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A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 13 november 2019
Bosnian border police sound alarm over migration pressure

By ELDAR EMRIC tion of local communities.
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herze- Galic said his border police
govina (AP) — The chief forces is short 1,000 officers
of Bosnia's border police and the modern technol-
warned Tuesday that his ogy required to secure the
guards cannot contain the borders. He said the coun-
migratory pressure along try only has one officer
the country's eastern bor- per every 30 kilometers (19
der with Serbia and that miles) of border.
the situation could easily Bosnia is located along
escalate and put in danger the so-called Balkan route
the overall stability of the that migrants from the
politically fragile nation. Middle East, Central Asia
Zoran Galic told The As- and North Africa take in
sociated Press in an inter- hopes of reaching western
view that securing the na- Europe. The route became
tion's entire 1,600-kilometer more popular nearly three
(995-mile) border along a years ago after other coun-
popular migration route tries in the region sealed off
into Europe was like the their borders.
"work of Sisyphus." That was Most migrants arrive in Bos-
a reference to the Greek nia from Serbia after mov-
mythical hero who was ing relatively unimpeded
condemned for eternity to In this photo taken Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019, Bosnian border police officers guard migrants after across the poorly guarded
push a rock up a mountain making the illegal crossing from Serbia by the Drina river, the natural border between Bosnia and border between the two
only to watch it roll all the Serbia, near eastern Bosnian town of Zvornik, Bosnia. countries. From there they
way down every time he Associated Press walk northwest to Bosnia's
reaches the top. border with the European
"We are in a constant strug- eight months pregnant, Since the start of the year, to provide them with ap- Union-member Croatia.
gle to deter migrants, but juvenile children, and we more than 13,000 migrants propriate accommodation The Bosnian border with
they never quit," he said. are doing our best to treat have arrived in Bosnia, ac- and many are left without both Serbia and Croatia is
Describing the scale of the them morally, with respect cording to Bosnian govern- access to hot meals, show- mostly porous, with rivers,
problem, he said: "We en- for all international (human ment statistics. The impov- ers or proper medical care, mountains and vast tracts
counter women who are rights) conventions." erished country is unable to the growing consterna- of forest.q

Polish opposition celebrates taking control of Senate

Associated Press Law and Justice has been
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — trying to win over some of
Poland's opposition parties the opposition members
elected their candidate in Senate, but has so far
as speaker of the Senate failed.
on Tuesday, a small victory Earlier Tuesday, the lower
for them that allows them house of parliament, also
to act as a check on the named its speaker — Elz-
power of the populist right- bieta Witek of Law and Jus-
wing ruling party. tice.
Senator Tomasz Grodzki President Andrzej Duda
was elected speaker in a opened the first day of
51-48 vote with one absten- parliament's four-year term
tion during the first sitting of with a speech that paid
the newly elected party. homage to Poland's tradi-
Grodzki hailed the move as tion of being a land of tol-
a victory for democracy. erance and a place where
Until Tuesday's vote, it was many ethnic and religious
not certain that the opposi- groups lived for centuries in
tion parties would manage relative harmony. He also
to take control of the Sen- paid tribute to Roman Ca-
ate. tholicism and strong family
For the past four years, traditions that he credited
the ruling Law and Justice The leader of Poland's ruling right-wing Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, center, swears with preserving the social
party has put through a se- in as a member of the parliament during a gala inauguration of a new four-year term of the na- fabric over a difficult his-
ries of laws giving it much tional parliament in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. tory.
greater power over the ju- Associated Press The parliamentary election
dicial system. The European on Oct. 13 gave a second
Union has often expressed In many cases, with control Now, the Senate will be heads of some key state term Law and Justice party,
its concerns that the party of the both houses of par- able to slow down, though bodies and the opposition which won nearly 44% of
was eroding judicial inde- liament, the party would not block, the passage of — if it maintains its majority the votes, the highest per-
pendence, warning that rush laws through without laws. Perhaps even more — will be able to block the centage of any party since
rule of law in the young de- allowing opposition law- importantly, the Senate has nominations of some ruling Poland returned to democ-
mocracy was on the line. makers any say. the power to appoint the party loyalists. racy 30 years ago.q