Off the wire
• Israeli troops kill Palestinian in West Bank  • Urgent: Football match between Germany, the Netherlands canceled  • Slovakia ready to aid France in fight against terrorism  • Spanish treasury places 4.465 bln euros on market  • Spanish stock market rises 2.36 pct, closes at 10,363 points  • Ghana advance by beating Camoros 2-0 in FIFA World Cup qualifier  • Republican lawmakers to seek halt to Obama's Syrian refugee program  • Egypt says to consider Russian findings over plane crash  • Hollande to meet Obama in Washington on counterterror cooperation  • LME base metals close mixed on Tuesday  
You are here: 　 Home

First charter flight of Syrian refugees arrives in Glasgow

Xinhua, November 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

About 100 Syrian refugees arrived in Scotland's largest city Glasgow Tuesday in the first of a series of charter flights after the British government expanded its resettlement scheme.

The aircraft, operated by Poland-based firm Enter Air, landed in Glasgow from Beirut, Lebanon mid-afternoon, with 108 refugees believed to be on board and thought to mainly be families, local media reported.

Those refugees are from refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan and other countries near Syria, and are thought to include people suffering from health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported.

Scottish Minister for Europe and International Development Humza Yousaf welcomed the refugees, wishing them all the best as they are supported in starting their new lives in Scotland.

Yousaf termed the refugees as "some of the most vulnerable among those affected by conflict in Syria," adding: "They have arrived directly from refugee camps and we have been working closely with the Home Office who have robust and thorough security screening processes in place. They will now travel to a number of communities across Scotland."

During the weekend, British Home Secretary Theresa May said those who arrived in Britain from the region would be thoroughly screened to ensure they did not pose a terrorist threat, with multiple checks in place for those earmarked for relocation in Britain.

There are two levels of screening that take place, including "taking people directly from the camps" and "working with UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) -- UNHCR take biometrics, they look at documents, they interview people, they do their own process of screening against issues like war crimes and serious criminality."

Then there is a further check that is done once people are referred to Britain. The Home Office then undertakes further checks, and further biometrics are taken, May added.

The British government said 20,000 refugees would be resettled in Britain by 2020, with 1,000 due to arrive by Christmas on Dec. 25. Endit