Cyprus: frustration growing at overcrowded refugee camp
The situation in Cyprus' largest refugee camp Pournara has further deteriorated. President Nikos Anastasiadis talked of "tragic conditions" on Monday. Built to house 1,000 people, the camp now holds twice as many. In an act of protest, 36 underage refugees slept on the streets of Nicosia last week. The national press voices outrage.
Bound by history to show solidarity
The contrast between how Cyprus treats refugees and how it treats foreign investors is a disgrace, web portal Dialogos criticises:
“If the asylum applications were processed as quickly as the passport applications of investors, none of the applicants would be waiting for years for their application to be processed. It is a disgrace for a state to treat people, let alone children, in this way. And it is doubly shameful when a country that is still struggling with the consequences of exodus and war steps on the toes of the world's outcasts, instead of showing solidarity with them. Let us at least do what humanity and solidarity demand. Nothing else can wash away Pournara's shame.”
Respect for these people!
It is unacceptable that the state is only reacting now, finds Phileleftheros:
“Did the Commissioner for Children's Rights have to intervene for everyone to finally mobilise? ... These decisions could have been taken long ago. ... Cyprus must reduce the number of people living in Pournara migrant camp, and that will serve all concerned. It will be good for the people who live there, so that they can live in decent conditions, and good for the residents of the area as well as for the state. ... We have had enough of announcements. We demand respect for these people.”