Hungary to detain refugees in container camps on border

Hungary's government plans to hold refugees and asylum seekers in border camps built with shipping containers, completely restricting their freedom of movement.

The measure will also apply to people in already existing facilities, who will be moved to the camps and kept there until their asylum claims are processed.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing government said it had taken the tough new measure to deal with the thousands of people who have fled to Europe in the past two years. Orban's chief of staff described it as a protective measure.

"We need a legal system that protects us. This is a very serious change," Janos Lazar, head of the prime minister's office, said, adding that the measure would be enacted only when the government was in a state of emergency over migration. The government has declared the country to be in such a state since March of last year.

"Containers suitable for accommodating 200-300 people will be erected. Migrants will have to wait there for a legally binding decision on their claims," Lazar said.

Asylum seekers will be able to take part in court proceedings via telecommunications equipment that will be provided in the camps, he added.

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