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| Refugee boats land at UK military base in Cyprus | Refugee boats land at UK military base in Cyprus |
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| Four overloaded boats carrying 114 refugees from Syria have landed at Britain’s military base in Cyprus, potentially opening up a new frontline in the refugee crisis. | Four overloaded boats carrying 114 refugees from Syria have landed at Britain’s military base in Cyprus, potentially opening up a new frontline in the refugee crisis. |
| The refugees, 19 of them women and 28 children, have been transferred to a temporary reception area in the sovereign base at Akrotiri on the southern coast of the Mediterranean island. | The refugees, 19 of them women and 28 children, have been transferred to a temporary reception area in the sovereign base at Akrotiri on the southern coast of the Mediterranean island. |
| The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: “We can confirm that a number of boats with migrants on board have landed on the shore of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. At the moment our key priority is ensuring everybody on board is safe and well. | |
| “We have had an agreement in place with the Republic of Cyprus since 2003 to ensure that the Cypriot authorities take responsibility in circumstances like this.” Asked whether the refugees would be able to claim asylum in Britain, an MoD official said: “That’s not our understanding.” | “We have had an agreement in place with the Republic of Cyprus since 2003 to ensure that the Cypriot authorities take responsibility in circumstances like this.” Asked whether the refugees would be able to claim asylum in Britain, an MoD official said: “That’s not our understanding.” |
| Kyriacos Mavri, the commander of the Cyprus coastguard, told the Guardian that the refugees had been left to fend for themselves in two fishing boats after travelling from Turkey. | Kyriacos Mavri, the commander of the Cyprus coastguard, told the Guardian that the refugees had been left to fend for themselves in two fishing boats after travelling from Turkey. |
| “The people who were trafficking them abandoned them in ... fishing boats about one or two miles from the beach just outside the SBA [sovereign base area]. They left in a fast boat,” he said. “We were told they were all from Syria. There were 67 men, 19 women and 28 children. Many of them had iPhones with them and they were very well dressed. Everybody was OK, they didn’t have any health concerns.” | “The people who were trafficking them abandoned them in ... fishing boats about one or two miles from the beach just outside the SBA [sovereign base area]. They left in a fast boat,” he said. “We were told they were all from Syria. There were 67 men, 19 women and 28 children. Many of them had iPhones with them and they were very well dressed. Everybody was OK, they didn’t have any health concerns.” |
| George Kiteos, a police spokesman at the base, which has been used to launch airstrikes against Islamic State in Iraq, said there were 110 refugees in total. “They arrived on the coast in the bit of the base that is closed off, were brought to shore and are currently in the process of being identified and screened,” he told the Guardian. “What happens to them next is up to the politicians to decide.” | George Kiteos, a police spokesman at the base, which has been used to launch airstrikes against Islamic State in Iraq, said there were 110 refugees in total. “They arrived on the coast in the bit of the base that is closed off, were brought to shore and are currently in the process of being identified and screened,” he told the Guardian. “What happens to them next is up to the politicians to decide.” |
| There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy in the numbers of refugees who arrived at the base. | |
| According to Cypriot sources, the fact that Akrotiri is being used in the air campaign against Isis will affect how the refugees are treated, as they could be seen as a security risk. Insiders, who did not want to be named, said accommodation in the base’s military zone could be found to house the refugees if necessary. A spokeswoman on the base, Connie Pierce, said it was “very unlikely” that the media would be given access to the refugees on Wednesday. British military police were likely to want to conduct an in-depth screening of the refugees first, she said. | |
| Pierce told the Guardian that the refugees were being held in the base’s military zone on Wednesday. | Pierce told the Guardian that the refugees were being held in the base’s military zone on Wednesday. |
| A Cypriot government official said cooperation on the matter would be dictated by the memorandum of understanding between the Republic of Cyprus and the British-run bases. “We are ready to help if requested … for the moment all the individuals are under the control of the bases. We have no involvement whatsoever,” said Olivia Michalidou, a spokeswoman for the island’s civil defence department. | A Cypriot government official said cooperation on the matter would be dictated by the memorandum of understanding between the Republic of Cyprus and the British-run bases. “We are ready to help if requested … for the moment all the individuals are under the control of the bases. We have no involvement whatsoever,” said Olivia Michalidou, a spokeswoman for the island’s civil defence department. |
| An MoD spokesman said it was unclear where the refugees had travelled from, but a police official told local media that they “appeared” to have come from Syria. | An MoD spokesman said it was unclear where the refugees had travelled from, but a police official told local media that they “appeared” to have come from Syria. |
| The base is one of two sovereign territories retained by Britain on Cyprus, a colony until 1960. Britain started using Akrotiri to bomb Isis targets in northern Iraq in September 2014. | The base is one of two sovereign territories retained by Britain on Cyprus, a colony until 1960. Britain started using Akrotiri to bomb Isis targets in northern Iraq in September 2014. |
| Cyprus has received hundreds of refugees from Syria, but if confirmed this would be the first time any had arrived at the Akrotiri base, which is about 150 miles from the Syrian port of Tartus. | Cyprus has received hundreds of refugees from Syria, but if confirmed this would be the first time any had arrived at the Akrotiri base, which is about 150 miles from the Syrian port of Tartus. |
| The news site inCyprus said two small boats had been spotted off the coast of Akrotiri at about 6.30am and were shepherded back to the shore by the Cyprus coastguard. | The news site inCyprus said two small boats had been spotted off the coast of Akrotiri at about 6.30am and were shepherded back to the shore by the Cyprus coastguard. |
| The MoD said: “Events like this underline why it is important for us to develop a comprehensive approach to the migration crisis, working with our international partners to provide humanitarian assistance in Syria and neighbouring countries, to disrupt the trafficking gangs and to address the root causes of instability that cause people to seek a new life elsewhere.” | The MoD said: “Events like this underline why it is important for us to develop a comprehensive approach to the migration crisis, working with our international partners to provide humanitarian assistance in Syria and neighbouring countries, to disrupt the trafficking gangs and to address the root causes of instability that cause people to seek a new life elsewhere.” |