Croatia closes border crossings with Serbia over migrants

Ban said at the news conference: “I was shocked to see how these refugees and migrants were treated, it’s not acceptable”.

Hungary, which has been the transit route for over 180,000 migrants this year, has built a 3.5-metre (10-foot) fence on its frontier with Serbia and implemented a raft of immigration laws to clamp down on migration.

“They have now criminalised illegal crossings into Hungary and we suspect that’s the reason why they deployed the water cannons”, Jamjoom said.

“It would be frightful if people leaving war-torn countries died in a minefield in Croatia”, said Zsohar.

Croatia, Slovenia and Austria have begun scrambling to deal with the thousands of migrants it anticipates after Hungary sealed its border.

The migrants, who started to enter Croatia early on Wednesday, were being registered with police in Tovarnik, near the border with Serbia.

He did not specify, but he said the European Union would have to handle “hot spots” before the migrants reach Croatia.

Migrants run away from tear gas thrown by Hungarian anti-riot police officers at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos.

“Since they are the people who are fleeing the wars and prosecutions then we must ensure our compassionate leadership”.

A source on the Serbian side said about 300 out of a group of 500 took part in the protest and confirmed that some were hurling objects at the police.

Worse, Hungary said if necessary, it would extend the fence to its border with Romania, a proposal the latter denounced, which leaves the refugees stranded in no man’s land or seeking alternative routes through Serbia and Croatia.

Between 4,000 and 5,000 migrants were attempting to board trains to the Croatian capital Zagreb Thursday from Tovarnik after crossing the border with Serbia, the United Nations refugee agency said.

They say turning around and heading back to the troubled countries they fled – such as Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Iraq – isn’t an option.

Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann is to visit his Croatian and Slovenian counterparts in Zagreb and Ljubljana to discuss the crisis.

Graphic pictures have shown the aftermath of tear gas and water cannon used on people at the Hungarian border on Wednesday.

“It is possible that through a procedure applied next week… the European Union will force us to receive more refugees than we have offered to take”.