Over 1100 crossing-border refugees admitted in E. Slovenia

The hope of thousands of refugees and migrants of reaching western and northern Europe have been dashed yet again following Slovenia’s decision to temporarily suspend railway traffic from Croatia.

More than 1,100 crossing-border refugees from Croatia were apprehended by police in Novo mesto area in Eastern Slovenia alone by Saturday morning, according to the Slovenian Press Agency (STA).

“New refugees continuously arrive so it is very hard to have exact figures”, Slovenian police spokeswoman Alenka Drenek told AFP.

Hungary this week sealed its southern border with Serbia, cutting off one of the biggest entry points for migrants into the European Union, prompting several hundred migrants to enter Croatia on Wednesday. Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said the country “cannot force anyone to stay”.

The refugees, among them small children, had gathered in front of the closed border crossing of Rigonce after they left a reception center in Croatia.

By Thursday morning, Croatian police said 6,200 people had entered the country since the first groups started arriving early Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Hungary started building another razor-wire fence overnight, this time along a stretch of its border with Croatia to keep migrants from entering the country there. Baton-wielding police responded with tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons, and migrants threw rocks and other objects at police.