Residents of the area of Kokkinotrimithia have been increasing their protests against the Pournara reception center and the fact that more than 2,000 asylum seekers of 30 different nationalities are crowded there in prefabricated units and tents. Many of them go outside the center seeking out shade under the trees or in factories and houses of the area.
The Asylum Service of the Interior Ministry that is responsible of the center’s operation admits that living conditions there are difficult.
Two non-governmental organization that have officials in Pournara, UNHCR and Cyprus Refugee Council, stressed to Phileleftheros that the center must be decongested immediately.
On the part of the residents of Kokkinotrimithia, municipality head Christos Meleties reiterated what the residents have noted in an open letter to the Government and the Parliament, demanding the decongestion of the center by September.
