ISTANBUL: Turkey said Friday it had expelled more than 40,000 refugees living in Istanbul and sent them back to the provinces where they were initially registered. Under the system, they must stay in the province to which they were initially assigned, and can only visit other cities with short-term passes. The Istanbul governor’s office said 42,888 migrants were rounded up by police and sent back to their assigned provinces between July and October, without specifying their nationalities. It said in July that 547,000 Syrians were officially registered in Istanbul, and that no new registrations were being accepted. But an economic downturn has sharpened tensions, and analysts say the refugee issue likely contributed to the ruling party’s surprise defeat in the Istanbul mayoral election this year.

Source: New Strait Times November 15, 2019 14:03 UTC