No plan to give Taslima asylum: French envoy

Jerome Bonnafont, France’s Ambassador to India, on Thursday said his country had no plans to give political asylum to Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen. “As far as I understand Taslima Nasreen is safe in India, which has also extended her visa. When she is given the Simone de Beauvoir award, the French President would be happy to extend an invitation to visit France,” he said. “She holds an European passport and can visit Europe anytime she wants,” he added. Earlier in Puducherry, he had said that France wanted to give shelter and express solidarity with individuals facing threat to life and that it was in agreement with the French tradition of giving asylum. The Ambassador was in the city to address members of the Indian Chamber of Commerce.