Dutch suggest EU send migrants back to Turkey, Germany toughens asylum rules to stem influx
Dutch suggest EU send migrants back to Turkey, Germany toughens asylum rules to stem influx
Forty per cent of Germans want Chancellor Angela Merkel to resign over her refugee policy, a poll showed on Friday, in a sign of rising dissatisfaction with her welcoming stance towards people fleeing conflict and economic hardship in the Middle Ea-st and Africa.
Ms Merkel, who enjoyed record high popularity ratings early in 2015, has grown increasingly isolated in recent months as members of her conservative bloc have pressed her to take a tougher line on asylum seekers and European allies have dra-gged their feet on the issue.
Responding to popular pressure, Ms Merkel’s conservatives and their left-leaning Social Democrat coalition partners agreed on Thursday to tighten as-ylum rules, reaching a co-mpromise on how to stem the influx of migrants. The new measures include a two-year ban on family reunions for asylum-seekers who are granted limited refugee protection and speeding up the deportations of failed applicants, said economy minister Sig-mar Gabriel, announcing the deal.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands floated an idea on Thursday to ferry migrants reaching Greece straight back to Turkey to stop a relentless influx into the European Union as EU officials cited a rise in the numbers of those who would not qualify for asylum. The Dutch ruling coalition said it was drafting a plan under which those arriving in Greece by sea could be dispatched straight back to Turkey.
Responding to the Dutch idea, the Human Rights Watch said on Friday that Turkey was not suitable for migrant relocation.
It criticised the proposal for the EU to accept up to 2,50,000 refugees a year from Turkey if Ankara takes back irregular migrants. “Turkey cannot be considered a safe country for automatic returns,” it said.
In Germany, meanwhile, unknown assailants hurled a hand grenade at a shelter for asylum-seekers on Friday but the device did not explode and no one was injured, the police said. The grenade was filled with explosives but it was not immediately clear whether it was equipped with a detonator, a police spokesman in the town of Villingen-Schwenningen said in a statement.
Homes for asylum seekers have been repeatedly attacked in German, especially after the New Year’s eve assault, committed by migrants.
However, in the case of a 13-year-old Russian-Germ-an girl who ignited an international row after saying she was raped by migrants, Berlin prosecutors on Friday said she was actually sleeping at a friend’s house on the night in question.
“Using data from her broken mobile phone, we were able to access information about a young German man aged 19 — an acquaintance of the 13-year-old girl,” prosecutor’s office said. “The young girl wanted to hide at his house because she was having problems in school.”
