Savon Sanomat: Flow of refugees into Finland dried up in early 2011

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The unrest in North Africa has caused the number of refugees seeking to journey to Finland to collapse, for people cannot travel on from the area because of the trouble there, writes the provincial daily newspaper Savon Sanomat in its Wednesday edition. According to the Finnish Immigration Service, since the North African crisis started, not a single asylum seeker has so far arrived in Finland from the region.
      All told, 700 asylum seekers landed in Finland during the early part of the year. The corresponding figure for the same period last year was 1,200.
      Chief inspector Veikko Pyykkönen from the Immigration Service says that Sweden and Norway, too, have experienced a notable reduction in the number of arriving refugees.
     
In Italy and France, however, the situation is quite the opposite, as shiploads of people from Ethiopia and Libya seek refuge there.
      Even in Finland the situation may change soon, for the pressure just keeps building in the countries on the southern flank of the European Union.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Unexpected debate over quota refugees (25.2.2010)
  Refugees gravitate toward Helsinki (18.3.2010)
  Survey: Finns´ attitudes toward immigration have become more negative (15.3.2010)
  Cutting down on number of quota refugees may increase human trafficking (24.2.2010)

See also:
  Number of asylum seekers arriving in Finland turns downwards (20.4.2010)

Helsingin Sanomat