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Hungarian gov't launching publicity campaign to keep migrants home

Xinhua, September 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Hungarian government is planning to launch a publicity campaign to try to keep migrants from leaving home, a bulletin by the Office of the Prime Minister announced on Wednesday.

It said the campaign would be short but focused. The government plans to publish announcements in local languages to appear in "leading newspapers in countries of origin and transit countries most associated with illegal migration," it said. It also plans to use billboards, flyers, and Internet platforms.

The bulletins will warn that Hungary plans to declare an illegal border crossing a felony punishable by imprisonment but that it would treat refugees entering the country legally in conformity with European Union and humanitarian norms.

The government hopes the move will reduce the number of people attempting to cross into Hungary since a similar campaign by Germany, the Prime Minister's Office wrote, significantly reduced travel from Kosovo.

Meanwhile, police have continued to prevent the roughly 3,000 migrants gathered in front the Eastern (Keleti) Railway Station from boarding trains to Austria and Germany. According to news portal index.hu, police have been using loudspeakers to tell the crowd that people would have to go to immigration centers and be registered before they would be allowed to travel.

At the same time, Budapest mayor Istvan Tarlos told commercial InfoRadio that the city had obtained tents able to accommodate 300-500 people but has not said when or where the tents would be set up.

According to border police, another roughly 2,000 people had crossed into Hungary over the past 24 hours. Endit