Fire at Schiphol Detention Centre

"The Netherlands has one of the toughest immigration policies in Europe, and is in the process of deporting 26,000 asylum seekers who have been refused the right to stay." BBC

As everyone living in Holland would know, the Dutch immigration law has tightened up considerably in the recent years, thanks to Rita Verdonk, a hard woman with strong, somewhat rightist beliefs.

Recently she came up with the idea of sending back Antillians who don't have jobs or study, if they commit a crime. And even Oranje coach Van Basten is annoyed with her that Salomon Kalou, a Ivory coast-born forward at Feyenoord couldn't get Dutch citizenship which would have enabled him to play in the next World Cup in Germany.

At a ceremony in Amsterdam Oost earlier this month, she was booed as she made a speech, and her and her bodyguards hastily made their way to a limousine.

And then this happens.
Fire at detention centre at Schiphol airport, where bolletjesslikkers (drug smugglers who swallowed balls of cocaine) and illegal immigrants are locked up.
Out of 43 who sat in the wing, 11 died. At first serveillants didn't take the imprisoned seriously, until panic broke out. The doors to 24 cells (24 x 2= 48 detainees max in the wing) had to be opened manually, and the quick spread of the fire took lives of helpless detainees.

I feel for all the family members of the dead and injured. Apart from Bolletjesslikkers who commited crime, there were innocent people who didn't even set a foot on Holland.

This can be seen as a freak accident, just another fire or something symbolic to where Rita's taking us to.

peace,

arata