2015-05-28 Kreikan pakolaisliikenne (yhdistetty)

[Alaric]

Kreikka aikoo sulkea Egeanmeren saarilta 3 suurinta täpötäynnä olevaa "siirtolaisleiriä", mm. Lesbokselta kuuluisan Morian leirin.

Nämä aiotaan korvata viidellä suljetulla leirillä, jotka on tarkoitettu laittomien tunnistamista, uudelleensijoitusta ja palautusta varten.

https://www.france24.com/en/20191120-greece-to-shut-down-three-largest-migrant-camps (20.11.2019)

Greece to shut down three largest migrant camps

Greece will shut down the three largest of its overcrowded migrant camps on islands facing Turkey, and replace them with new closed facilities with much larger capacity, officials said Wednesday.

"Decongesting the islands is a priority at this stage," the government's special coordinator for migration Alkiviadis Stefanis, a former army general and chief of staff, told a news conference.

The three camps to be closed, on the islands of Lesbos, Chios and Samos, currently house over 27,000 people under terrible conditions that have been repeatedly castigated by rights groups and the Council of Europe. They have a nominal capacity of just 4,500.

The Greek government said it would replace the camps with new closed facilities for identification, relocation and deportation with a capacity of at least 5,000 people each.

Smaller camps on the islands of Kos and Leros are also to be remodelled along these lines and enlarged, Stefanis said.

Instead of being allowed to move freely in and out of the camps, asylum-seekers will now be locked up until they are granted refugee status and relocated to the mainland, or they are rejected and sent back to Turkey, officials said.

The government has vowed to relocate 20,000 asylum-seekers to camps on the mainland by early 2020.

The new conservative government which came to power in July has already passed a law stiffening asylum requirements for migrants, and has pledged to deploy additional border patrols.

(...)

[Pullervo]

Viimeisen vuorokauden aikana Kreikan rannikkovartiosto on poiminut sadoittain siirtolaisia Koillis-Kreikan Évroksen Alexandroúpoliksen edustalla Traakianmerellä sekä Egeanmerellä Lesboksen ja Chíoksen saarten lähistöltä. Kymmenessä operaatiossa napattiin nelisensataa laitonta siirtolaista ja kolme epäiltyä ihmissalakuljettajaa.

Näiden tulohan ei lopu kuskaamalla porukka ihan väärälle rannalle, vaan palauttamalla oitis takaisin Turkkiin ja sieltä lähtömaihinsa.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/246749/article/ekathimerini/news/hundreds-of-refugees-migrants-rescued-from-the-sea-in-past-24-hours

Hundreds of refugees, migrants rescued from the sea in past 24 hours (22.11.2019)

Greece's Coast Guard said Friday it rescued 400 refugees and migrants in the last 24 hours in 10 different incidents in the sea area near the city Alexandroupolis and the islands of Lesvos and Chios.

Authorities also arrested three people believed to be migrant traffickers.

Meanwhile, two ferries carrying 96 refugees and migrants from the islands of Chios, zeros and Kos arrived at the port of Piraeus on Friday morning, as part of the government's efforts to decongest migrant camps.

The new arrivals will be sent to different accommodation facilities in the mainland.

[Alaric]

Kreikan ja Turkin välisellä maarajalla käy nyt laittomien "siirtolaisten" kuhina. Nämä yrittävät ennen talven tuloa ja rajajoen vedenpinnan nousua ehtiä Kreikka­an.

Paikalliset ovat raivoissaan näistä rötöstelijöistä ja järjestävät huomenna Kipoin rajanylityspisteellä miekkarin.

Viime kuussa rajavartijat nappasivat alueella 1 525 laitonta läpsyttelijää ja 72 ihmissalakuljettajaa.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/246798/article/ekathimerini/news/people-traffickers-having-field-day-at-evros-border (24.11.2019)

People traffickers having field day at Evros border

As reactions to the transfer of migrants from the islands to the mainland intensify, local protests are also mounting in northern Greece over increasing arrivals from Turkey across the Evros River.

In the latest round of reactions, citizens movements from the northeastern towns of Komotini, Alexandroupoli and Didymoteicho in the region of Thrace will be staging a rally on Monday at the Kipoi crossing on the Greek-Turkish border. Organizers say the rally will also include a human chain.

According to local reports, the recent surge of migrants in the area is attributed to a rush to cross the Evros before heavy winter sets in and water levels rise.

The latest data show that in the last month alone 1,525 refugees and migrants and 72 traffickers were arrested in Thrace.

Those that do manage to cross the Greek-Turkish border, are said to move in groups of three, five and even 10, traveling overnight in the direction of Thessaloniki, either on foot, in smugglers' vehicles on the Egnatia Highway or on the railway.

(...)

The organizers of today's rally claim that crime levels have also risen in tandem with the arrivals, saying that locals frequently report petty thefts of farm produce and damage to fields, trees and crops.

(...)

[Alaric]

Egeanmeren saarille tuli viime viikolla 2 793 laitonta läpsyttelijää.

Lesbos: 1 615
Samos: 630
Khios: 548

http://www.ekathimerini.com/246822/article/ekathimerini/news/nearly-3000-migrants-land-on-aegean-islands-in-a-week (25.11.2019)

Nearly 3,000 migrants land on Aegean islands in a week

Nearly 3,000 undocumented migrants landed on three Aegean islands within the space of a week, according to official figures made public on Monday.

The figures from the Greek Police's regional headquarters for the northern Aegean showed that a total of 2,793 migrants arrived on the islands of Lesvos, Chios and Samos between Monday 18 and Sunday November 24.

Specifically, 1,615 migrants landed on Lesvos, joining the already teeming Moria camp, with 548 reaching Chios and 630 arriving on Samos.

(...)

[Alaric]

Kreikan hallitus vaatii, että laittomia matuja hyysäävien haittajärjestöjen on rekisteröidyttävä 10 päivän kuluessa tai niiden toiminta kielletään.

Taustalla on mm. viranomaisten halu tutkia mahdollisia rahanpesuun viittaavia rahansiirtoja.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/246872/article/ekathimerini/news/greece-gives-ngos-10-days-to-register-or-face-ban (26.11.2019)

Greece gives NGOs 10 days to register or face ban

Non-governmental organizations that work with refugees and migrants in Greece were given 10 days on Friday to register with the Citizen Protection Ministry, or risk being banned from operating in the country.

