Croatia let not only Hungary down but the entire European Union, and gave up all legal obligations that are also binding on it, Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács stated at his press conference held in Mohács.
Zoltán Kovács told the press that the Croatians continue to transport illegal migrants to the Hungarian border, and Hungary will continue to perform its duties related to the relevant EU procedures.
„We shall register all illegal migrants coming to Hungary, and shall provide them with care”, he said. The Government Spokesperson informed the press that Chief of Staff General Tibor Benkő announced the partial call-up of voluntary operational reservists, as a result of which another five hundred people, and in total, 900 volunteers may help with the construction of the southern security border fence and may perform the required support and other tasks.
György Bakondi, Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister on internal security said that 288 illegal border crossers had been apprehended on the Serbian border section on Friday, and more than 8 thousand migrants had arrived by bus and by rail on the Croatian border section via the border crossing stations at Beremend, Letenye and Magyarbóly, who had been transported to registration and collection points.
Those who were not prepared to undergo registration travelled on towards Austria, he added.
The Chief Advisor informed the press that 108 illegal border crossers had been apprehended on the Serbian border section on Saturday, and the border crossing station at Ásotthalom had been reopened at seven in the morning. The Hungarian Government is ready to consider the reopening of the rest of the border crossing stations if Serbia guarantees that there will be no incidents disturbing traffic and the security of the border.
By ten o’clock some 2,900 migrants arrived at the Croatian border section, including 1,800 who came to Gyékényes by rail; that is, some 11,000 migrants have entered the territory of Hungary on Friday and Saturday in total, Mr Bakondi said. He further reported that the first line of defence of the technical border fence planned on a section of 41 kilometres of the Hungarian-Croatian border section had been completed during the night. However, the construction of the fence will be more difficult due to terrain conditions than on the Hungarian-Serbian border.
The Chief Advisor told the press that the authorities had processed more than 209,000 illegal border crossers since January, 172,801 had submitted asylum applications, and criminal proceedings had been instituted against 133 persons since 15 September. There are 69 persons in the two transit zones, and 1,068 individuals at the reception centres.
Migrants are flooding into the country from Croatia, and we therefore cannot expect this “flood” to abate any time soon, he remarked.
Mr Bakondi stressed in the context of the incident which occurred at the Magyarbóly railway station that the Chief Commissioner of the police will set up a committee for the investigation of the incident.
The driver of the train was apprehended, and is at present on bail awaiting trial, he added.
In answer to questions, Mr Kovács pointed out that photo and video evidence proves that the Croatian police accompanying the migrants arrived in Hungary armed, but they were no longed armed when their details were taken down.
“We must investigate this, rather than speculate. Let us wait until the investigation is completed, but yesterday’s announcement was correct in every respect”, he said.
The Government Spokesperson told the press that the migrants had been transported without consultation between the Croatian and Hungarian authorities. The suspicion of a number of different crimes, from prohibited border crossing, through armed entry, all the way to the endangerment of the safety of transport by rail, emerges.
In answer to the enquiries of journalists, Mr Kovács also stressed that the police did not use rubber bullets at the Röszke border but only resorted to the authorised, normal means of defence to avert the attack which were proportionate to the gravity of the incident.
“We may hear the most outrageous claims, lies and falsifications regarding what happened there; quite evidently, not only politicians but organisations calling themselves professional, too, are making every effort to falsify the truth”, the Government Spokesperson said.
The uncut version of the press conference may be downloaded in the Press Rom.