Prison of the Annamites (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: ''Bagne des Annamites'' or ''Camp Crique Anguille'') is a former prison in the commune of

Montsinéry-Tonnegrande Montsinéry-Tonnegrande (; often unofficially spelled Montsinéry-Tonnégrande; ) is a commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. Montsinéry-Tonnegrande is to the south-west of Cayenne. It c ...

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

. The prison was built for

Annamite The Vietnamese people (, ) or the Kinh people (), also known as the Viet people or the Viets, are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day northern Vietnam and southern China who speak Vietnamese, the most widely spoken Austroas ...

prisoners who had revolted against French rule. The purpose of the prison was to develop the

Inini Inini was an inland territory of French Guiana, administered separately between 6 June 1930 and 19 March 1946, after which all of French Guiana became a department of France. The territory remained governed as a special entity, until 17 March ...

territory. The prison was in operation between 1931 and 1944.

Background

On 10 February 1930,

soldiers, in what is nowadays called

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, revolted against French rule during the

Yên Bái mutiny The Yên Bái mutiny () or officially Yên Báy general uprising () was an uprising of Vietnamese soldiers in the Troupes coloniales, French colonial army on 10 February 1930. This took place in collaboration with civilian supporters who were mem ...

. 13 soldiers were

guillotine A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...

d, and the remainder were to be exiled. In February 1931, circa 100

political prisoners A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...

and circa 400

common law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law primarily developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes. Although common law may incorporate certain statutes, it is largely based on prece ...

convicts, boarded the ' for French Guiana. The prisoners were first put in a prison in

Cayenne Cayenne (; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Caye ...

, but revolted again. On 6 June 1930, the territory of

had been established to develop the interior of French Guiana separately from the coastal area.

Overview

In April 1931, it was decided to move the Annamites to three camps: a forest camp in

Apatou Apatou () is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. Apatou is home to Maroons of the Aluku, Paramacca, Ndyuka, and Saramaka tribes. History The town of Apatou was founded in 1882 as Moute ...

, Petit Saut, and Camp Crique Anguille. Of the 535 prisoners, 395 were sent to Camp Crique Anguille. to serve as a labour force for the Inini territory.

Senegalese Tirailleurs The Senegalese Tirailleurs () were a corps of Troupes coloniales, colonial infantry in the French Army. They were initially recruited from Saint-Louis, Senegal, the initial colonial capital city of French West Africa and subsequently throughout W ...

were brought in to guard and oversee the prisoners. When the prisoners arrived, there was nothing at the site, and they had to build the prison themselves. The camp measured , and the main purpose was the construction of a railway line linking all three camps. In 1937 the prisoners revolted. In 1940, the Senegalese troops were replaced by French Guianan soldiers. On 6 December 1944, the camp was closed, and the prisoners were moved to the normal prisons. The first group was released in July 1946, however some had to wait until August 1953.

Current situation

In 2012, a 202 hectares area around the camp was designated as a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

, because it is home to ''

bactris nancibaensis ''Bactris nancibaensis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. Found only in French Guiana, it is threatened by habitat loss. Only two specimens are known: occurring south of the Cayenne Cayenne (; ; ) is the Prefecture ...

'', a rare palm, and the Amazonian royal flycatcher. The site has an

IUCN category IV IUCN protected area categories, or IUCN protected area management categories, are categories used to classify protected areas in a system developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The enlisting of such areas is part ...

status, and is administered by

Conservatoire du littoral The ''Conservatoire du littoral'' ("Coastal protection agency") (official name: ''Conservatoire de l'espace littoral et des rivages lacustres'') is a French public organisation created in 1975 to ensure the protection of outstanding natural areas o ...

. The camp was difficult to access. In 2013, a trail was built linking the camp to the RD5 road. The camp has been opened for visitors.

References

Bibliography

* * {{commons category, position=left 1931 establishments in the French colonial empire 1944 disestablishments in the French colonial empire Defunct prisons in French Guiana IUCN Category IV Montsinéry-Tonnegrande Protected areas of French Guiana

Background

Overview

Current situation

See also

References

Bibliography