Lithuania's Interior Ministry has proposed declaring an emergency situation in Lithuania after reports about a large number of migrants near the Belarus-Poland border.
“In view of this really serious situation, the Interior Ministry proposes to introduce an emergency situation. The government will have to consider the proposal and make the decision,” Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė told reporters during a media conference on Monday.
Read more: Videos show hundreds of migrants approaching Polish border from Belarus
The proposal is to declare an emergency situation in the border area, not in the whole of the country.
The conference was organised following reports that hundreds of irregular migrants in Belarus are moving toward the Polish border. Lithuania's border guard chief previously said that Lithuania was getting ready to react to any developments on its own border with Belarus.
“We are following what is happening on the border between Poland and Belarus and, obviously, we can expect similar incursions and attacks. So our institutions are on maximum alert, our officers and military forces are regrouping,” Bilotaitė told reporters.
Polish officer have reported that hundreds of migrants are approaching the country's border from the Belarusian side.
Rustamas Liubajevas, commander of the State Border Guard Service (VSAT), says officers have information that unrest might be organised at migrant camps in Lithuania.
“Our institutions started preparing for possible incursions three weeks ago as soon as information emerged about such events on the Polish-Belarusian border. We coordinated our actions with the Lithuanian military and other institutions, including the Lithuanian police and the Public Security Service,” Liubajevas said.
Additional forces are being deployed to Lithuania's border areas he said.
Belarusian border guards are blocking a border checkpoint as migrant groups are being diverted to the border with Poland, Liubajevas said, quoting information from Polish officers.
“We don’t have information about any large groups of irregular migrants near our border,” he said, adding that truck drivers returning to Lithuania from Belarus have not seen such groups either.
“If there are attempts to break trough and there's a threat to the health or lives of our officers, special measures and weapons can be used under Lithuanian laws,” he said.
Polish officers reported on Monday that a large number of migrants have been spotted near the border on the Belarusian side.
What is the state of emergency?
The state of emergency in all or parts of the country can be introduced by the parliament or the president for a period of up to six months, although it can then be declared again.
It is a special measure intended for situations when there is a threat to “constitutional order or social peace” and the threat cannot be eliminated with normal measures.
Direct rule can be introduced in municipalities under the state of emergency and certain constitutional rights can be curbed.
These include the protection of people's personal life and home, rights to information, free movement, free association.
The state of emergency can be declared by the parliament, if it is in session. Otherwise, the president can make the decision.
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