Austria to reject refugees with no intention to apply for asylum

Austrian border authorities will from Friday be turning back refugees wishing to enter the country but who do not plan to file an asylum application either domestically or in neighbouring Germany.

As the Krone newspaper reported Thursday, translators will be on hand to assess the claims of the migrants, while they will also have to pass through metal detectors, and have their photos and fingerprints taken.

The new measure is part of the country's border management plan that is intended to restrict and control the flow of asylum seekers, in this instance, particularly where they intend to travel to other areas of Europe such as Scandinavia.

Efforts to police the new measures have also been ramped up, particularly in the southern town of Spielfeld by the Slovenian border, one of the main entry points refugees have used to cross into Austria during the present crisis.

A total of 200 army personnel have been stationed at the site since Wednesday. The army personnel, in conjunction with police, are to be capable of registering up to 6,000 asylum seekers per day.

The measures had initially been intended to begin in February, but after initial test runs were successful, they were deemed fit for an early start, and follow just a day after the Austrian government announced measures to reduce the number of asylum seekers it would accept. Endit