THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Dutch Crown Princess Amalia
has been forced to abandon plans to live in student digs for security reasons,
in a move that raised fresh fears on Friday about organized crime in the
Netherlands.
اضافة اعلان
King Willem-Alexander and his wife
Queen Maxima announced
late on Thursday — just weeks after the 18-year-old started at Amsterdam
University — that Amalia will have to stay behind palace walls.
Officials would not confirm details, but the move comes
weeks after reports that Amalia and Prime Minister
Mark Rutte were mentioned in
communications by organized crime groups, which led to fears of kidnappings.
Her mother said the move has "enormous
consequences" for her daughter, while it has come as a shock in a country
where public figures often move around with little protection.
Experts say it has reinforced fears that the Netherlands is
becoming a "narco-state" following a high-profile series of cases
involving drug trafficking groups.
"It's about an 18-year-old girl who can't have a
student life because she's apparently the target of the Mocro-mafia," said
Rick Evers, a Dutch reporter specializing in royal matters.
Named after their
Moroccan roots, the Mocro-mafia are crime
gangs specializing in the Netherlands' budding drug trade, particularly cocaine,
and are mainly based in Amsterdam.
'Enormous consequences'
The heir to the Dutch throne was captured beaming by
photographers when she started at university last month, with much made of the
fact that she planned to live in student accommodation.
But, in an unusually candid admission during a state visit
to
Sweden on Thursday, the Dutch king, 55, and queen, 51, revealed that Amalia
had been forced to remain at the heavily-guarded royal palace in The Hague.
Asked how Amalia was doing as a student, a clearly emotional
Queen Maxima said "you must have heard the news".
"She can't live in Amsterdam and she can't really go
outside (the palace)... It has enormous consequences on her life," Maxima said.
Premier Rutte — until recently often seen riding a bike
around The Hague — described Amalia's situation as "terrible and worrisome".
"Everything is being done to keep the crown princess
safe," he told reporters on Friday.
Dutch Justice and Security Minister Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius
described organized crime as a "fundamental problem", adding that her
ministry was "working hard day and night to ensure her security".
But the news did not come out of a vacuum.
In September, De Telegraaf, one of the Netherlands' top
newspapers, reported that security had been significantly tightened around
Amalia and Rutte. It said both of them had appeared in organized crime
communications, which may indicate plans for an attack or kidnapping.
At the same time, Dutch newspapers reported increased
scrutiny on the communications of alleged "Mocro-Mafia" chief Ridouan
Taghi, who is on trial in the Netherlands, with his gang linked to several
high-profile murders.
The murders include that of prominent journalist Peter de
Vries, who was gunned down in broad daylight in an Amsterdam street last year,
and Derk Wiersum, a defense lawyer for a prosecution witness.
'Abnormal situation'
The developments have reinforced fears that Europe's
fifth-largest economy was gradually tilting towards a narco-state, with
criminals exploiting the country's relaxed drug policies to ship masses of
cocaine through Europe's largest port in Rotterdam.
Royal reporter Evers, who was with the Dutch king and queen
on Thursday when they made the shock revelation, was also there when Amalia
started at university to enroll for a bachelor's degree in Psychology, Politics,
and Law.
"We saw there was a very large increase in the number
of security guards, both visible and invisible, with heavy weapons hidden in
bags," Evers said.
"It was a very abnormal and unusual situation," he
told AFP. "Organized crime is now an important theme which seems out of
control in the Netherlands."
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