26/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - Following the discovery on Friday 22 January of 123 illegal immigrants on a Corsican beach, the French minister for immigration, Éric Besson, confirmed that these people had claimed that they were Syrian Kurds, and had probably left from Tunisia after paying between €5,000 and €10,000 per person. All the people in question were released after a legal decision revealed that there had been shortcomings in the enquiries procedure. Following their release and criticism made by a variety of different charities, Mr Besson was obliged to announce on Monday the quashing of warrants leading to the immigrants' deportation, as soon as they had presented requests for political asylum. (B.C./transl.fl)