Tanzanian Boy Scouts Want Asylum
Four Tanzanian Boy Scouts who were reported missing from the National Scout Jamboree over the weekend turned up and are seeking asylum, authorities said Tuesday.
The boys turned themselves in to police in Washington on Monday night, said Mary Johlie, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Richmond. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service questioned them Tuesday morning, Johlie said.
The boys, who range in age from 14 to 17, were part of a nine-Scout contingent from Tanzania. The scoutmaster last saw them on Sunday afternoon, Johlie said.
Washington police said the youths hitchhiked into the city. Authorities have not released the boys' names because they are minors.
Scout and military officials began searching for the boys when they were reported missing from the Fort A.P. Hill base on Sunday.
The Jamboree, which began July 23 and ends Wednesday, includes more than 32,000 Scouts from all over the United States and from 26 other countries.
Tanzania is a poor nation that holds more than 480,000 refugees, mainly from conflicts in Congo and Burundi. Burundian officials have said the Tanzanian camps serve as rebel bases and recruiting centers for wars beyond Tanzania's borders.
State Police Lt. Don Fields said at least some of the missing scouts have relatives in Maryland. A relative had been seen visiting the boys last week, Fields said.
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