Austria's largest refugee camp freezes intake

Austria's largest refugee camp in the town of Traiskirchen, 20 km south of Vienna, is to stop receiving refugees from midnight Tuesday due to massive overcrowding, officials said on Tuesday.

As of Wednesday, all refugees who come to the camp will be sent to other facilities and camps around the country after undergoing an initial examination and early procedures.

The decision was made by the state government of Lower Austria in which the Traiskirchen refugee camp lies. Current figures show that 1,500 of the approximate 4,000 refugees currently living there have no fixed sleeping quarters.

Worse still, many have no shelter to sleep under, including numerous women and children.

The situation has also prompted a visit to the facility by human rights organization Amnesty International, scheduled for Thursday.

The Ministry of the Interior said the decision means about 1,600 new places for refugees will be needed each week. It has already created 1,100 bridging accommodations in cities including Vienna, Klagenfurt, and Salzburg, along with 300 places specifically for women and children.

The Austrian Red Cross is to make 500 places available.

The federal government is also amending relevant laws so that it will have power to establish refugee quarters should the state governments do not contribute adequately.
  Source: Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
   5/8/15
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