The national register of Greek and foreign NGOs dealing with international protection, migration and social integration issues - as it is officially called - was initiated by the previous SYRIZA government in October 2018 and states that registering with the authorities is a "necessary precondition" to be accredited by the ministry and continue to work in the country.

(...)

The authority wants to investigate possible illegal financial transactions that would point to money laundering.

Ateenassa poliisi on onnistunut pidättämään ihmissalakuljetusjengin, joka väärensi haittamamuille matkustusdokumentteja. Niiden avulla läpsyt pääsivät lentämällä tai maarajojen yli läpsyttelemällä muihin EU-maihin laittomasti.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/246831/article/ekathimerini/news/people-smuggling-gang-busted-in-athens (26.11.2019)

People-smuggling gang busted in Athens

Police in Attica announced on Monday that they had unraveled a racket that had been trafficking undocumented migrants whom they provided with stolen or forged travel documents so that could leave Greece either through airports or over land borders.

The gang also supplied migrants with residence permits and driving licenses.

(...)

Kreikan rannikkovartiosto on pidättänyt jahdiltaan kolme turkki­laista, jotka on etsintäkuulutettu Italiassa ihmissalakuljetuksesta epäiltyinä.

Pidätettyjen kerrotaan salakuljettaneen 43 laitonta "siirtolaista" Turkista Italiaan.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/246829/article/ekathimerini/news/three-arrested-for-migrant-smuggling-near-corfu (25.11.2019)

Three arrested for migrant smuggling near Corfu

Greece's Coast Guard on Monday arrested three Turkish nationals wanted in Italy for migrant smuggling, state-run news agency ANA-MPA reported.

(...)

The coast guard brought the yacht back to Corfu port where authorities verified that the three suspects were wanted by Interpol over their alleged involvement in the trafficking of 43 migrants from Turkey to Italy.

(...)

[Alaric]

Kreikan hallitus on kehnossa tilanteessa. Egeanmeren saarille lappaa jatkuvasti laittomia Turkista, ja nyt suunnitellaan sitten mantereelle viittätoista uutta keskusta näille.

Paska juttu muille Euroopan maille, sillä nuohan häipyvät mantereella olevista keskuksista saman tien jatkamaan matkaansa...

http://www.ekathimerini.com/247047/article/ekathimerini/news/new-shelters-for-refugees-planned-on-the-mainland (2.12.2019)

New shelters for refugees planned on the mainland

The Greek government is mulling the creation of more accommodation facilities for asylum seekers on the mainland amid efforts to decongest camps on eastern Aegean islands.

Authorities plan to set up about 15 accommodation centers in Livadia, Lamia, Ioannina, Arta, Fokida, Pyrgos and Sparti. There are also plans to create up to three on Crete and up to four in northern Greece. The aim is to share out the burden across the country.

Sources say each structure will be designed to hold between 1,000 and 2,000 people. Authorities are said to want strict monitoring at the mainland facilities. For that reason, residents will be given identity cards that they will need to enter the shelters. Breaking rules of conduct will entail penalties such as benefit cuts. Officials have not ruled out the possibility of setting up camps with tents on the mainland if flows continue unabated.

(...)

Khiosin saarella kahta eri etnisyyttä olevat laittomien siirtolaisten ryhmät tappelivat ja kivittivät toisiaan Vialin leirillä sunnuntaina: kolme loukkaantui, joista yksi oli kreikkalainen poliisi.

Näidenkö sitten pitäisi elää rauhassa ihanassa monikulttuurisessa Euroopassa?

http://www.ekathimerini.com/247063/article/ekathimerini/news/three-people-injured-in-brawl-at-chios-migrant-facility (2.12.2019)

Three people injured in brawl at Chios migrant facility

Police on Chios have detained three people following clashes at the eastern Aegean island's Vial migrant camp on Sunday that left three people injured.

The brawl started between two groups of migrants of different ethnic origins who initially started throwing rocks at each other for reasons that remained unclear. The fracas escalated, leaving two migrants hurt and a policeman with minor injuries.

(...)

Keski-Kreikan Thivassa sijaitsevalla leirillä on maanantaina pidätetty 14 "siirtolaista" ja nyt he ovat saaneet syytteet ase- ja huumerikoksista. Näiltä takavarikoitiin veitsiä, metallitankoja, kannabista yms.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/247129/article/ekathimerini/news/police-arrest-14-migrants-following-camp-raid (3.12.2019)

Police arrest 14 migrants following camp raid

Fourteen residents of a migrant reception center in Thiva, central Greece, on Tuesday faced a prosecutor on charges of weapons and drug possession following a police raid on the facility on Monday.

The raid was carried out by officers as part of a broader plan by regional authorities and led to checks on 98 people, 24 of whom were detained, leading to 14 arrests.

(...)

During the raid, officers confiscated metal clubs, switchblades and screwdrivers, as well as significant quantities of cannabis and contraband cigarettes and tobacco.

[Alaric]

https://twitter.com/HommaMedia/status/1204105932600274944

[tweet]1204105932600274944[/tweet]

http://www.ekathimerini.com/247337/article/ekathimerini/news/nicosia-steps-up-dividing-line-patrols-amid-migrant-influx (9.12.2019)

Nicosia steps up dividing line patrols amid migrant influx

Joint police and military patrols are being launched along ethnically split Cyprus' dividing line to counter an influx of migrants crossing from the Turkish-occupied north, the country's interior minister said Monday.

Nicos Nouris told state broadcaster CyBC that the patrols will be on a 24-hour basis in and around the divided capital. The measure will be reviewed at the end of next month to gauge its effectiveness.

The minister said police officers are accompanying soldiers on patrols because military personnel aren't authorized to detain civilians. Additional, nightly patrols by elite police unit members will also be set in motion to bolster citizens' sense of security, Nouris said.

Cyprus' 180-kilometre-long, United Nations-controlled buffer zone is narrowest at Nicosia's medieval core, where only a few meters separate the two sides, and has become relatively porous in sections where guard posts are no longer manned.

(...)

[Alaric]

https://twitter.com/HommaMedia/status/1204480400334237699

[tweet]1204480400334237699[/tweet]

http://www.ekathimerini.com/247365/article/ekathimerini/news/evros-border-fence-extension-mulled (10.12.2019)

Evros border fence extension mulled

With the goal of containing the seemingly uncontrollable flow of migrants over land from Turkey, the government is reportedly mulling a plan to make the Evros River on the country's northeast border impenetrable by extending an already existing iron fence in Orestiada along its entire length.

