Unacceptable incidents – The construction of a fence is a shameful solution

Statements by AKEL MP A.Kyprianou on the Pournara Migrants Reception Centre:

“This government has been in power for ten years and still has not implemented the projects announced to reduce refugee flows.”

31 October 2022, ‘Astra’ radio station

This government has been in power for ten years and still has not implemented the projects it itself announces to limit refugee flows, former AKEL General Secretary Andros Kyprianou pointed out to ‘Astra’, stressing that the solution to build a fence is a shameful solution.

A.Kyprianou characterised as unacceptable the incidents that took place last week at the Pournara Reception Centre, adding that they endanger the safety of the families of migrants and workers at Pournara, but also the residents of Kokkinotrimithia.

A.Kyprianou stressed that the main reason causing the problems at Pournara is overcrowding, noting that currently there are about 2,500 people staying there while the centre was supposed to accommodate 800 people.

Ten people are crammed into a container, he said, while at the same time applications for political asylum take up to four years to be processed.

He pointed out that at the moment asylum applications are up to 20,000 and the government is still contemplating what measures to take.

A.Kyprianou added that they have outsourced out the security of the reception centre in Pournara to private interests. The government however needs to upgrade its own scrutiny to ensure that such incidents do not take place.

Furthermore, he added that the area outside Pournara has also become a dumping ground which is polluting the environment and the community of Kokkinotrimithia.