Fiala said this was a decision by Chamber officials who were trying to make the operation of the accommodation more efficient. Photo credit: vlada.cz.
Prague, Dec 8 (CTK) – The proposals to terminate the stay of Ukrainian war refugees in the Chamber of Deputies’ accommodation facility in Harrachov, in the Liberec region, were unfortunate and should not have been made, said PM Petr Fiala (ODS) in an interview last night on CNN Prima News TV.
Marketa Pekarova Adamova (TOP 09), chair of the Chamber of Deputies, told a news program on TV Nova that the refugees staying in the facility would find other accommodation in a boarding house in Harrachov eventually.
The Chamber of Deputies Office said on Tuesday that the number of refugees in the Harrachov facility had dropped to 17 people – 12 adults and five children – occupying only two-fifths of the total capacity.
Another lower house facility, located in Lipnice nad Sazavou, Vysočina, is also housing Ukrainian refugees, up to three-quarters of its capacity.
The Chamber Office wanted to combine these accommodation capacities, justifying the decision on the grounds of economic and efficient financial management.
Fiala said on Wednesday that this should not have happened at all, and criticised the poor communication over the matter.
He said he did not have detailed information, but in his opinion, this was a decision by Chamber officials who were trying to make the operation of the accommodation more efficient.
“Nevertheless, this is unfortunate. The refugees should have stayed there,” Fiala said. He acknowledged that the case has outraged the public.
South Bohemia Regional governor Martin Kuba (ODS) also criticised the Chamber’s plan in recent days.
According to the Chamber of Deputies, it was important to find other accommodation in Harrachov as some refugees had found jobs there and their children had started attending local schools.
Chamber of Deputies Office head Martin Plisek said if no other accommodation had been found at the site, the office would have kept providing accommodation and humanitarian aid to refugees in its facility.
The Russian military invasion of Ukraine started in February. The Chamber of Deputies announced in mid-March that 82 refugees from Ukraine had been accommodated in two Chamber facilities. The Chamber announced on Tuesday that it had spent around CZK 7.9 million on aid to refugees up to the end of October.
