Belarusian Customs Officers Keep Tourists on Border

02.11.2007. Source: Pahonia.

Since 4 p.m. on 1 November till now 15 busses with about 300 citizens of Belarus from Brest, Hrodna, Minsk and other settlements of Belarus have been detained in the neutral zone of the crossing point Makrany on the border with the Ukraine.

According to the tourists, the Belarusian customs office refuses to inspect their luggage because they often go to the Ukraine. Though the luggage does not excess the limit of 50 kilos, the customs officers don’t check it and the border guards do not put their seals in the passports and send them back to the Ukrainian territory. According to the tourists, at night the chair of the crossing point came there and stated that none of the busses would be let in.

The people, mainly women, are in a desperate situation, because the Ukrainian customs office does not let them back either. There are no shops on the neutral territory and the tourists are running out of food and drinks. They consider these events self-will of the authorities and demand to let them speak to the Customs committee and the Frontier troops committee over the phone.