The project will be no easy feat, technically or financially, as the Evros stretches for over 230 kilometers on the Greek side of the border.

To compound matters, if the river breaks its banks in winter – not a rare phenomenon – the fence could come down.

However, despite the difficulties involved in bringing such a plan to fruition, a fence is still considered an effective means of prevention, as demonstrated by the one that already exists in Orestiada.

A similar steel-enforced fence put up by Bulgaria and stretching over 250 kilometers along its border with Turkey has also proven highly effective.

For the time being, the government is seriously considering the plan, given that there are no signs that the migrants flows will let up any time soon.

(...)

Kuolinsyytutkimuksen mukaan kuusi laitonta läpsyttelijää kuoli viime viikolla kylmyyteen Turkin rajan lähellä Kreikassa.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/247392/article/ekathimerini/news/six-migrants-died-of-cold-near-turkish-border-greek-coroner-says (10.12.2019)

Six migrants died of cold near Turkish border, Greek coroner says

Six migrants died of exposure to the cold in recent days in northeastern Greece near its land border with Turkey, a local coroner said Tuesday. The region is a popular corridor for illegal immigration.

Pavlos Pavlidis, who is based in the northeastern town of Alexandroupoli, said the victims were four men and two women, all under 30 years old. Their identities and nationalities were unknown, although the two women appeared to be from Africa, he said.

Five of the bodies were found over the weekend and the sixth was found Dec. 5, Pavlidis told The Associated Press. The bodies of the two women were found near the Evros River, which flows along much of the land border between Greece and Turkey. The men were found in hilly terrain.

(...)

[Alaric]

Uuden "siirtolaiskriisi­n" merkit ovat ilmassa ja nykytilannetta kuvaillaan kriittisemmäksi Kreikalle kuin vuoden 2015 vyöryä.

Viranomaiset ennustavat, että ensi vuonna maahan tulee Turkista noin 100 000 laitonta haittamatua.

Ei hyvältä näytä.

https://www.dw.com/en/greece-expects-100000-more-migrants-in-2020/a-51716555 (18.12.2019)

Greece expects 100,000 more migrants in 2020

Asylum-seekers are continuing to arrive on the shores of Greek islands such as Lesbos and Samos, with the crisis only getting worse. The Greek government predicts 100,000 more people to arrive from Turkey in 2020.

Greece is predicting up to 100,000 asylum-seekers to arrive on its islands from Turkey in 2020, placing a further strain on its already bursting migrant camps.

"The crisis is happening now, and it is serious," Manos Logothetis, government commissioner for migration, told the German Funk media group on Wednesday.

In the past six months, 45,000 refugees arrived in Greece, leading the government commissioner to say the situation was "clearly more critical" for Greece than the 2015 migrant crisis, at the high point of people fleeing the civil war in Syria.

Currently, there are more than 41,000 people waiting at the infamous camps on the islands such as Moria on Lesbos or Vathy on Samos, according to the Greek government — this is the highest number since the EU-Turkey refugee pact came into force in 2016.

Refugee camps at breaking point

During 2015, migrants passed through Greece on their way to other EU countries, but now they are largely held at the island reception centers that are increasingly beyond capacity. In April 2019, there were still 14,000 migrants living on the island and humanitarian agencies report the situation is drastic.

(...)

[Alaric]

Poliisi käytti mellakoivia läpsyjä vastaan kyynelkaasua tänään aamulla Samos­in saarella. Noin 300 turvapaikkahuijaria tuhosi paikkoja ja heitteli poliiseja kivillä. Nämä ovat mielestään olleet saarella liian pitkään.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/247734/article/ekathimerini/news/police-fire-tear-gas-in-clashes-with-refugees-in-samos (19.12.2019)

Police fire tear gas in clashes with refugees in Samos

Police officers fired tear gas to disperse a group of about 300 refugees and migrants who were protesting against their long stay in the overcrowded camp of Samos on Thursday morning.

The protesters destroyed portable toilets that had been placed outside the camp and started throwing stones against officers who arrived at the site, local news website Samos 24 reported. Police responded with tear gas.

(...)

The camp in Samos, initially built for about 650 people, is unraveling under the weight of more than 5,700 asylum-seekers, based on government data.

Lisää juttua Samosilta, julkaistu eilen.

https://twitter.com/HommaMedia/status/1207380509828890624

[tweet]1207380509828890624[/tweet]

https://greece.greekreporter.com/2019/12/18/samos-mayor-shouts-at-pushes-migrants-in-islands-central-square-video/ (18.12.2019)

Samos Mayor Shouts at, Pushes Migrants in Island's Central Square (video)

The mayor of the Greek island of Samos took the law into his own hands on Tuesday by shouting at and pushing away refugees and migrants who attempted to occupy the central square of the capital town, Vathy.

Mayor of East Samos Georgios Stantzos was captured in a video by Samos24.gr in Pythagoras Square chasing the migrants and shouting "Go the F**k Away."

His intervention followed a police operation to disperse a demonstration on the square. Despite police having just cleared out the square, groups of migrants had returned there for another try.

Speaking to Greek Reporter, Stantzos said that he regrets using foul language but it was a knee-jerk response to an incident which could have turned very violent. "It was a human response to a very tense situation," the mayor explained.

"It was a group of migrants, who had no specific demands, intent on occupying the square despite police prohibition... On the way to the square they vandalized at least five cars," Stantzos added.

(...)

[Titus]

Laitetaan nyt tähän ketjuun:

Erdogan: Yli 80  000 syyrialaista pakenee parhaillaan kohti Turkin rajaa – "Turkki ei kanna pakolaisista muodostuvaa taakkaa yksin"
Yli 80 000 syyrialaista on alkanut paeta Pohjois-Syyrian Idlibin maakunnasta kohti Turkin rajaa, sanoo Turkin presidentti Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Syyrialaiset pakenevat viime päivinä lisääntyneitä Syyrian hallinnon ja Venäjän tekemiä pommituksia. Asiasta uutisoi turkkilainen sanomalehti Cumhuriyet.
linkki: http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/siyaset/1710315/erdogan-80-binin-uzerinde-suriyeli-turkiyeye-dogru-goce-basladi.html

Erdoganin mukaan Turkki ei tällaisessa tilanteessa hoida pakolaisista muodostuvaa taakkaa yksin, ja se tekeekin nyt Venäjän suhteen kaikkensa, että hyökkäykset Idlibiin loppuisivat.

https://www.is.fi/ulkomaat/art-2000006352474.html

Kohta tulee kultamunaa ikkunoista ja ovista... 

