Boat carrying 200 Asian migrants lands in Canaries

Sep 15, 2006, 11:02 GMT

Madrid - A fishing boat carrying about 200 Asian undocumented immigrants was Friday towed to the Canary Island of Tenerife, Spanish radio reports said.

The Canaries have received about 24,000 Africans this year, but Asians have only come in small groups to the islands in the recent years.

Eighteen of the boat's total of around 220 occupants were evacuated for medical treatment after police intercepted the vessel overnight. Two of them were hospitalized for dehydration.

Police had initially attempted to persuade the 40-metres- long boat to continue its journey, but its condition was deemed risky, so it was towed to Tenerife.

Officials said the immigrants had not eaten for several days.

Most of the migrants were believed to be Pakistanis. Officials said they would undergo medical checks and be lodged at reception centres, which are already crowded with thousands of Africans.

The boat had a Senegalese crew, but most of the migrants had reportedly embarked in Guinea-Bissau.

The boat had dodged Spanish navy vessels and reconnaissance planes guarding the Canaries coast within the framework of joint European Union patrols. Surveillance of the Tenerife coast is hampered by lack of radars, reports said.

Hundreds of Indians, Pakistanis and other Asians have arrived in mainland Spain, the Canaries or the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in the recent years.

They usually come in small groups, but several boats carrying large numbers have reached the mainland, including a vessel transporting 216 Asians that landed in Cadiz in June.

In February, Moroccan police dismantled a criminal ring flying Indians and Pakistanis to Togo, Burkina Faso, Senegal or Mali, from where they were taken by road to Morocco in order to cross to Spain.

Some of the Asians flew directly to Morocco while another route passed through Dubai or Jeddah. The Asians had paid up to 12,000 dollars for their trip.

Senegalese police recently detained 47 Pakistanis preparing to leave for Greece, the Spanish daily El Pais reported.

A separate operation to repatriate Senegalese from the Canaries meanwhile began overnight, with a plane transporting some 50 immigrants arriving in Saint Louis in northern Senegal.

The plane carried as many police as immigrants, who said their hands were tied with plastic during the flight.

Spanish reports said heavy security surrounded the Senegalese airport, where journalists were barred from the terminal.

The repatriation had been delayed by a day after Senegal refused two planes permission to land in Dakar.

Senegal had switched the planes' destination to Saint Louis, and Spanish pilots did not want to fly to an airport they did not know, according to reports in Madrid.

Senegal prefers smaller airports to the capital Dakar, where the unpopular repatriations could attract unwanted publicity.

An earlier attempt to repatriate Senegalese collapsed in late May after a group of migrants staged a protest at Dakar airport and Senegal accused Spain of mistreating them during the flight.

Spain intends to send a total of at least 660 Senegalese back to their country. The next flight was scheduled for Friday.

It was not clear what happened to the migrants after arrival. Some reports said they were taken to police stations for interrogation.

Dozens of new illegals meanwhile arrived in the Canaries, including two babies with their Nigerian mothers.