Majority of migrants at notorious complex were legal

The majority of the migrants registered to have been living at the infamous Ayios Nikolaos development in Chlorakas, Paphos are legally residing in the Republic of Cyprus, press spokesman for the civil registry and migration department Petros Zeniou said on Tuesday.

A record of those living in the complex, where they had been squatting, from August 22 to 28 showed a total of 221 migrants there.

According to Zeniou, out of those 219 have been residing in Cyprus legally as asylum seekers or with protected status.

Among those, 36 have requested they be moved to the migrant centre in Kofinou, Larnaca.

He said for about two years controls in Chlorakas have been strengthened, with a focus on identifying immigrants who reside illegally on the island, and then their arrest and deportation.

About the asylum seekers themselves, Zeniou said, “We have international obligations, obligations to follow rules, so that the process of examining their asylum [applications] is followed.”

He also pointed out that the police, with respect for human rights and the provisions of the law, do everything possible and within their power to remove those who live illegally in the territory of the Republic.

For those who are either asylum seekers or have protected status, due to the extraordinary situation in Syria, they reside legally and are given the corresponding advice in relation to their behaviour, he added.

Commenting on this, Zeniou said that in the last week they made records, to make it clear who lives inside the apartment complex so that the authorities can be informed of the real problem, which is to see if they [the migrants] have a place to stay.

Zeniou added that the complex is large and the living conditions are not safe. He said that migrants living in the specific complex should try and find other places to live, without exposing themselves to similar conditions.