Bihac Mayor: Croatian police enters Bosnia daily, bringing migrants into country

N1

Croatian police are entering Bosnia and Herzegovina, daily, bringing with them migrants who entered Croatia. The State must do something about this, Bihac Mayor Suhret Fazlic said during the City Council session, on Wednesday.

“If anyone has a solution for the migrant situation in Bihac, let him come forth, but let’s not have a situation where Croatian police enters Bosnia every day, bringing with them 30, 40, 100 migrants, bringing them back outside the official border crossings,” Fazlic said, speaking about the migrant situation.

“As a Bosnian, it insults me when someone from another country can enter Bosnia and do what they want in it. Every day, Croatian police enter Bosnia and either return or bring fresh migrants into our city, and the State level authorities must do something about this.”

Two Bosnian towns in the north of the country, Velika Kladusa and Bihac have been battling the migrant crisis in the country the hardest. The reason for this is that they are the closest to the border with Croatia, which is migrants’ gateway country for the EU.

Last year, some 25,000 migrants entered the country, and around 10,000 are currently residing in migrant centres across the country, most of which are situated in the Bihac area. With so many migrants located in the Bihac area, the local authorities started feeling the pressure in controlling them and keeping the crime rates low.

“We’re treating the migrant crisis like a natural disaster. I support all solutions except beatings, persecutions, deportation and hurdling them into buses and trains,” the Mayor said. “I will never support anything that even slightly resembles racism, hatred, xenophobia or an inhumane treatment of migrants.”

Fazlic added he was ready to resign should Bihac become an intolerant city.

“I don’t want to live in a city that would be known for forcing people into buses and trains against their will. If anyone has a solution, please come forth and say it,” the Mayor pleaded.

The City Council adopted a decision to call on Bosnia’s Presidency to hold a thematic session on the migrant situation in Bihac. They also invited the tripartite Presidency to visit the migrant centres in this town, thus showing at least moral support for them.