More asylum seekers destined for Nijmegen tent camp

A second part of the Huemensoord refugee tent camp in Nijmegen is as good as done, which means that the COA will soon be moving another about 500 refugees to the emergency shelter. A spokesperson for the COA, the central agency for the reception of asylum seekers in the Netherlands, confirmed this to the Telegraaf on Friday. Earlier on Friday Nijmegen reported that the second group of refugees would be moving in this weekend, but work on the camp was slightly delayed. More than 700 refugees have been living in the camp since October 1st. Once the whole camp is finished, it will be able to accommodate 3 thousand people. The average stay for an asylum seeker in the camp will be about 15 weeks. A group of refugees living in the camp took to the streets to protest against the living conditions earlier this week, complaining about, among other things, the cold. On Thursday Neptunus, one of the Netherlands' largest tent manufacturers, told the newspaper that they refused to provide the COA with tents as it would be irresponsible and risky for the refugees during the winter months. The COA spokesperson told the Telegraaf that they have learned from experience in 1998, when refugees were also collected at Heumensoord. Back then the tent camp had to be closed down when the cold and wet season led to problems. "There is air-conditioning, heating, cooling and control of air quality", the spokesperson said.