LONDON, Oct. 18, Reuter: London’s Heathrow airport, packed to overflowing this week thousands of Asians trying to enter Britain before a new visa system: took effect, is returning to normal, airport officials sai Since Wednesday, people wishing to enter Britain from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India have had to obtain a visa before travelling, under a system designed to curb illegal immigration.
The move by Britain’s Conservative Government caused chaos at Heathrow as overworked officials worked round the clock to deal with jumbo jet loads of people hoping to beat the deadline.
Many arrivals spent hours in the airport terminals. Some have been put up in hotels at government expense, while others have been given beds at a nearby fire service college and a gymnasium.
But today, with the number of would be immigrants from Britain’s former colonies substantially reduced; the airport’s operations were unaffected. “Tis just like a normal Saturday morning”, an airport spokesman said. But he added it would probably take another week before all cases were thoroughly checked out.
Britain began deporting people ‘who arrived without the now mandatory papers one day after the system came into effect.
Last week, home office minister ‘David Waddington denied a charge by Indian Prime Minister Raj Gandhi that the visa system was an extension of what Gandhi described as London’s racist policies towards South Africa, “It is nonsense to talk about Fascism when it has not been applied to the West Indies and many other third world countries”, Waddington said.
Britain says it will apply the new system to Ghana and Nigeria but no date has been announced.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 24, 1986
