Britain may accept thousands more refugees

Risingbd Desk: David Cameron is expected to announce details of new measures that could see several thousand refugees living in camps along the Syrian border resettled in Britain.

The Prime Minister`s change of attitude to the migration crisis comes in the face of growing public pressure as more than 300,000 people have signed an online petition urging the Government to act.

It comes as Cameron faces renewed pressure from Nicola Sturgeon to deliver an "immediate humanitarian response" to the migration crisis unfolding across Europe.

In a letter to Cameron, Scotland`s First Minister warned the death of three-year-old Kurdish-Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi highlighted his moral obligation to offer sanctuary to those fleeing conflict and persecution.

Britain has been criticised for refusing to join an EU scheme to resettle migrants and has failed to match Germany and Sweden, which have opened their doors to large numbers of refugees.

An emergency refugee summit organised by Ms Sturgeon and scheduled to take place this morning will bring together charities and religious groups to set out what Scotland can do to help.

Urgent work is now said to be taking place in Whitehall on the nature of Cameron`s plan thought to result in Britain accepting "several thousand" refugees living in UN camps on the Syrian border.

This would be rather than the UK opening its doors to the desperate migrants who have poured into European front countries like Greece and Italy from across the Mediterranean.

Previously, Cameron said his Government was opposed to letting more refugees come to Britain.

Source: agencies

risingbd/Sep 4, 2015/Nasim