(7 Jan 1998) English/Nat
Turkey arrested over 150 refugees on Wednesday as part of their campaign to crack down on human smuggling and illegal immigration.
In operations carried out over the past week, Turkish authorities have detained more than 500 refugees, mainly Kurds from Iraq.
Once detained by Turkish authorities these Kurdish refugees are crowded into prison cells to wait.
They will have to rely on help from either the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to get to other countries or deported back home.
Scenes like this are part of a move by Turkish authorities to clamp down on rampant human smuggling schemes, with the number of arrests peaking in the hundreds of refugees per day this week.
Once captured, refugees from Asia, Africa and the Middle East are packed into Turkish jail cells where they wait for authorities to deal with them.
The campaign included the arrest on Wednesday of 166 refugees, mostly Kurds from Iraq.
They were added to the over five-hundred refugees detained in the last four days in the Turkish roundup in Istanbul and along Turkey's borders.
Many of the refugees are desperate to leave.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I've spent my money, for example, when I'm staying here , I've been staying with my family, more than two and a half months, I have spent money - 4,000 dollars until now."
SUPER CAPTION: Iraqi refugee
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"For example, my passport, I bought it for about 10,000 dinar in Iraq. All the people (do the same thing!)"
SUPER CAPTION: Iraqi refugee
Turkey's crack down is seen by some as an attempt to placate growing concerns across the rest of Europe over out-of-control immigration on the continent.
A recent cabinet meeting resulted in the announcement that the Turkish government will review its visa policy and take measures to tighten its borders.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
