Turkey denies mass deportation of Syrian refugees after unrest

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey denied on Thursday, March 28 it had rounded up and deported hundreds of Syrian refugees following unrest at a border camp, highlighting the strain the exodus from Syria's civil war is placing on neighboring states, Reuters said.

Witnesses said hundreds of Syrians were bussed to the border after Wednesday's clashes in which refugees in the Suleymansah camp, near the Turkish town of Akcakale, threw rocks at military police, who fired teargas and water cannon.

The Turkish foreign ministry denied any Syrians had been forcibly expelled, saying around 50-60 people had returned to Syria overnight and that some of them may have been involved in the unrest, but that they left voluntarily.

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR voiced deep concern at reports of deportations and said it had taken up the issue with Turkey. Such deportations would be against U.N. conventions governing the treatment of refugees.

"There has been a big deportation operation here, they got rid of lots of people. They kicked out two of my boys and three of my brother's sons. They came for my boys last night and told them to get their bags," one refugee at the camp told Reuters by telephone, giving her name as Saher.

"Today, a large number of guards came in with shields and they went around the camp forcing people out. I think around 300 families left today," she said.

One official at the camp said 600-700 people had been deported including those identified from security camera footage as being involved in the violence, along with their families.

"The security forces are still looking at the footage, and if they see more they will deport them," the official said.

A second Turkish official in the region put the number lower, saying about 400 had been sent home.