Malteser emergency services began a large-scale operation in Hungary on August 27, 1989: "10,000 refugees from the GDR are being cared for in three camps before they are allowed to travel to the Federal Republic of Germany." (Retrieved and translated from Malteser Hilfsdienst, Erzdiözese München und Freising: Chronik 1955-2005, on April 23, 2009)
