New wall rise
go through Ian Trainor
November 9, 1990
Driving from Vienna to Czechoslovakia or Hungary is now much easier than it was a month ago. Like most other Western Europeans, British tourists can pass easily and no longer need a visa. The Common European Homeland is in action.
But you will soon realize that the rules are different for everyone, and certainly not for traffic in the other direction. In the border area a year after the Berlin Wall was broken, a scene more reminiscent of the US-Mexico border appeared-the Austrian armed forces were patrolling to prevent aliens from entering the east.
In Brussels, European politicians shuddered because they wanted to know how to deal with the crowds crowded together in the late 20th century-“illegal immigrants” from the East knocked on the door.Freedom of movement, that Necessary condition The European Community has its limitations. The restriction is the old iron curtain. It turns out that it has not been completely dismantled, unless of course you are a German.
Democratic values, human rights, free elections and soaring crime rates-all of these are now the common currency of East and West. But one year after the drastic changes that changed the post-war order in Europe, the poverty and debt of Eastern Europeans is becoming the biggest threat to the new democracy.
The Polish Prime Minister said: “It is particularly important that we work together to overcome the division of Europe’s rich and poor, A-level and B-level Europe.” Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Warning this week. He responded to the remarks made by the West German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher a few days ago. He said: “After the collapse of the stone wall and barbed wire, the West is faced with whether to allow it to be replaced. The problem. There are gaps in different living standards, different economic development, ecological supply and social justice.”
A year after the collapse of communism, the queues-a typical symbol of the Soviet system-were getting longer rather than shorter: queues for sugar, queues for bread. The most important thing is to wait in line for visas and air tickets to the west.
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Poland worries about the flood of Soviet refugees: the ruined country will bear the brunt
Author: Ian Traynor in Warsaw
November 30, 1990
Ten red arrows occupy a small office of the Polish Ministry of Interior. They also dominate the contemplative mind of Colonel Zbigniew Skosilas, the 62-year-old burly and bearded, wearing combat uniforms patrolling the office like Polish farmer Fidel Castro.
10 arrows are printed on the large map of Europe on the wall. Two points entered Scandinavia from the Leningrad region, and another point entered Romania from Ukraine. The reason why Colonel Skosilas was upset was that he entered Poland from the western part of the Soviet Union.
The former paratrooper colonel said: “We just imagine how this tide will come,” he just retired a month ago and became the head of the new immigration office of the ministry. If the Soviet famine predicted this winter coincides with the free travel legislation of Soviet citizens, it is established as an emergency arrangement for fear of the influx of Russians into the eastern border of Poland.
“If they get passports, we expect hundreds of thousands of people to come to Poland. Just look at the map and you will know. Moscow, Warsaw, Berlin, and Paris have not changed their westward route for centuries. If Russians start to come, The overwhelming masses must pass through Polish territory.
The prospect of large-scale exodus is not liked by any country, so the West is currently providing winter assistance to the Soviet Union. Poland’s economy collapsed and its external debt was huge, and it was particularly unable to cope with it.
A by-product of the influx of Soviets was the further delay of any hope of economic recovery. “There are already 60-70,000 Soviet citizens here as’tourists’ or businessmen. If Moscow were to block the border, these people would want to stay. Then our situation will be desperate. We can’t afford 100,000. If the border is not closed, And you can imagine that with 1 million Russians coming, our budget will be overwhelmed.
Colonel Scorsilas said that Poland may be able to accommodate 20-30,000 Soviet immigrants. He is drafting emergency plans and organizing refugee collection points. Dozens of barracks from which the Red Army will be evacuated are ready for use.
There may also be many genuine political asylum seekers. The colonel said that in Ukraine, which has a large number of Polish minorities, the struggle between separatists and centralists may be suppressed: “In this case, many people will come here with good refugee arguments.”
If the Polish minorities (about 2 million) in the Soviet Union seek entry and apply for citizenship, Warsaw will also be in an impossible situation. Those who claim to be Poles are likely to exceed two million.
“We have never had a refugee problem before,” the colonel said. “We think Poland is the poorest country in Europe.”
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Poland erects a new iron curtain to stop floods from the east
go through Julian Borg (Trespol)
February 16, 1993
The route of Ladas, Volgas, and the old Soviet tourist bus stretches for miles in all directions from the border post between Trespol and Brest, Poland Belarus.
The Russian and Belarusian businessmen crowded in each car are used to waiting for up to four days to pass through customs. They have enough food and books to avoid hunger and boredom. They often run the engine to prevent freezing.
There is no doubt that the wait is worth it. “In one trip, my income was five times that of working in Belarus,” said Galina Mengaleva, who took a tourist bus from Minsk to the Warsaw market to sell wooden toys and clothing. She wants to bring fruit and dollars home to her family.
This may be her last business trip. Ministers from 35 European countries met in Budapest yesterday and agreed on measures to prevent illegal immigrants from flowing westward through Eastern Europe. The Polish government plans to impose strict restrictions on cross-border transportation, which will not only affect people from the former Soviet Union, but also Romanians, Bulgarians and refugees from Yugoslavia.
The new measures are partly a response to Germany’s plan to restrict its refugee reception.Bonn intends to refuse asylum for refugees going to Bonn Germany Through other countries. Poland fears that it will soon have to take care of the majority of asylum seekers in the area.
Last year, the country was the gateway to Germany for an estimated 100,000 refugees. If the Bundestag approves the new law, these people may be sent back to Poland.
According to Polish media reports, the German Interior Ministry has made it clear that closer ties with the European Community depend on measures taken by Warsaw to restrict immigration.
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