RIBAA SARHAN, Jordan - Jordan says it has set up a refugee camp near its northern border with Syria, in preparation for what many fear may be a mass exodus of Syrians fleeing violence in their homeland.
Sami Halaseh of the public works ministry says the 323 square-foot (300 square-meter) area, located about 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of the border, is expected to be ready in two weeks.
| Sounds small. How many of these are they going to need? |
| I think someone mislabelled the measurements. I believe 300 square meters is a bit more than 3,000 square feet. About the size of a medium sized American house. |
| For example, 300 square meters is 40 x 7.5 meters, or about 130 x 23 feet. That's a small storefront. |
| Perhaps it is then intended to be a processing center, where refugees check in and are given a chit for the bit of dusty wasteland where they may sit until it is time to go back home. |
| The size is also ideal for a set of holding cells... |
The camp will be monitored by a round-the-clock police guard. It's the first camp to be set up for Syrians in Jordan since the uprising against the President Bashar Assad's regime began eleven months ago.
Aid officials estimate upwards of 10,000 Syrian refugees already live in Jordan, mostly in private apartments. But they said the numbers are growing as the Syrian military escalates attacks on restive cities. |