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German Politician Sends Bus With Refugees To Merkel


A bus carrying 31 Syrian refugees is on its way from southern Germany to the capital of Berlin as a local politician carried out his pledge to Chancellor Angela Merkel that he'd send refugees her way if his district could no longer provide accommodation for them.

The act comes amid ongoing concerns about how Germany will deal with the 1.1 million asylum-seekers that flooded in last year.

Peter Dreier, a Landshut district councilor, said he wanted to "send a sign that refugee policy cannot continue like this."

Dreier said he had warned Merkel last year that Landshut was reaching its capacity for housing asylum-seekers and told her he'd put refugees on buses to Berlin if his district could no longer handle the influx.

A Landshut spokesman told The Associated Press all 31 refugees on the bus have been granted asylum in Germany and volunteered to participate in the bus trip.

Based on reporting by AP

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