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Not everyone flies from the cuckoo's nest
26 Aug 2005 A group of 29 elderly mental patients have been stranded at a refugee reception centre in Hungary since they were evacuated from their mental ward in Bosnia and Herzegovina 13 years ago. They want to go home, but the Bosnian health care system is unable to take care of them. -
Hungary sees need for better integration as more refugees stay
28 Jul 2005 Where asylum seekers used to see Hungary as a transit country on their way to Western Europe, many are now choosing to stay, citing good asylum laws and reception facilities. But life is not easy for recognised refugees, and the authorities are taking steps to develop a comprehensive integration policy. -
Asylum in Hungary: Crisis averted but challenges emerging
18 May 2005 When Hungary joined the European Union in May last year, it expected a surge of people seeking asylum. While that fear has not materialised - the number of asylum claims has plunged instead - other challenges have emerged for refugees and asylum seekers in the country. -
Hunger strike reveals strains in Polish asylum system
13 Dec 2004 A hunger strike in Debak reception centre for asylum seekers near Warsaw has highlighted the asylum problems facing Poland and other new European Union countries. This is the first story in an occasional series on asylum issues in the new EU states. -
Feature: Central Europe's first home for separated refugee children opens in Hungary
2 Jul 2003 Hungary's president has opened his country's and Central Europe's first home for asylum seekers separated from their parents, in a bid to better protect young refugees from perils of life in standard asylum seekers camps. -
UNHCR welcomes Poland's decision to reopen doors to Chechens
19 Nov 2002 In a policy reversal, Poland has allowed 150 Chechen asylum seekers to enter the country after protests against an earlier decision to turn them away. The UN refugee agency says it hopes this is a permanent decision, and that Lithuania will follow suit. -
UNHCR urges Poland, Lithuania not to turn away Chechens
14 Nov 2002 UNHCR is urging Lithuania and Poland to keep their doors open to Chechen asylum seekers. The U.N. refugee agency made the plea amid reports that the two countries have barred the entry of Chechens following the recent Chechen terrorist attack in Moscow.