Number of asylum seekers drops

THE number of asylum seekers in Cyprus dropped substantially in the first quarter of the year, according to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

According to the UNHCR report, between October 1 and December 31, 2003, there were 3,201 asylum applications, compared to 1,048 in the fist three months of 2004.

The report, which contains statistics from 29 industrially developed countries, indicated that the number of asylum seekers had shown a substantial drop in the first quarter, which confirmed the downward trend that started in 2002.

A substantial drop was also observed in the number of Iraqi, Afghan as well as Russian and Chechen asylum seekers, the report said.

North America recorded an eight per cent drop, while numbers in Europe fell by 18 per cent and the 14 EU countries included in the report saw a 15 per cent decrease.

It is the first time in years that the asylum applications in the countries included in the report has dropped under 100,000, the UNHCR said.

Only seven out of the 29 countries showed an increase, but most were countries starting from a small number of asylum seekers.

A total of 92,700 applications were filed in the 29 countries between January 1 and March 31 compared to the last quarter when 110,600 people filed for asylum.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.