[Tomatoface]

Laitetaan nyt tähän ketjuun:

Erdogan: Yli 80  000 syyrialaista pakenee parhaillaan kohti Turkin rajaa – "Turkki ei kanna pakolaisista muodostuvaa taakkaa yksin"
Yli 80 000 syyrialaista on alkanut paeta Pohjois-Syyrian Idlibin maakunnasta kohti Turkin rajaa, sanoo Turkin presidentti Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Syyrialaiset pakenevat viime päivinä lisääntyneitä Syyrian hallinnon ja Venäjän tekemiä pommituksia. Asiasta uutisoi turkkilainen sanomalehti Cumhuriyet.
linkki: http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/siyaset/1710315/erdogan-80-binin-uzerinde-suriyeli-turkiyeye-dogru-goce-basladi.html

Erdoganin mukaan Turkki ei tällaisessa tilanteessa hoida pakolaisista muodostuvaa taakkaa yksin, ja se tekeekin nyt Venäjän suhteen kaikkensa, että hyökkäykset Idlibiin loppuisivat.

https://www.is.fi/ulkomaat/art-2000006352474.html

Kohta tulee kultamunaa ikkunoista ja ovista... 

Tässä on tosin se hyvä puoli että seuraavat 50k discoilijaa kaatavat Hölmölän. Joko täällä herätään tai sitten itketään ja herätään.

[Titus]

YLE päivitteli vastuullisena mediana lukemaa 800.000:een, mutta eihän se ennenkään näiden matunlukujen kanssa ole ollut niin tarkkaa:

Erdogan: Turkin rajalle on pakenemassa yli 800 000 syyrialaista – Turkki haluaa pommitusten loppuvan Pohjois-Syyrian Idlibissä

Paikallinen perheenisä: Missään ei ole turvallista

Idlibissä asuva viiden lapsen isä, joka ei ole onnistunut löytämään autoa paetakseen perheensä kanssa kohti pohjoista, kertoo AFP:lle, että pelastustyöntekijät ja paikalliset avustusjärjestöt kamppailevat auttaakseen perheitä pakenemaan alueelta.

– Kaikki työskentelevät täydellä teholla, mutta eivät he näin suuren ihmismäärän kanssa pärjää, Abu Akram sanoo.
– Missään ei ole turvallista. Pysyttelimme sitten kotona tai ulkona kuolemme silti, hän toteaa.

YK vetosi keskiviikkona tilanteen rauhoittamisen puolesta ja varoitti, että mikäli väkivalta jatkuu, suurempi määrä ihmisiä päätyy pakolaisuuteen.

https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11132544

Otsikossa on kirjoitusvihre ja jutussa mainitaan 80k

edit: linkki mukaan

[Alaric]

Huonosta säästä huolimatta laittomien haittamamujen vyöry Kreikkaan jatkuu.

Perjantai- ja maanantaiaamun välillä Egeanmeren saarille tuli yhteensä ainakin 412 "siirtolaista". Näistä 162 saapui Lesbokselle, 109 Farmakonísille, 96 Samosille jne.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/247971/article/ekathimerini/news/hundreds-of-migrants-reach-greek-islands-despite-bad-weather (30.12.2019)

Hundreds of migrants reach Greek islands despite bad weather

Despite the adverse weather conditions the migrant flows continued unabated over the weekend, with at least 412 refugees and immigrants arriving by boat on various islands of the eastern Aegean, according to the Hellenic Coast Guard.

Official figures showed that from Friday morning until the early hours of Monday at least 162 refugees and immigrants arrived on Lesvos...

(...)

[Pullervo]

Turkista vyöryy laittomia siirtolaisia Kreikan Egeanmeren saarille, jotka sijaitsevat aivan Turkin rannikolla. Lesbokselle, Samokselle ja Khiokselle saapui yli 5200 haittamamua joulukuussa ja vyöry jatkuu vuoden vaihtumisen jälkeenkin. Eilen Lesbokselle saapui 134 ja tänään 123 laitonta kolmella veneellä.

https://twitter.com/HommaMedia/status/1212414429532430337
[tweet]1212414429532430337[/tweet]

http://www.ekathimerini.com/248017/article/ekathimerini/news/over-5000-migrants-landed-in-greek-islands-in-december

Over 5,000 migrants landed in Greek islands in December (1.1.2020)

A total of 5,247 migrants arrived in Greek islands from nearby Turkey in December.

According to the Greek police's Northern Aegean Regional Directorate, 3,681 migrants arrived in Lesvos, 878 in Samos and 688 in Chios in the final month of the year.

(...)

http://www.ekathimerini.com/248019/article/ekathimerini/news/new-year-sees-123-migrants-arrive-at-lesvos

New Year sees 123 migrants arrive at Lesvos (1.1.2020)

A total of 123 refugees and migrants arrived on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos with three boats early morning on New Year's day, the North Aegean Police Directorate said Wednesday.

This followed the 134 people who arrived at the same island on December 31.

(...)

[Pullervo]

Viime vuonna Turkista Kreikan Egeanmeren saarille tulvi yli 46 000 laitonta siirtolaista. Lesbokselle tullut määrä liki kaksinkertaistui edellisvuodesta ollen yli 27 000, Samokselle saapui yli 10 000 ja Khiokselle yli 8 000 laitonta.

Lesboksen Morian leirillä majailee liki 19 000 laitonta siirtolaista, joista 73 % afgaaneja, 12 % syyrialaisia, 5 % somaleja ja loput 10 % lähinnä muita afrikkalaisia. Morian leirillä majailevista 36 % on miehiä, 29 % naisia ja 35 % alaikäisiä.

www.ekathimerini.com/248042/article/ekathimerini/news/46026-refugees-migrants-arrived-at-greek-islands-in-2019

46,026 refugees, migrants arrived at Greek islands in 2019 (2.1.2020)

About 46,000 refugees and migrants arrived at the islands of the northern Aegean in 2019, according to figures released by the North Aegean's General Police Directorate on Thursday.

