1,500 refugees sent from Edirne to other Turkish cities

EDİRNE – Anadolu Agency

AA photo

Syrian refugees, who have waited over 10 days near Turkey’s border with Greece in an attempt to reach Europe, were sent back to different provinces in Turkey, the governor of the northwestern Edirne province said.

Around 1,500 refugees were sent from the northwestern Edirne province, which borders Greece and Bulgaria, since late Sept. 21, Governor Ali Şahin told Anadolu Agency.

They left the city in buses provided by the governor’s office for the refugees to head to the provinces they wished, including western province of İzmir, Bursa, Kütahya and southeastern province of Gaziantep, said the governor. The refugees had headed to the Greek border in northwestern Turkey in an attempt to avoid deadly sea travel from Aegean towns to Europe. 

“There are also some others [refugees], who also want to leave [Edirne to go to Turkey’s other provinces].

We are registering them and sending them by buses coming from Istanbul,” Şahin said.

Meanwhile, both Greece and Bulgaria have sent additional forces in order to prevent refugees from crossing their borders with Turkey, according to the governor.

However, around 1,000 refugees are still waiting in Edirne, hoping to be able to cross into Europe.

Meanwhile, five people, including a German and a French national, were detained Sept. 21 in Istanbul for allegedly encouraging Syrian refugees to head for Turkey’s border with the EU, police said.

The suspects are accused of aiding and abetting refugees in circumventing police restrictions on migrants heading for Edirne.

Around 3,000 refugees were waiting at Istanbul’s main bus station to travel to the province, where thousands are already seeking to enter the EU.

The suspects – identified as German national N.S., French national C.L. and Syrians A.S., A.F., and M.F. – were said to have incited refugees against the Turkish police and persuaded them against cooperating with the authorities.

They are accused of encouraging groups of refugees to set off on foot for Edirne.

Earlier Sept. 21, police intercepted a 500-strong group of Syrian refugees walking along a highway near Istanbul toward the province.