WORLD> Europe
|
WORLD> Europe
|
|
France may charge tourists rescued from hot spots
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-18 22:02
PARIS: French tourists heading to risky foreign destinations could be asked to foot the bill if the French government comes to their rescue. A draft law proposed by the foreign minister would oblige travelers to reimburse air fare and other costs incurred to rescue them from war zones, hostage-takings and other hostile situations. Officials say it's aimed at promoting responsibility among travelers at a time of rampant piracy and kidnappings across the globe. Critics, however, believe the measure would unlikely prevent hot-headed travelers from getting into trouble in dangerous corners of the world and say the government must protect its citizens, no matter what.
The ministry says the bill, presented by Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner last month, would apply only to leisure-seeking tourists and their travel agencies, but not to diplomats, reporters, aid workers and others engaged in professional activity abroad. As one example of the costs involved, a Foreign Ministry official said the government paid euro720,000 to fly home 500 tourists stranded in Thailand amid civil unrest in late 2008. He spoke on condition of anonymity citing ministry policy. According to a preliminary draft of the law, the decision to fine a traveler would be taken by a French court and hopefully only on rare occasions, the official said. The tourist would cover all or part of the costs incurred by the government, such as travel fees, rescue operations and any other measures taken to protect their well-being, depending on the case. It's still unclear whether it could apply to situations like that of the two French pleasure boats seized by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean over the past year whose hostages were freed by French Navy commandos. In one of those cases, the French government repeatedly warned the boat's French captain, traveling with his family and friends, not to travel in the area. The commando raid to free them in April prompted a shootout in which the French captain and two pirates were killed. It's also unclear how the draft law would deal with kidnappings for ransom. The French government's official policy is to never pay ransom to free its citizens, though has been rumored to help with payouts. Similar regulations are already in place for travel within France. A 1985 law obliges skiers who have to be rescued by a helicopter from restricted areas to reimburse those costs, the ministry official said. Similar rules exist for sailors entering off-limits zones. |
