Archive photo † © Tom Palmers
On Thursday, a 19-year-old Vietnamese was found in an empty trailer in a commercial park in Roeselare. Remarkably, the immigrant was already in the UK for several months, but decided to return to the European mainland as a stowaway. This was stated by the Prosecutor of West Flanders.
GVsource† BELGA
A Czech truck driver wanted to load his truck into a company in Roeselare on Thursday afternoon. It is then that he discovers a young Asian in his empty trailer. He warned the descending driver not to get off, after which he stopped the Vietnamese employees in the business complex. Due to suspicion of people smuggling, the Riho Police District and West Flemish District Attorney’s Office have been notified.
Both those involved were arrested, but it soon became clear that there was no issue of people smuggling. Leaving the trailer, the young Vietnamese carried not only his personal belongings with him, but also a few bags of urine with him. So it was obvious that he had been hiding in the trailer for some time. The stowaway also cut the tarpaulin to see roughly where it was. The Czech truck driver was unaware of his presence and was quickly released.
Al-Muhajir’s statements showed that, unlike many patients, he was never on his way to the UK. On the contrary, the young man stayed in London for several months, but apparently did not see a future there. So he decided to secretly travel to France. In the semi-trailer, he ended up in Roeselare via the ferry to Calais. “It is clear, upon closer examination, that the UK is not the land of milk and honey for everyone,” says lawyer Frank Demeester.
Meanwhile, the Vietnamese received an order from the Immigration Department to leave Belgian territory. Perhaps now he will try to find a better future in France.
