Record number of asylum seekers in 1999
The number of people seeking refuge in Switzerland has risen to a record level. The federal office for refugees said 46,068 people had applied for asylum in 1999, a rise of 11.5 per cent over 1998.
The number of people seeking refuge in Switzerland has risen to a record level. The federal office for refugees said 46,068 people had applied for asylum in 1999, a rise of 11.5 per cent over 1998. Two-thirds of these came from the former Yugoslavia, in particular, Kosovo.
The other main sources of asylum-seekers were Iraq (3.6 per cent), Bosnia-Herzegovina (3.3 per cent), Sri Lanka (3.2 per cent), Turkey (3.2 per cent) and Albania (3 per cent). Over 84 per cent of asylum-seekers entered the country illegally, according to the refugee office.
The number of asylum-seekers entering Switzerland reached a peak of around 10,000 in June, before falling sharply.
The office added that it had granted asylum to 2,050 people, or 5.7 per cent of applicants. Last year, just under ten per cent of applications were accepted. There are now over 171,000 people living under asylum law in Switzerland, a new record.
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