Illegal immigrants arrested

EIGHT SYRIAN, Palestinian and Iraqi immigrants were arrested in Kato Pyrgos and Mansoura yesterday for illegally entering the country. The men came from Lebanon by boat late Monday night, arriving on the coastline between the two villages.

Police were alerted when a local villager came across a number of immigrants asking for food and water. Two Syrians were first arrested and another six were round up by the evening. A police official from Kato Pyrgos police station said last night that, apart from the boat crew, all the immigrants on board had been arrested.

On Monday thirty eight illegal immigrants, who were arrested after being located off the coast of Protaras on two small fishing boats were deported the same evening, police said yesterday.

A police spokesman told CNA yesterday that the 38 migrants, all men from Syria, were taken to Larnaca Airport at 11pm and placed on a chartered flight to Syria.

The Syrians were spotted at around noon off the coast of Protaras in the Famagusta district by locals. Authorities were notified and responded by scrambling a police helicopter and two patrol boats in the area.

The fishing boats were towed to the Paralimni fishing shelter at 3.30pm where they were met by a large police force contingent.

The immigrants appealed to be released to return to the country they had sailed from on Saturday, headed for an undisclosed European country. The men did not carry any travel documents and initially refused to reveal their nationality.

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