According to the data, a total of 27,148 migrants and refugees arrived on the island of Lesvos, another 8,076 persons arrived on Chios and 10,802 on Samos over the year. The number of arrivals on Lesvos was nearly double that in 2018 (14,906).

On Thursday, the number of asylum seekers at the overcrowded Moria hotspot and the surrounding areas had reached 18,747, of which 1,150 were unaccompanied minors. The total number of minors in Moria had reached 6,500.

According to figures released by Moria's administration, 36 percent of the total population in Moria are men, 29 percent women and 35 percent under 18.

The nationalities of the asylum seekers hosted in Moria are as follows: 73 pct Afghans, 12 pct Syrians and 5 pct Somalis. The remaining 10 pct come from various other countries, mostly African.

[Alaric]

Hallitus julkisti tänään listan turvallisista maista, joista tulevien elintasopakolaisten turvapaikkahakemukset käsitellään pääsääntöisesti pikaisesti ja nämä käännytetään.

Listalle kuuluvat Senegal, Togo, Gambia, Marokko, Algeria, Tunisia, Albania, Georgia, Ukraina, Intia ja Armenia.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/248105/article/ekathimerini/news/greece-publishes-list-of-safe-origin-countries-for-asylum-seekers (3.1.2020)

Greece publishes list of 'safe origin' countries for asylum seekers

The Greek government published on Friday a joint ministerial decision that outlines 12 countries that are considered safe to return failed asylum seekers, state-run news agency ANA-MPA reported.

The JMD, signed by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and Citizen Protection Minister Mihalis Chrysohoidis, names Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Gambia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Albania, Georgia, Ukraine, India and Armenia in the list.

Based on article 87 of the new 2019 law on applying for asylum, a country can be judged safe for an asylum seeker if an examination of his or her application shows that they have not cited "serious reasons why the country is not a safe country of origin for the applicant."

The new law provides for the fast-tracked consideration of asylum applications by individuals from safe countries of origin, allowing shorter processing times.

(...)

[Roope]

Hallitus julkisti tänään listan turvallisista maista, joista tulevien elintasopakolaisten turvapaikkahakemukset käsitellään pääsääntöisesti pikaisesti ja nämä käännytetään.

Listalle kuuluvat Senegal, Togo, Gambia, Marokko, Algeria, Tunisia, Albania, Georgia, Ukraina, Intia and Armenia.

Ihan kiva, mutta noiden maiden porukat pyrkivät nykyäänkin Italiaan ja Espanjaan jos jonnekin, eivät Kreikkaan. Tuon pitäisi olla alku koko EU:n listalle.

[Skeptikko]

Euroopan suurin pakolaisleiri on kurjempi kuin koskaan, ja nyt Kreikka haluaa vangita sen asukkaat
https://dynamic.hs.fi/a/2019/moria/

Morian leiri on Lesboksen saarella Kreikassa. Alkutalvi oli tavallista leudompi, mutta yölämpötilat voivat painua vain muutamaan asteeseen.

Avustusjärjestöt pelkäävät, että leiriläisiä alkaa kuolla kylmyyteen.

LEIRI ON mitoitettu 3 000 turva­paikan­hakijalle, mutta heitä on jo yli 17 000, enemmän kuin koskaan aiemmin. Eniten on afganistanilaisia, toiseksi eniten syyrialaisia.
...
OLIIVILEHDOSSA ei ole sähköjä. Juomavettä saa leirin keskuksesta. Siellä tarjotaan myös aamiainen, lounas ja päivällinen. Ruoan laatu on yleinen valituksen aihe, ja jos ei ehdi jonon keulille, jää helposti kokonaan ilman.
...
Leirin aidan kupeessa löyhkäävät käymälä- ja roskisrivistöt.
Vessaan on liian pitkä matka oliivilehdosta, etenkin lapsille.
Sitten vain käydään vähän syrjemmällä.

Voi voi, vähän kolea sää ja vessatkin haisevat ja ovat sen verran kaukana, että käyvät puskissa tarpeillaan.  Jutun kuvissa hädänalaisten valkoisetkin vaatteet ovat kyllä aika puhtaat verrattuna muistikuviini siitä, että miten kuraisiksi esimerkiksi armeijan leireillä vaatteet tuppasivat helposti nuhjaantumaan ja vessaolotkin olivat varmasti huonommat kuin tuolla leirillä ja talvikin paljon kylmempi.

Viime vuonna Kreikan saarille tuli turvapaikanhakijoita melkein kaksinkertaisesti verrattuna toissa vuoteen. Se selittyy nimenomaan syksyn ruuhkalla.
...
Mutta viime kesänä koitti uusi käänne. Heinäkuusta lähtien meren yli on tullut keskimäärin useita satoja ihmisiä päivässä.
...
Ihmisten lähtöhalut sen sijaan vaikuttavat kasvaneen, koska pakolaisten asema Turkissa ja Iranissa on entistä ahtaampi. Töitä on vähemmän ja palauttaminen kotimaahan entistä suurempi uhka.

Turkissa heillä on tyypillisesti ollut oleskelulupa väliaikaisen suojelutarpeen perusteella, mutta sen ehdoilla tulisi pysyä alueella, jonne on rekisteröity, useimmiten rajaseudulla Kaakkois-Turkissa. Moni on silti asunut luvatta Istanbulissa.

Viime kesänä poliisi pidätti ratsioissa tuhansia syyrialaisia ja afganistanilaisia ja toimitti nämä leireille lähelle Syyrian rajaa. Tarkkailijoiden mukaan syyrialaisia pakotettiin myös rajan yli.

Moni alkoi pelätä, että kohta on liian myöhäistä yrittää Eurooppaan.

ISIS-kalifaatti on nujerrettu ja nyt onkin aika palata kotimaahan sitä jälleenrakentamaan.

"Pakolaisten olot ovat hirveät, ja Euroopan pitää auttaa heitä. Mutta kylässämme harmittaa, että he varastavat vuohia syödäkseen", ravintolanpitäjä Litsa Chroni sanoo.

Valtio on maksanut kyläläisille korvauksia vahingoista, paikallisen poliitikon mukaan yhteensä noin miljoona euroa.

"Suurin osa lesboslaisista haluaisi, että leiriä ei olisi", muotisuunnittelija Emmanuela Demertzi myöntää kala-aterian ja ouzon äärellä.
...
Demertzi huomauttaa, että leirin asukasluku on yli puolet Lesboksen suurimmasta kaupungista Mytilinistä, jonne on vain seitsemän kilometriä.

