Bucharest, Jun 01: Romanian border police today stopped 21 Indian men who had entered the country illegally by boat from Moldavia, police said. The men, who had left India last month, were headed for Germany, a border police spokesman in northeastern Iasi told a news agency, adding that they will be transferred to a refugee centre in Bucharest.

After arriving in Moldavia from Russia, they had crossed the Prut river marking the border between Romania and Moldavia in several boats.

They had paid a Russian trafficker between 4,000 and 6,000 dollars each for help getting to Germany, the men told police.

Romania, which hopes to enter the European Union in 2007, has stepped up efforts over the past year to tighten its borders, especially those with Moldavia and Ukraine.

The campaign has cost nearly 60 million dollars over two years.

The European Union has provided funds, and France, Germany and Spain have contributed logistical support enabling Romania to train and motivate its border guards, of whom nearly 3,000 are stationed in the east on the border with Moldavia.

Bureau Report