Migrants head into Croatia after border closures

AFP, TOVARNIK, Croatia: Migrants began crossing from Serbia into Croatia on Wednesday, desperate to find new ways to western Europe after Hungary sealed its frontier and EU states tightened border controls over the unprecedented human influx.
Pressure is building for a special European Union summit to come up with solutions to the crisis, with the bloc bitterly split and its vaunted passport-free Schengen zone in jeopardy, as Germany boosted controls along parts of its frontier with France.
A small group of women and children entered EU member Croatia early on Wednesday, followed shortly afterwards by around 300 mostly Syrians and Afghans in the first of what could be a new surge of migrants seeking to reach the bloc by circumventing the razor-wire barrier erected by Hungary.
Croatia’s Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic—who has denounced blasted Hungary’s border fence as “unacceptable”—said migrants would be given free passage through the country, allowing them to push on towards Slovenia, Austria and Hungary’s fenceless southwestern frontier.
“We are ready to accept and direct those people, their religion and colour of skin is completely irrelevant, to where they apparently wish to go—Germany and Scandinavia,” Milanovic told lawmakers.
AFP correspondents saw others heading towards the Croatian frontier—which is still peppered with minefields from the Balkan wars of the 1990s—after turning up in buses and taxis at the Serbian border town of Sid.
“We heard that Hungary was closed so the police told us we should come this way,” Amadou, 35, from Mauritania in western Africa, told AFP.
Hundreds more people were trapped Tuesday behind the barrier erected by Hungary along its border with Serbia in an attempt to halt the migrant tide.
Hungary’s conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban is planning a similar structure along the frontier with Romania, prompting outrage from its southern neighbour.
But Budapest insisted the fence was working as it made its first arrests under tough new laws which punish “illegal border-crossing” with prison terms of up to three years.
The controversial measures are part of Orban’s strategy to stem the flow of migrants trudging up through the western Balkans, most headed to Germany and Sweden.
The apparent success of the fence in deflecting the flow sparked fears in Serbia that it would be swamped by an unmanageable number of migrants.
Speaking to AFP, Serbia’s minister for refugees, Aleksandar Vulin, called on Hungary to reopen its border “at least for women and children” where around a hundred people were waiting in vain to cross.

Migrants head into Croatia after border closures

AFP, TOVARNIK, Croatia: Migrants began crossing from Serbia into Croatia on Wednesday, desperate to find new ways to western Europe after Hungary sealed its frontier and EU states tightened border controls over the unprecedented human influx. Pressure is building for a special European Union summit to come up with solutions to the crisis, with the bloc bitterly split and its vaunted passport-free Schengen zone in jeopardy, as Germany boosted controls along parts of its frontier with France. A small group of women and children entered EU member Croatia early on Wednesday, followed shortly afterwards by around 300 mostly Syrians and Afghans in the first of what could be a new surge of migrants seeking to reach the bloc by circumventing the razor-wire barrier erected by Hungary. Croatias Prime Minister Zoran Milanovicwho has denounced blasted Hungarys border fence as unacceptablesaid migrants would be given free passage through the country, allowing them to push on towards Slovenia, Austria and Hungarys fenceless southwestern frontier. We are ready to accept and direct those people, their religion and colour of skin is completely irrelevant, to where they apparently wish to goGermany and Scandinavia, Milanovic told lawmakers. AFP correspondents saw others heading towards the Croatian frontierwhich is still peppered with minefields from the Balkan wars of the 1990safter turning up in buses and taxis at the Serbian border town of Sid. We heard that Hungary was closed so the police told us we should come this way, Amadou, 35, from Mauritania in western Africa, told AFP. Hundreds more people were trapped Tuesday behind the barrier erected by Hungary along its border with Serbia in an attempt to halt the migrant tide. Hungarys conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban is planning a similar structure along the frontier with Romania, prompting outrage from its southern neighbour. But Budapest insisted the fence was working as it made its first arrests under tough new laws which punish illegal border-crossing with prison terms of up to three years. The controversial measures are part of Orbans strategy to stem the flow of migrants trudging up through the western Balkans, most headed to Germany and Sweden. The apparent success of the fence in deflecting the flow sparked fears in Serbia that it would be swamped by an unmanageable number of migrants. Speaking to AFP, Serbias minister for refugees, Aleksandar Vulin, called on Hungary to reopen its border at least for women and children where around a hundred people were waiting in vain to cross.