Asylum seekers decrease, Red Cross stops trying to predict incoming numbers

Asylum seekers decrease, Red Cross stops trying to predict incoming numbers

20.9.2015 19:49 | updated 20.9.2015 19:52

Finland’s Ministry of Interior reports that just shy of 350 asylum seekers entered the entire country on Saturday, down from Thursday and Friday’s reports of less than 500 daily. The actual figures are much lower than several alarmist media reports have led the public to believe. The Finnish Red Cross has announced it will cease trying to estimate the incoming numbers of refugees, as it has proved so unpredictable.

Asylum seekers walk to the Tornio reception centre on September 18.  Image: Jussi Nukari / Lehtikuva

Interior Ministry Communications Director Mika Mäkinen says the fact that only 348 people registered as asylum seekers throughout the whole country on Saturday indicates the refugee influx to Finland is clearly calming.

Asylum seekers are crossing Finland’s northern borders at the cities of Oulu,
Muonio and Tornio. A total of 650 people were reported to be staying in Lapland’s emergency housing facilities as of Saturday, but this number does not include people who are spending the night at reception centres.

Mäkinen points out that some asylum seekers are also arriving by airplane and boat, and not all people crossing the border into Finland are registered asylum seekers.

Finnish Red Cross to stop predictions

The Tornio chapter of the Finnish Red Cross says it will cease its efforts to estimate the number of asylum seekers they expect to arrive, as the lack of official monitoring makes the process highly unpredictable. In future, the group will limit itself to reporting on the numbers of people who have already received lodging in emergency housing.

On Saturday, the Tornio Red Cross provided shelter to 110 people for the evening. Approximately 30 were housed in family arrangements, while 79 men shared all-male quarters. The charity says its ability to accommodate the incomers has been sufficient.

Local Red Cross spokesman Pekka Reinikainen said that on Saturday he witnessed when a family that has lived in Lahti for the last five years greeted relatives that had just arrived over the border in Tornio.

“The Red Cross aims to assist people who are at their most vulnerable. Many of the people who are crossing the border into Finland are extremely exhausted and in poor condition,” Reinikainen says.


http://yle.fi/uutiset/asylum_seekers_decrease_red_cross_stops_trying_to_predict_incoming_numbers/8318868