President to visit Pournara to see state of facility for himself (updated)

President Nicos Anastasiades will visit the Pournara migrant camp in Kokkinotrimithia on Monday to see for himself the conditions there, which were widely criticised over the last few days.

He will be accompanied by Interior Minister Nicos Nouris, Social Welfare Deputy Minister Anastasia Anthousi, Ombudswoman Maria Stylianou-Lottides and Children’s Rights Commissioner Despo Michaelidou.

“The aim of the president’s visit is to examine the situation prevailing in the area on the spot,” government spokesman Marios Pelekanos said on Sunday.

A wide-ranging ministerial meeting will follow at the presidential palace to discuss the situation at the camp.

As a results, Anastasiades planned visit to mountain communities will take place later in the day on Monday.

«Despite the huge number of people who are in Pournara, which is way more than its capacity, the 356 minors have not been denied accommodation and heating,” Nouris said on Sunday.

However, because of the overcrowding and despite the fact they are well housed and fed, Nouris said 90 minors have been transferred to a hotel in Larnaca that has been rented for this purpose by the ministry.

He said he has also given instructions for paperwork to be completed in the next few days for the remaining minors so that they can be transferred to units outside Pournara, even though this is not the responsibility of his ministry.

Last week Michaelidou visited the camp and said conditions there, particularly for children were appalling.

Michaelidou stated there are about 15 children per room, usually sharing beds, while others sleep on the floor – with about 300 people forced to share two toilets and a single shower. She also cited complaints that breakfasts consisted of little more than pieces of bread.

This led to main opposition party Akel to call for the resignation of Nouris.

In response, the interior ministry said its officials are “literally overextending themselves” to manage the situation amid unprecedented numbers of migrants.

Some 30 unaccompanied minors walked out of the camp on Thursday and after only some of them were persuaded to go back nine slept overnight on the street.

On Friday they were transferred to 24/7 facilities of Hope for Children (HFC), while a solution is being sought for those remaining.