Sunday, January 25, 2015

agency voices concern after Greece closes camp housing asylum-

14 July 2009 The United Nations refugee agency today http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?948 voiced its concern about Greeces decision to close http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?532 down a makeshift camp in the city of Patras, and the http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1464 fate of hundreds of asylum-seekers and refugees that http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1332 are now homeless as a result of this weekends http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1619 action.
Greek authorities cleared the camp on Sunday http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1100 morning, Ron Redmond, spokesperson for the UN High http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?473 Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a news http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1628 conference in Geneva.
UNHCR has long maintained http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1299 that the makeshift camp at Patras did not provide http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1365 appropriate accommodation for the people sheltering http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?836 there, he stated. However, UNHCR is concerned that no http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1479 alternative has been provided for many of the people http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1145 who had been living at the site.
The agency said it http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?480 is important that the asylum-seekers affected by the http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1262 operation are not expelled from the country until http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?522 their protection needs have been appropriately http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?757 assessed.
When the authorities moved in, 44 http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?765 unaccompanied minors were found and transferred to a http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1544 reception centre in Konitsa in northern Greece. http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1376 Another 20 to 25 registered asylum-seekers were http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?417 identified and moved to Patras, while an unknown http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?334 number of undocumented residents of the camp were http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1310 arrested and taken to Patras police station, according http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?322 to UNHCR.
We understand that many former residents http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1540 including registered asylum-seekers abandoned the http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?755 site before the clearance operation. Their whereabouts http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?807 are unknown. It is feared that many are homeless, said http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?564 Mr. Redmond.
He added that after all the residents http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?839 were evacuated a fire ripped through the camp, the http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1538 source of which is unknown.
UNHCR said it has been http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1265 urging Greek authorities to improve the quality of its http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?682 reception facilities for asylum-seekers, and in http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?547 particular to find adequate solutions for those http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1293 identified as minors.
The agency also highlighted http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1509 its concern over a new law adopted last week which, http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?642 among other elements, decentralizes asylum decisions http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?1595 to over 50 police directorates across the country. http://www.nefga.org/forum/entry.php?441
These new developments are likely to make protection even more elusive for those who need it in Greece, said Mr. Redmond.
Video Report by UN Television's 21st Century programme

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