"Jos leirillä puhkeaa mellakka, kukaan ei voi pysäyttää sitä."

Eniten lesboslaiset pelkäävät silti saarensa muuttumista ja tulijoiden vierasta kulttuuria, arvioi Demertzi.
...
Turvapaikanhakijatkin käyttävät rahaa. Sen näkee Lidlin asiakaskunnasta tienvarressa Mytilinin ja Morian puolivälissä. Eihän kaikkein köyhimmillä olisi ollut varaa maksaa salakuljettajille. Turvapaikanhakijat saavat myös pientä toimeentulotukea, esimerkiksi perheettömät 150 euroa kuussa.

Eikös ainakin joitain vuosia sitten Kreikalla ollut jo entuudestaan tällaisia suljettuja migranttikeskuksia?:

Uusi pääministeri Kyriakos Mitsotakis ilmoitti marraskuussa sulkevansa pahamaineiset leirit Lesboksella, Hioksella ja Samoksella. Hallitus aikoo siirtää saarten avoleirien asukkaat Manner-Kreikkaan suljettuihin laitoksiin, käytännössä vankiloihin.

Oppositio ja monet asiantuntijat ovat arvostelleet suunnitelmaa epäinhimilliseksi ja myös epärealistiseksi.

Suljettujen laitosten tiedetään lisäävän mielenterveyden ongelmia ja väkivaltaa. Niiden perustaminen olisi myös todella kallista. Kreikka tarvitsisi siihen rahaa EU:lta, mutta EU ei innostu turvapaikanhakijoiden panemisesta vankiloihin. On epäselvää, onko hankkeelle aitoa tukea edes valtapuolueen sisällä.

Palliksen mielestä sulkemispuheissa on kyse keskustaoikeiston poliittisesta tarpeesta kovalle retoriikalle, jota ruokkii islamofobia.
...
MUTTA MITÄ mieltä leirin sulkemisesta olisivat oliivilehdon asukkaat? He, joita odottaa talvi teltassa?

"Se olisi erinomainen uutinen kaikkien kannalta", Mahmudin isä Ahmad al-Hajmalek vastaa.

[kivimies]

Uutisia Kreikasta: 12 on löydetty kuolleena ja n. 20 epäillään olevan kateissa sen jälkeen, kun Italiaan laittomasti pyrkineiden vene upposi lauantaina 24 kilometriä Paxoksen saarelta lounaaseen.

Kreikan rannikkovartiosto pelasti 21 ja vei heidät maihin. Kateissa olevia etsitään yhä.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/248366/article/ekathimerini/news/rescue-operation-continues-in-deadly-migrant-boat-sinking-off-paxi (13.1.2019)

Rescue operation continues in deadly migrant boat sinking off Paxi

Greece's Coast Guard resumed on Monday a rescue operation to locate refugees and migrants who fell into the sea when their boat sank on Saturday 13 nautical miles southwest of the island of Paxi, western Greece.

The twelve bodies that have so far been pulled out of the sea have not yet been identified, but none of them are children, the state-run news agency ANA-MPA reported.

According to sources cited by the news agency, the 21 people rescued from the shipwreck were sent to the city of Preveza and were in good health. Authorities said 10 people were from Afghanistan, two from Syria, four from Pakistan, two from Iran, two from Iraq and one from Somalia.

According to the testimonies of survivors, there were approximately 50 people on the boat. The vessel that sank has not been located. [...]

A preliminary investigation has so far verified that the boat was bound for Italy but the point of departure remained unclear.

13 loukkaantui sen jälkeen, kun salakuljettajien kuljettama henkilöauto ei pysähtynyt tarkistuspisteelle, pakeni poliisia ja törmäsi 150 kilometrin takaa-ajon päätteeksi toiseen henkilöautoon.

Salakuljettajien autossa oli 12 matkustajaa, joista 2 olivat syyrialaisia ja 10 bangladeshilaisia, osa jälkimmäisistä matkusti takakontissa. Toisessa henkilöautossa oli kreikkalainen kuljettaja.

Kaikki loukkaantuneet vietiin hoitoon ja kaksi syyrialaista pidätettiiin epäiltynä ihmissalakuljetuksesta.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/248289/article/ekathimerini/news/13-injured-in-chase-of-suspected-migrant-smugglers (10.1.2019)

13 injured in chase of suspected migrant smugglers

A car carrying migrants who had crossed into Greece from neighboring Turkey crashed into another vehicle following a high-speed chase across the north of the country early Friday, leaving 13 people injured, police said.

The car, with 12 people inside, failed to stop for a check on the main highway near the northern town of Kavala just after midnight, police said. The ensuing police chase ended in the city of Thessaloniki about 150 kilometers (90 miles) away, when the vehicle ran a series of red lights and crashed into a passing car.

Ten men from Bangladesh, some of whom had been hidden in the trunk of the car, and two men from Syria were transported to hospital, as was the Greek driver of the other car. The Syrians were treated and released and were arrested on suspicion of migrant smuggling. The Greek driver was also released, while the 10 Bangladeshi men remained hospitalized with light injuries, police said. [...]

[Alaric]

Viime vuoden jälkipuoliskolla oli paljon puhetta kasvaneista "siirtolaisten" määristä Kyproksella.

Näiden tulo ei ole tyrehtynyt. Eilen maan rannikkovartiosto nappasi 101 syyria­laista läpsyttelijää veneestä.

Useat tulijat ovat syyrialaisia, mutta varsinkin kamerunilaisia saapuu maahan laittomasti turkkilaisten miehittämän Kyproksen pohjoisosan kautta.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-europe-migrants-cyprus/as-arrivals-rise-cyprus-intercepts-boat-with-101-on-board-idUKKBN1ZD1XP (14.1.2020)

As arrivals rise, Cyprus intercepts boat with 101 on board

Cyprus intercepted a vessel carrying 101 Syrians off its coast on Tuesday, police said, one of the largest arrivals of refugees from the neighbouring country in recent months.

The Syrians were loaded at sea onto a coastguard vessel and from there led to a harbour in the south-east of the island.

(...)

Many are refugees from Syria, but there has also been an increase in arrivals of people fleeing upheaval in Cameroon via the unrecognised breakaway state in north Cyprus.

