LN: Interior minister offers to abolish all direct Prague-Canada flights to avert visa reintroduction

Czech Interior Minister Martin Pecina reportedly offered to cancel all direct flights between Prague and Toronto in a bid to stop the Canadian authorities from reintroducing visa restrictions for Czechs. On Thursday, Lidové noviny reported that the interior minister attempted unsuccessfully to abolish direct flights between the Czech Republic and Canada, hoping that this would act as a disincentive for those seeking asylum in the North American state. According to a spokesperson for ČSA, the Czech national carrier, the airline would not yield to political pressure and cancel the route. In the last couple of days, it has been reported that Canada is seriously considering reintroducing visas for Czechs after 1077 Czech Roma applied for asylum in the first four months of this year. Ottawa reintroduced visa restrictions for Czechs in 1997 because of the number of Czech Roma seeking asylum in Canada, it lifted the restrictions in 2007.