Record number of Chechen refugees seek asylum over the week-end

Czech border police say this week-end saw a record number of Chechen refugees seek asylum in the Czech Republic. Dissatisfied with the living conditions in Polish refugee camps, some one hundred Chechens crossed the border into the country, bringing the total number of Chechen asylum applicants to six hundred since mid-April. A spokesperson for the North Moravian Foreign and Border Police said on Monday that the Czech authorities dealing with asylum applications are overwhelmed by the influx of Chechen refugees. With camps overcrowded, several cultural institutions serve as shelters for asylum seekers, some of whom even sleep in the kitchen areas.