[Alaric]

Kolmen Egeanmeren saaren (Lesbos, Samos, Khios) kreikkalaiset ovat järjestäneet tänään "siirtolaisleirejä" vastustavan protestin, jonka myötä kaupat ja julkiset palvelut ovat olleet suljettuina.

He vaativat hallitusta helpottamaan läpsyttelijäpainetta saarten leireillä eli siirtämään niitä mantereelle.

Vaan eihän se ole kuin housuun kusemista pakkasella, koska matuja pukkaa kuitenkin saarille jatkuvasti lisää.

https://apnews.com/84b62c43f580b62f385c54f3d2280c75 (22.1.2020)

Greek islanders protest overcrowded refugee camps

Local residents, business owners and officials have launched a day of protest on the Greek islands hardest hit by migration, demanding that the Greek government ease the severe overcrowding at refugee camps.

Most stores were closed and public services were halted Wednesday on the Greek islands of Lesbos, Chios and Samos, where the camps in some cases have more than 10 times the number of people they were built for.

Public protests are planned on all three islands and their regional governors and mayors plan to travel to Athens on Thursday to present their demands to the government.

(...)

[edb]

Näyttää siltä että Ateenassa on kuultu saarelaisten protesti matutulvan kurimuksessa. Hallitus lupaa sulkea tulevana kesänä leirit Lesboksella, Khioksella Samoksella Leroksella ja Kosilla. Nämä korvataan suljetuilla säilöönottokseskuksilla joissa matut lusivat kunnes turvapaikkahaksemus on ratkaistu nopeutetussa aikataulussa. Ja hylsyn saaneet palautetaan Turkkiin.

Kuulostaa liian hyvältä ollakseen totta.

Athens wants to close five migrant camps after protests

The protests of the local population are having an effect. The Moria migrant camp on Lesbos and other camps on other Greek islands are to be closed

Athens - After extensive local protests, the government in Athens decided to close the Moria migrant camp on the island of Lesbos and four other camps on the islands of Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos. "We will close these camps by summer 2020," said Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis on ERT state television.

The camps are to be replaced by deportation centers, which are organized as closed institutions. The asylum procedure is to be accelerated. Those who have no prospect of asylum should be deported to Turkey. The EU had agreed this with Turkey in 2016.
...
https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000113650608/athen-will-nach-protesten-fuenf-migrantenlager-schliessen

[Riukulehto]

29.01.2020 15.53

Rajavartiolaitoksen partiovene miehistöineen turvaamaan EU:n ulkorajaa

Rajavartiolaitos osallistuu Euroopan raja- ja merivartiovirasto Frontexin koordinoimaan JO Poseidon 2020 operaatioon Kreikassa kevään aikana. Raja lähettää operaatioon partioveneen (PV-81) miehistöineen. Operaatioon osallistuu yhteensä 38 virkamiestä Länsi-Suomen ja Suomenlahden merivartiostoista. Lisäksi operaatioon osallistuu virkamiehiä Viron poliisi- ja rajavartiovirastosta (PPA) PV-81 miehistön jäseninä.

Operaation tavoitteena on antaa teknistä ja operatiivista tukea kohtuuttoman laittoman maahantulopaineen alla olevalle jäsenmaalle. Partiovene miehistöineen osallistuu laittoman maahantulon hallintaan, rajat ylittävän rikollisuuden torjuntaan ja tarvittaessa meripelastukseen. Tärkeä osa operaatiota on eurooppalaisen merivartioinnin yhteistyön kehittäminen. Keskeisin painopiste toiminnassa on laittoman maahantulon yritysten havaitseminen Turkin aluevesiltä.

Kansainväliseen operaatioon osallistutaan merivartiostojen sesonkikauden ulkopuolella, jotta osallistumisen vaikutukset kansalliseen valmiuteen olisivat minimaaliset. Miehistölle kansainvälisessä operaatiossa toimiminen tuo kokemusta ja oppia monipuolisista merellisistä pelastus- ja turvallisuustehtävistä erilaisissa olosuhteissa. Operaation kustannuksista vastaa Frontex.

https://www.raja.fi/tietoa/tiedotteet/1/0/rajavartiolaitoksen_partiovene_miehistoineen_turvaamaan_eu_n_ulkorajaa_78887

[Alaric]

^ Eli käytännössä suomalainen partiovene lähetetään tuonne meritaksihommiin. Ei epäilystäkään, etteikö touhu lopulta taantuisi siihen, että siellä kuskataan läpsyttelijöitä mereltä saarille tai mantereelle.

---

Kreikalla on erikoinen suunnitelma laittomien maahantunkeutumisten vähentämiseksi: aikomuksena on teettää 1,7 mailin pituinen kelluva verkkoaita merelle (ei tietoa minne, mutta Lesbos on yksi todennäköinen vaihtoehto).

Tuohan ei toki riitä mihinkään, koska läpsyt tunkevat kuitenkin useille eri saarille ja tuo on vain hyvin lyhyt pätkä.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7943365/Greece-plans-1-7-mile-floating-fence-sea-stop-migrants-reaching-islands.html (29.1.2020)

Greece plans a 1.7-mile 'floating fence' in the sea to stop migrants reaching its islands

Greece plans to install a 'floating fence' in the sea to stop migrants reaching its islands from the nearby coast of Turkey.

The 1.7-mile barrier will be put in place within the next three months after the government has found a private contractor to build it.

The Defence Ministry announced the plans on a government procurement website and invited private firms to bid for the contract which it estimates will cost 500,000 euros (£423,000).

The plans for the netted barrier come after a surge in the number of migrants and refugees arriving on eastern Greek islands, including Lesbos, Samos and Chios where camps are severely overcrowded.

It is not clear exactly where the barrier will be placed but a likely place would be along the coast of Lesbos where thousands of migrants, including 6,000 children are forced to live in squalor in an overcrowded refugee camp.   

Last week thousands of Greek protesters took to the streets on the islands demanding that other EU countries share the burden.

The barrier would rise 50cms above the water and be designed to hold flashing lights, the submission said.

(...)

[Mr.Reese]

^Kelluva verkkoaita. Siinä jälleen uusi monikulttuurin synnyttämä innovaatio. Taatusti joku tekee tuollakin fyrkkaa. Ilmeisesti kaikki hyödyllinen on maailmassa keksitty, kun minusta nämä tuoreet keksinnöt järjestään puhdasta pas**a.

