A combination picture shows young migrants after arriving by train in Munich on Sunday. Reuters
Berlin, September 6: Europe's refugee crisis has taken a new dimension in Germany with the arrival of over 8,000 asylum-seekers in the southern state of Bavaria from Hungary in one single day. They are the largest group of refugees to land in this country in a single day since the current massive influx of migrants into Europe mainly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan that began nearly a month ago. Their entry into Germany yesterday was made possible by an agreement between the German and Austrian governments on Friday to let in thousands of refugees who have been stranded for several days in the Hungarian capital Budapest. Bavarian authorities said more than 6,000 refugees travelled to Munich between yesterday and another 2,000 people followed them late at night. The refugees, who looked cheerful and relieved about ending their ordeal, were given a warm welcome by city authorities and the public as they arrived in Munich. Most of them were later sent by special trains to preliminary reception centres and refugee shelters in different parts of the country. Bavarian officials said they expected the refugee influx to continue in the coming days as several trains carrying them from Hungary are reported to be heading to the Austrian border. Meanwhile, reports from Serbia said several thousand refugees are heading to the country in their desperate efforts to reach Hungary, the gateway to the European Union and to its Schengen passport-free travel area. — Reuters.
Merkel’s take on migrants splits ruling conservatives
- Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to allow thousands of migrants stranded in Hungary to enter Germany caused a rift in her conservative bloc on Sunday when her Bavarian allies accused her of giving "a totally wrong signal" to Europe
- The dispute broke out after Austria and Germany threw open their borders to thousands of exhausted migrants bussed to Hungary's border by a right-wing government overwhelmed by the sheer numbers and loath to take them in.
- Germany expects a record influx of 800,000 migrants and refugees this year, by far the most in the European Union. More than 100,000 asylum seekers were registered in August alone.
- Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann, whose Christian Social Union is the regional sister party of Merkel's Christian Democrats in Berlin's ruling coalition, accused her of having pushed forward without asking Germany's federal states that had to deal with the migrant influx
- Europe tracks army of 30,000 migrant smugglers
- With the world still reeling from images of a drowned Syrian boy, European authorities say it is their top priority to fight an army of an estimated 30,000 people-smuggling suspects blamed for such tragedies
- Officials say the deadly business that may be worth billions of dollars is preying on the sheer desperation of growing numbers of people fleeing war and poverty in places like Syria, Afgha-nistan, Eritrea and Somalia
- Smugglers belonging to loose networks are increasingly using social media, well-organised routes and ruthless tactics to bring waves of refugees and migrantsto Europe
