More refugees picked up in Nicosia and Paphos

About 30 refugees on foot were picked up in the last 24 hours in Nicosia and Paphos, with authorities trying to ascertain the circumstances under which they reached the Republic of Cyprus.

According media reports, 23 people were apprehended by authorities in the Astromeritis area, Nicosia district.

Sixteen were adult males, while there were two women and five children in the group, all of whom were taken to Peristerona police station.

Authorities believe the refugees have relatives in Cyprus, according to Kathimerini Cyprus.

In Paphos district, another six presumptive refugees, five males and one female, were spotted walking along a rural highway in Neo Chorio later Thursday morning according to CNA News Agency.

They were taken to Polis Chrysochous police station where authorities questioned them over their arrival and entry in the Republic.

Social services and civil defence were also notified, according to CNA.

At least in one case, media reports said the refugees most likely entered the Republic of Cyprus through the north but not through a legal checkpoint.

Last week, over a dozen refugees were picked in early morning hours while walking along a rural area outside Nicosia, about nine kilometres west of the Kokkinotrimithia refugee camp.

The detention of asylum-seekers remains vague in Cyprus and throughout the European Union. EU states detain individuals on the basis of undocumented or illegal entry, while at the same time authorities have limited powers to detain them if they are ‘bona fide refugees’.