Many of the 47 Romanian gypsies who sought asylum here after being smuggled into Ireland in freight containers during the summer had already applied for asylum in France, it has emerged.
The first set of appeal hearings involving about 20 members of the group was postponed for a month after Department of Justice officials revealed that those seeking asylum - all members of one extended family from eastern Romania - had already sought and been refused asylum in France.
There is speculation that the Department could now treat their applications as Dublin Convention cases. This would mean that they could be returned to France and - since they have already been refused asylum in that country - thence to Romania.
The 47 Romanians came to Ireland through Rosslare last July, having spent two days in a sealed container on the ferry from Cherbourg. The Department processed their applications for asylum within three weeks. All were turned down.
Supporters claim the Department is rushing their case to give a signal to deter other gypsies from coming to Ireland from eastern Europe.
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