The UN refugee agency said
Tuesday it had appointed a special coordinator for Syria, as thousands flee the
Damascus regime's deadly repression.
Panos Moumtzis, the
agency's new regional coordinator for Syrian refugees, called for borders to
remain open to help those displaced by the year-old violence.
"Official data from
surrounding countries and UNHCR's own registration figures indicate that around
30,000 people have fled to neighboring countries while significant numbers of
Syrians are thought to be displaced inside Syria," said Moumtzis.
"Right after this
meeting, I will be travelling to the region," he told journalists.
Moumtzis is scheduled to
meet representatives from aid agencies to examine the amount of relief supplies
needed to be prepositioned.
As the UNHCR's figure
reflected the number of registered refugees, the real number of people who have
fled Syria is expected to be much larger.
In Syria itself, the number
of internally displaced has reached about 200,000, said the UNHCR, quoting
Syrian Red Crescent data.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that
8,500 people have been killed in the crackdown since the popular uprising began
in March 2011.http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=375611
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