9/14/2015

TheTimesofIndia
Title:Germanyshutsitsdoorsonrefugees
Author:
Location:
Berlin:
ArticleDate:09/14/2015
BerlinSaysIt's`StretchedToCapacity'
GermanauthoritieswarnedonSundaytheywerestretchedtocapacitytowelcomerefugeesarrivingen
masse,asEuropescrambledtoholdemergencytalksontheunprecedentedcrisis.
Some13,015refugeesarrivedinMunichonSaturdayalone,andatleast1,400areexpectedonSundayto
reachthesouthernGermancitytheendoftheirexhaustingandoftenperilousjourneythroughHungary
andAustria.
GermanyreimposedbordercontrolsonSundayafterEurope'smostpowerfulnationacknowledgedit
couldscarcelycopewiththousandsofasylumseekersarrivingeveryday.Berlinannouncedthatthe
temporarymeasurewouldbetakenfirstonthesouthernfrontierwithAustria,wheremigrantarrivals
havesoaredsinceChancellorAngelaMerkeleffectivelyopenedGermanborderstorefugeesaweekago.
However,withsome450,000peoplearrivinginEurope'sbiggesteconomysofarthisyear,local
authoritiesarebucklingunderthesuddensurge.
Giventhenumbersfromyesterday,itisveryclearthatwehavereachedtheupperlimitofourcapacity
,saidaMunichpolicespokesman.AlexanderDobrindtalsoweighedin,sayingeffectivemeasuresare
necessarynowtostoptheinflux.Thatincludeshelpforcountriesfromwhererefugeesarefleeingand
alsoincludesaneffectivecontrolofourownborderswhichalsonolongerworksgiventheEU's
completefailuretoprotectitsexternalborders,hesaid.Dobrindtwasessentiallyreferringtotheborder
betweenTurkeyandGreece,wheremanymigrantshavecrossed.
MerkelherselfhadcalledonSaturdayonAthens,whilefacingitsowndeepeconomiccrisis,tomake
moreefforttoprotecttheEU'sexternalborders.EUhomeaffairsministerswillholdemergencytalkson
MondayasthesituationofmigrationphenomenaoutsideandinsidetheEUhasrecentlytaken
unprecedentedproportions,theLuxembourgpresidencysaid.
WhileJordan,LebanonandTurkeyarehousingmillionsofrefugees,manyofthewealthyGulfstatesare
facingincreasingscrutinyovertheirapparentreluctancetotakeinmigrants.
`Migrantscan'tchoosewheretolive'
GermaninteriorministerThomasdeMaizieresaidrefugeesstreamingintoEuropeshouldnotbeableto
choosewheretosettle,asauthoritiessaidthousandsmorewereonthemoveacrossthecontinenton
Sunday.InaninterviewwithGermannewspaperDerTagesspiegel,deMaizieresaidrefugeesgiven
protectioninEuropeshouldacceptthattheywillbedistributedacrossthebloc.Wecan'tallowrefugees
tofreelychoosewheretheywanttostaythat'snotthecaseanywhereintheworld,hesaid.Italsocan't
beourdutytopaybenefitslaidoutinGermanlawtorefugeeswhohavebeenallocatedtooneEU
countryandthencometoGermanyanyway,headded.

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