SYRIA: Refugees returning in 'huge numbers', says border official

Record ID: 274416

  • Title: SYRIA: Refugees returning in 'huge numbers', says border official
  • Date: 8th July 2013
  • Summary: JDAYDET YABOUS, SYRIA (JULY 8, 2013) (REUTERS) PASSPORT AND IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT BUILDING SIGN READING (ARABIC) "ARRIVALS" CARS WITH LUGGAGE ON TOP WAITING TO CROSS BORDER VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WAITING IN PASSPORT AND IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT LUGGAGE ON FLOOR ZIAD ISMAIL, SENIOR CUSTOMS OFFICIAL, IN HIS OFFICE SYRIAN FLAG (SOUNDBTIE) (Arabic) ZIAD ISMAIL, SENIOR CUSTOMS OFFIC
  • Embargoed: 23rd July 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA4ZBPZ1NX1PBJXR9HCOXBNUP66
  • Story Text: The Syrian border post at Jdaydet Yabous has seen an increase in the numbers of Syrian refugees returning home, a senior border official said on Monday (July 8).
    In the last few days, an average of fifteen thousand people returned to Syria on a daily basis, Ziad Ismail, told Reuters TV.
    "People are returning in huge numbers to their homes after criminals were in their areas. During the last five days the numbers were huge, around sixteen to twenty thousand Syrian people," Ismail said.
    Officials have increased the number of immigration officers on the return gate to cope with the influx.
    First amongst the resons for the return was the cost of living in Lebanon.
    "Despite the entire rise in prices, the prices in Syria are three times lower from them (Lebanon). There is a difference of three to four times between here and there. Despite everything living here is easier than there (Lebanon)," said Nabil Ghanem, a Syrian citizen who said he could not afford to live in Lebanon.
    Suleiman al-Najjar, a cab driver, said living in Syria was still cheaper than anywhere else in the neighbouring countries.
    "Despite the entire crisis and the fact that the whole world is against Syria, we can still find bread in Syria. On the level of bread, the bread's price in Lebanon is one U.S. dollar which means around 200-220 Syrian pounds, while the bread's price in Syria is only 25 Syrian pounds," he said.
    Last week Syrian President Bashar al-Assad granted salary rises to state servants, military personnel and retired employees in order to combat rising prices.
    But the ongoing conflict, which has claimed at least 93,000 lives, has caused a major economic crisis especially after European sanctions and Arab boycott.
    The U.N. estimates at least 1.6 million people have fled more than two years of civil war in Syria, with numbers expected to reach 3.45 million by the end of 2013. Most of the refugees have fled to neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan where UNHCR said it had counted 470,457 and 473,587 in mid May 2013.
    Syria's population is 23 million.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register