The deputies unanimously approved this Tuesday, June 3, Tuesday, June 3, a transparty text for a recognition of France towards Indochina’s returnees, providing both a national tribute day and a financial repair procedure for people welcome in unworthy conditions.
The bill aims to repair “a terrible experience” in 1954 after the Geneva agreements that mark the end of the Indochina War, in the words of the first secretary of PS Olivier Faure, author of the text.
“France behaved in colonial power”
“The one of these French army auxiliaries, these police officers, the prison administration, these counters that were still called natives, who have become foreigners in their country of origin for having served France. Then they must be repatriated,” the rapporteur of the text, co -firmed by one hundred deputies of LFI and LFI and LFI and the ciotists.
“France behaved in colonial power” with them, insisted on Olivier Faure, which represents the “unworthy” living conditions, in “camps led by former colonial frames.”
“Barriers, spike wire, curfew, salvation with the flag, authorization for visits, entries, for exits …”, listed the deputy, himself of Vietnamese origin.
The text was adopted by the 231 voting deputies, from LFI to RN. Now he will go to the Senate.
“Package repair”
It provides that “the nation expresses its recognition towards the repatrians of Indochina”, and recognizes “the indignity” of its “reception conditions.” It also extends the National Day of Tribute to the dead for France in Indochina, on June 8, “to combatants, soldiers and members of complementary training, as well as for returnees.”
Above all, the text opens the path to “damage compensation” resulting from the conditions for receiving returnees, taking into account the duration of the stay in reception structures.
Interested persons are those who stayed “between July 22, 1954 and December 31, 1975” in these structures. A date that has aroused the most lively disagreements.
In support of most of the text, “a moral, commemorative and material reparation”, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, Patricia Mirallès, insisted on returning the term to January 1, 1966. The date on which “the State goes from a logic of limitation to a logic of social support,” he argued.
“Those who have lived in these accommodation centers tell us that relaxation reaches the Mitan of the 1970s. The date of 75 is completely justified,” replied Olivier Faure.
How many beneficiaries?
Deputy RN Stéphanie Galzy accused the government of participating in a “search for economies (which) limits with indecency”, accusations rejected by the minister and the deputies of the central block.
The government amendment was rejected by oppositions, which maintained the date of 1975.
Another debate focused on the number of potential beneficiaries. “The associations identify between 329 and 500 beneficiaries. This is the low hypothesis,” said Patricia Mirallès, believing that according to the projections “almost 1,600 people” could be affected.
He also declared that he wanted to “support initiatives aimed at integrating the history of the returnees in the national memory,” evoking, among other things, “financing for scientific research and the production of educational resources.”
Source: BFM TV
