Approximately 30 people were detained at the “#Paternieki” checkpoint on the #Latvian-#Belarusian border for several hours yesterday. In order to prevent a mass influx of migrants into the country, the border #checkpoint was closed, stopping both pedestrian and car traffic.
The operational decision was made yesterday by the head of the border guard, but today the border guard has turned to the government with a proposal to close the pedestrian flow for a longer period.
The head of the #Daugavpils Department of the State Border Guard indicates that there were foreshadowings to what happened last night. A few days ago, four migrants arrived in “#Paternieki” and are now in the accommodation centre for detained foreigners in Daugavpils.
The cars entering “Paternieki” are mostly registered in #Latvia or #Lithuania. A Lithuanian woman says in Russian that she is going to visit her mother in #Belarus, but she has not been able to persuade her to move to Lithuania. In Latvia’s southern neighbor, two border checkpoints with Belarus are currently open. “Paternieki” is the only one for Latvia, but two more border checkpoints are open on the border with Russia.
SHOTLIST
– VS Line with trucks near border checkpoint
– MS Tires
– VS Border checkpoint
– VS Border and mobile fence
– VS #Border checkpoint
– SOUNDBITE (Latvian) Raimonds Kublickis, Head of the Daugavpils Department of the State Border Guard: “The migrants were staying in close proximity to the state border. No aggression was observed, but there were some shouts and statements about border guard officials who monitored situation”
– VS Border checkpoint
– VS People leaving #Latvia
– VS Truck check
– VS Bicycles
– VS people
– SOUNDBITE (Latvian) Raimonds Kublickis, Head of the Daugavpils Department of the State Border Guard: “The case of the four people who were the first to be admitted was an isolated case, the first such attempt to enter. During the interviews with them, it became clear that there were risks of group gatherings. Quite large groups and they can register in an organised manner.”
– VS Truck drivers
– UPSOUND (Latvian) journalist: “Why are you with bicycle?”
– UPSOUND (Italian) women: “No migration! No migration!”
– VS Cars in lines
– VS border guards check cars
– VS Cars
– PAN LEFT border checkpoint
– VS People in bicycles