Hungary opens second military base along border to stop migrants

Budapest :Along with the erection of fence and ‘container camps’ to stop the migrants, Hungarian Government took a step forward by inaugurating a military base on the border. Sources have informed that 150 soldiers will be stationed at this military base. The troops will provide additional help to the designated “border hunters”, preventing the migrants from crossing over the Serbian border. While Hungary’s previous policies against the refugees were caught up in controversies, this new military base, too is expected to turn contentious.

“The defence of the border… so hundreds of thousands won’t march across the country, deserves total respect. Our most important common interest is the protection of the Hungarian citizens, our family members and civilians. The base near the border will significantly cut down the commute for soldiers on patrol. The soldiers will assist the designated border troops”, said Hungarian Defence Minister, ‘Istvan Simicsko’.

This is Hungary’s second military base, launched to ward-off the asylum-seekers. The first military base is operational in ‘Kelebia’ near the Serbian border. Last year, the Hungarian Government had declared to launch four military bases to prevent the migrants from crossing over the Serbian border. Sources claim that out of the four, the bases at ‘Kelebia’ and ‘Hercegszanto’ are functional, while the bases at ‘Bacsalmas’ and ‘Madaras’ will be completed over the next few months. The Defence Minister also declared of receiving assistance from ‘Austria’ for base in ‘Hercegszanto’.

The launch of the military base will possibly draw criticism from NGOs and European Union. Not paying much heed to the criticism faced, Hungary has taken some bold steps in its harsh anti-migrant policy over the past 2 years. The launch of the military base depicts the continuation of Hungary’s anti-migrant stance.

Last week, the Hungarian Prime Minister ‘Viktor Orban’ had declared that a new fence was being built on the Serbian border. “The fence is being built to prevent new wave of migrants. In Austria and Germany, people can sleep soundly, because Hungarians will be protecting Europe’s external borders. It is definitely not smart policy that we place our safety in the hands of a country like Turkey. We are now prepared to block even the largest crowds arriving from Turkey”, said Orban, signifying the need of the new fence.

Hungary’s new fence will be electrified, spread across 108 miles on the border. Prime Minister Orban assured that the work of the new fence will be completed by the month of May. A few days ago, Hungarian Parliament passed a bill to detain any asylum-seeker into ‘container camps’. This bill will have provision to declare a ‘state of emergency’ if the influx of migrants increases. Earlier, an independent ‘border hunters’ force was deployed to track and detain migrants, illegally crossing the border.

Hungary’s decisions have drawn harsh criticism from European Union and NGOs. “The migrant flow has only slowed but it is not over. We have got time to strengthen our lines of defence”, said Prime Minister Orban, supporting the anti-migrant policy. It is now known that in this year, more than 1100 migrants tried to illegally cross the Serbia‘s border.