Syrians Settle Legal Status as 6 Arrested in Eastern Sidon
A number of Syrians residing in Lebanon settled their legal status Wednesday in the northern city of Tripoli after they were exempted from fines, as six Syrians were arrested in the Eastern Sidon region as part of a continuous crackdown on refugee gatherings.
“A Lebanese army force raided places inhabited by Syrian refugees in the towns of Bqusta and Karkha in Eastern Sidon,” state-run National News Agency reported.
“Six Syrians were arrested and referred to the relevant judicial authorities,” NNA added.
Earlier in the day, the agency said “the center for renewing Syrian refugees' residency permits at Tripoli's serail witnessed unprecedented turnout for the second day in a row.”
“Hundreds of refugees formed lines inside the serail and outside its main gates to settle their situations after they were exempted from fees,” NNA added.
The crowdedness led to a severe traffic jam on a key highway outside the serail all the way to the Abdul Hamid Karami Square, the agency said.
Meanwhile, the General Security posts in the southern city of Tyre and the Shouf town of Shhim witnessed a similar influx by Syrians seeking to settle their situations.
The government has recently exempted Syrian refugees from fines resulting from their illegal status in the country in a bid to “encourage them to leave” after their numbers exceeded Lebanon's coping capacity.
Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas has announced that Lebanon will stop taking in new refugees except for some emergency cases.
Y.R.
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