France has expelled nearly 100 Roma gypsies to their native Romania.

The resettlement came as part of a very public effort by conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy to dismantle Roma camps and sweep them out of the country.

In the southeastern town of Saint-Martin d'Heres, near Grenoble, about 150 riot police removed about 100 Roma adults and 45 children Thursday. Another 25 Roma were taken from their camp near Lille early on Thursday.

Mr Sarkozy has linked Roma to crime, calling their camps sources of trafficking, exploitation of children and prostitution.

On July 28, he pledged that illegal Roma camps would be "systematically evacuated". Some 50 camps have been emptied since then.

Those repatriated on Thursday left "on a voluntary basis" and were given small sums of money - 300 euros for each adult and 100 euros for children - to help them get back on their feet in their home country.

Roma advocates countered that the repatriations were hardly voluntary, claiming that those who refused the deal would end up in holding centres and eventually be sent home without funds.