39 AM PDT by Michael81Dus
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To: Schweinhund; Cindy
This cruise ship situation is a minor misunderstanding. Such things happen. Obviously the situation wasn't handled well by both sides [why the captain didn't permit control, why the shots were fired at cruise ship full of people?], but the press coverage seems over the top. By the way, the Polish-German conflict is a journalistic invention. On the Polish side of the border no one notice either. On the contrary, in terms of trade, investment, cross-border services and employment Polish-German relationship seems to flourish.
13 posted on 10/19/2006 3:16:21 AM PDT by pppp
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To: pppp

"A minor misunderstanding..."

Thank you pppp for the update.


14 posted on 10/19/2006 3:19:13 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: lizol

ping


15 posted on 10/19/2006 4:13:39 AM PDT by raybbr (You think it's bad now - wait till the anchor babies start to vote.)
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To: Schweinhund
"It's quite strange. Most Germans do not even notice the conflict with Poland. Yet the Poles seem to take alot of this very personal."

Their still mad about that Calvary charge gone bad against the panzer's.

I'm only kidding!!!!

16 posted on 10/19/2006 4:35:29 AM PDT by #1CTYankee (That's right, I have no proof. So what of it??)
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Comment #17 Removed by Moderator

To: Schweinhund

Sound like overreaching taxmen to me.
Chuck 'em overboard.


18 posted on 10/19/2006 5:07:10 AM PDT by Flintlock (Keep yer powder dry--yer gonna need it.)
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To: Schweinhund

Deja vu 1938?.......


19 posted on 10/19/2006 5:45:54 AM PDT by Red Badger (CONGRESS NEEDS TO BE DE-FOLEY-ATED...............................)
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To: Schweinhund
Yet the Poles seem to take alot of this very personal.

Ya think? One word. Stuka.

20 posted on 10/19/2006 5:54:17 AM PDT by Stentor
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