Dutch news in brief, 9 November 2004

40pc of Dutch want Muslims to feel unwelcome

Four out of 10 Dutch nationals hope that Muslims no longer feel welcome in the Netherlands and almost 80 percent hope that the government will implement a more stringent integration policy, a survey indicated Tuesday. A survey of 1,857 people conducted by GPD regional newspapers after the murder of Theo van Gogh found that respondents believe that every means possible should be used to crackdown on Islamic extremism, news agency Novum reported. Almost 30 percent hold the entire Muslim community responsible for the murder of Van Gogh. Some 90 percent believe that people will become less tolerant and about the same number want the police and intelligence services to be given greater powers, even if that comes at the cost of personal privacy.

Dutch troops return from Afghan mission

Six Dutch F-16 fighter jets, a KDC10 tanker plane and 160 soldiers stationed in Kyrgyzstan will be withdrawn in coming weeks, Defence Ministry Henk Kamp said Monday at the start of three-day visit to Afghanistan. A further 40 troops stationed in the north of Afghanistan will also be returned home. The deployments were attached to the ISAF stabilisation force throughout the recent Afghan elections.

Social accord to cost EUR 364 million

The social accord between the Cabinet, employers and unions over early retirement schemes will cost the Dutch government EUR 364 million in 2006, political sources said Tuesday. The costs are expected to hit EUR 650 million after 2006, news service NOS reported. The money is being used to fund the cabinet’s-concessions in which it agreed to expand the scope the of life savings schemes (levensloopregelingen). Finance Minister Gerrit Zalm is expected to inform the Parliament Tuesday about the accord, which broke a deadlock between unions and the cabinet over the abolition of early retirement tax breaks.

17 tips over double murder of prostitutes

Rotterdam police received 17 tips over the murder of two Rotterdam prostitutes after the broadcast of crimestoppers Opsporing Verzocht on Monday night. Police revealed in the programme that they are searching for two men who visited the port city’s street prostitution zone on the Keileweg on the night of 14 October. They were caught on surveillance cameras several hours prior to the murders. The men were seen walking away from the street sex zone with the two victims. For more information in Dutch, click here.

Subject: Dutch news