Syrian refugees “will not be forcibly evicted”: Immigration Controller
29 Nov 2011, 7:09 PM
Eleanor Johnstone
The Immigration Department is awaiting the resolution of 11 Syrian political refugees who were detained at the airport when boarding a flight to Switzerland with forged documents.
The Syrians had come to the Maldives for an alleged vacation on November 1 with forged documents claiming Turkish nationality. They are said to have stayed at a guest house before attempting to leave two weeks later.
Claiming relations in Berlin, they next attempted to leave for Germany on forged documents.
“The tip-off was that they had no visa into Switzerland, or into Germany, upon attempted departure,” said Immigration Controller Abdulla Shahid. “This process, it’s a typical trick of people seeking political asylum.”
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