Off the wire
• India has highest number of under-5 child deaths globally: study  • News Analysis: Fiscal stimulus to assume bigger growth-supportive role  • Urgent: Casualties feared as blast rocks district in N. Afghanistan  • Virgin Australia boss opens new terminal facilities in Brisbane  • Commentary: European refugee crisis bitter fruit of Western hegemony, interventionism  • Survey shows more belly fat kids in Vietnam's HCM City  • Australia not prepared for Chinese tourist boom  • China to reform quarterly GDP accounting system  • PNG to demand Aussie PM extradite accused rapists  • Xinhua Asia-Paficic news summary at 0630 GMT, Sept. 9  
You are here: 　 Home

Chile to take in 50 to 100 family members of Syrian refugees

Xinhua, September 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz said Tuesday that his country will take in between 50 and 100 Syrians whose families are seeking asylum in Chile.

"We have to do this in a serious way in order for this process to be successful," Munoz said.

"The ministry is being more flexible in the criteria for these visas, particularly residence ones," the minister said.

Originally, visas were available only for direct relatives of those refugees already in the country. However, the Chilean government has decided to take in their more distant relatives, including friends of those who are already in Chile.

"This means we will evaluate the profile of the families, the flights they will need to take, how to welcome them, how to acclimatize them, how to feed and clothe them, and how to help them become self-sufficient," the minister said.

He added that Chile had experience in this matter, having already received waves of Palestinian and Syrian refugees in the past.

Over the past year, Chile has extended visas to 277 Syrian citizens. In 2008, Chile also received around 150 Palestinian families from the Al Tanf refugee camp on the border of Iraq and Syria. Endi