Turkish police arrest more than 150 illegal migrants

Reports from Turkey say police detained at least one-hundred-and-eighty illegal migrants -- most of them Iraqi Kurds -- in separate operations over the past twenty-four hours in the province of Edirne, which borders Greece, and in Istanbul.

The police action follows criticism from European Union countries that Turkey was not doing enough to combat organised gangs smuggling people into the EU.

However one report said most of those detained had since been freed.

Correspondents say Turkish courts often release migrants attempting to leave the country illegally because fines are so low as not to merit prosecution.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service