Terror alerts in Europe, after British claims of a foiled attempt to blow up a couple of transatlantic flights, have made all governments in Europe jittery.
The Dutch have promptly come back with an answer to India’s demarche delivered to Ambassador Eric Niehe by Shashi Triparti, secretary west, yesterday. The ambassador had promised to get back after considering the points raised by New Delhi.
Though Saturday is not a working day in South Block, the Dutch envoy asked for an appointment and gave his government’s reply to New Delhi’s angry protests over the treatment of the 12 Indians.
The Dutch did not apologise, though Ambassador Niehe made the point that his government understood the concerns expressed by New Delhi. There was not even a hint of regret at what happened. Instead the emphasis was on the “suspicious behaviour” of the 12, which needed “urgent attention.’’ The Dutch government also refuted charges of racial profiling. New Delhi had made it plain on Friday that the shabby treatment of the Indian detainees could be because they were Muslims from South Asia.
Ambassador Niehe had denied any racial prejudice in handling the detainees, when he was summoned by the foreign office on Friday.
The Dutch envoy also conveyed that as soon as investigations were completed in one-and-a-half days, the passengers were not only released from detention, but authorities facilitated their earliest possible return.
An Indian official, requesting anonymity, said : “Let’s also consider what happened from the Dutch point of view. The Geneva Convention lays down that counsellor access must be given within 48-hours. This was done. The Dutch questioned the detainees, investigated their backgrounds and once convinced they were not terrorists, immediately granted access.’’
What has annoyed New Delhi is the stone-walling by the Dutch authorities and the fact that the 12 were treated like terrorists. The Dutch, like most European governments, are sensitive to human rights and unlike Britain, no new terror laws have been enacted. Terror alerts all over Europe after British claims of a foiled attempt to blow up transatlantic flights, have made all European governments jittery.
The Dutch explained they had no option but to first verify the antecedents of the detainees before giving out details to New Delhi.
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