Dutch news in brief – 5 April - Expatica Netherlands

Court considers Enschede compensation claim

Arnhem Appeals Court began considering a claim on Monday for EUR 1 million compensation lodged by Andre de Vries, who was wrongly convicted and jailed for the Enschede fireworks disaster. De Vries served nearly 2.5 years in jail after he was sentenced in Almelo Court in September 2002 to 15 years jail for committing arson at an Enschede fireworks warehouse. The depot exploded in May 2000, killing 22 people. But Arnhem Appeals Court acquitted him in May 2003 due to a lack of evidence. De Vries, who was arrested at the start of 2001, has always maintained his innocence.

Turkish community urged to focus on Dutch ethics

The Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, Abdullah Gül, has urged the Turkish community in the Netherlands to focus on education and the prevailing norms and valued. Gül was speaking on Saturday at a congress in Rotterdam to celebrate 40 years of migration of Turkish people to the Netherlands. The Dutch government is currently trying to limit the entry of Turkish nationals under family migration schemes and stimulate their integration into Dutch society.

Almost 60,000 visit royal funeral church

About 35,000 people are estimated to have visited the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft on Saturday after the 30 March funeral of Queen Juliana. About 20,000 to 25,000 visited the historic church on Friday to pay their last respects to the former Dutch monarch. The flowers used during the royal funeral were still on display in the church, where 45 deceased members of the royal family are interred in the House of Orange crypt.

Woman admits deliberate attack on politician

The 41-year-old woman accused of driving her car into Liberal VVD leader Jozias van Aartsen admitted in court in The Hague on Friday that it was a deliberate act. The woman was arrested Thursday last week in her Enschede home. The woman works as a legal aid lawyer with the Bureau Rechtshulp in Utrecht. A decision will be made on Tuesday whether to extend her remand custody.

Man dead two weeks in home

A 43-year-old Tilburg resident found dead in his home on Friday died two weeks ago. He lived in a home where people received regular assistance, but his death went unnoticed by social workers. A spokesman for the social work bureau, Buro Begeleid Wonen, blamed the situation on an unfortunate set of circumstances”. The man was advised that he should telephone the bureau if he experienced problem, but his female assistant had been sick for the past three weeks. The man died of natural causes.

Subject: Dutch news