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France demolishes Sangatte camp
CALAIS, France -- The controversial Sangatte refugee camp that drove a wedge between the governments of France and Britain has been reduced to ruins. Work to dismantle the centre, near Calais, northern France, was virtually completed by Monday after bulldozers spent a week razing the sheet-metal structure. The overcrowded Red Cross centre, set up in 1999 on land owned by Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel, quickly became a magnet for refugees trying to sneak into Britain. Originally requisitioned to house up to 200 people, the numbers held at any one time became as high as 1,800. Figures from the Red Cross show that about 68,000 refugees passed through the centre. Refugees from the camp were involved in daily attempts to cross the Channel, usually via the 37-mile Channel tunnel, whose entrance, at Coquelles, is just one mile from the camp. But the flood of refugees using the centre as a stepping stone for illegal immigration to Britain caused tension between London and Paris.
At one stage the United Nations refugee agency offered to mediate in the deadlock. But earlier this month, after high-level talks with the British government, France agreed to shut down the camp. Under a deal, the 4,800 remaining registered residents were give homes in the two countries -- 1,200 in Britain and 3,600 in France. Eurotunnel has said the clean-up operation at the site, which will remove all trace of the centre's foundations, should be completed by mid-February.
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