Itse suosisin ongelmaan vanhempaa keksintöä, kelluva sekin.

[Alaric]

Kreikka tehostaa rajavartiointia Evrosin alueella Turkin vastaisella maarajallaan, joka ilmeisesti vuotaa aika lailla. Sinne on tulossa 400 uutta rajavartijaa. Lisäksi myös kameravalvontaa aiotaan lisätä.

Paikallisen kylän ex-pormestari kertoo, että laittomia läpsyjä kulkee alueella jopa enemmän kuin vuonna 2015. Taas yksi varoitusmerkki kasvavasta matuvirrasta! Läpsyttelijät liikkuvat 20-90 hengen ryhmissä ja kaikki ovat alle 30-vuotiaita miehiä.

Mukaan on otettu myös jo aiemmin "apuvartijoiksi" paikallisia kalastajia, joista ilmeisesti ainakin osa pitää hommaa nykyään liian vaarallisena Turkin viranomaisten ja sotilaiden käytöksen vuoksi.

https://www.dw.com/en/greece-boosts-military-presence-along-turkish-border/a-52208274 (2.2.2020)

Greece boosts military presence along Turkish border

Amid tense relations between Greece and Turkey, Athens has boosted its military presence along their shared border. The area has become a hotspot in a broader brewing geopolitical conflict.

(...)

The border region's network of canals, tributaries and lagoons, however, are difficult to control. That is why the Greek Ministry of National Defense has turned to local fishermen for help — deputizing them as "virtual" national guard members, and equipping them to engage in border patrol activities.

But Kamilaris and his colleagues say the situation has become too dangerous for them to handle.

Turkish attacks?

Conflicts between Turkish border patrol agents and Greek fisherman have become a regular occurrence of late. "They even threaten us on Greek territory," said Kamilaris. "I was on the river and was ready to cast my nets when I was approached by Turkish soldiers from the other shore. They fixed weapons on me immediately and said, 'This is Turkey.' But I was at least 100 meters from the border."

(...)

The fishermen feel as if the Greek government has abandoned them: "If it weren't for us, this would all be Turkish," said Vasilis Vitsas. He added that the only time Turkish soldiers leave him and his colleagues alone is when they are accompanied by Greek police and soldiers.

But Kamilaris said that's not enough: "We fishermen are the eyes and ears of the military and the police. We are doing all we can to keep this part of the river Greek." Now the fishermen are looking to Athens for support.

(...)

Since December, Greek police and soldiers have been attempting to stop refugee arrivals, which Athens claims have been on the rise for months, by "sealing" the border. Now, another 400 border patrol agents are to be deployed to the area.

Mitsotakis claims the military reaction is a direct result of the refugee issue. But refugees have been crossing the border here since the early 1990s, and according to fishermen in the area, the number of border crossings in the Evros Delta has been on the wane of late.

(...)

https://apnews.com/c0f295254a55ef799b4de6b10f000b13 (31.1.2020)

Greece boosts border patrols, plans cameras to stop migrants

Greece is stepping up security on its porous land border with Turkey, used by thousands of migrants to clandestinely enter Europe, with extra guards supported by a network of powerful surveillance cameras, officials said Friday.

The country is struggling with a surge of immigration through Turkey, and is now the main point of entry to Europe.

Greek island migrant camps, which receive most new arrivals, are dysfunctional and severely overcrowded, while this week details emerged of a plan to set up a floating barrier to block migrant boats in the Aegean Sea.

On the northeastern land border with Turkey, that mostly follows the Evros River, army and police have launched joint patrols while police are hiring 400 more border guards to deploy locally, officials said.

"We have already started the joint patrols," said Ilias Akidis, police union head in the nearby town of Orestiada. "And installation of the 11 surveillance cameras along the river (will soon be) implemented."

Greece has already erected a 10-kilometer (six-mile) fence along part of the border where the river veers away, leaving dry land that migrants could easily walk across.

The cameras will be erected on 50-meter (165-foot) high stands, and will each be able to monitor a 10-kilometer stretch of the 200-kilometer (125-mile) border.

"The cameras will cover what we can't fully monitor with personnel in the field ... because it's a long stretch of river," Akidis said.

(...)

Evros residents say the flow is constant.

"I believe that in 2019 there were more (arrivals) than in 2015," said Haris Theoharidis, former mayor of the village of Pythio. "There aren't families coming across any more. Now they're all groups of 20-90 people, all men aged under 30 ... Most say they want to continue their journey to Italy."

(...)

Laiton afgaaniläpsy (22) puukotettiin eilen hengiltä joukkotappelussa Ateenan länsipuolella Skaramangasissa siirtolaisleirillä ja 18-v. laiton iranilaissiirtolainen sai vammoja.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/249115/article/ekathimerini/news/22-yr-old-afghan-dies-in-migrant-camp-fight (2.2.2020)

22-yr-old Afghan dies in migrant camp fight

A 22-year-old Afghan has died after being struck with a knife in a fight among migrants at a camp west of Athens late Saturday.

An 18-year-old Iranian was injured in the fight and was hospitalized, authorities say.

(...)

[Alabama]

^^ Kreikkalaisten suunnitteleman paksun "muoviköyden" pätkän (2,7 km) Kreikan rannikolle (13.676 km !) ainoa vaikutus laittomaan maahanmuuttoon Afrikasta, Turkista ja Lähi-Idästä, on todennäköisemmin EU:n rahoittamien uimakoulujen perustaminen nille rannoille, josta maahanmuuttajat hyppäävät heidät Eurooppaan kuljettavaan kumiveneeseen. Mikäli nämä haluavat ängetä eteenpäin JUURI muoviketjun kohdalta. Mistä sen tietää ja siksi siihen pitää varautua. Uimakoulut opettaisivat pienimuotoista sukeltamista, jossa opetetaan pidättämään 5 sekuntia henkeä ( = aika joka tarvitaan kellukkeen alittamiseen) ja hyppäämistä veteen (= hyppy kumiveneestä muoviketjun yli). Kätevää ja taloudellista, kun uimakoululaisia ei myöskään tarvitse varustaa lisäkellukkeilla, kun 2,7 km pitkä aqua-käärme olisi jo valmiina ja josta voisi pitää kiinni, ehkä sen päällä voisi jopa istua, kun odotellaan vieressä parkeissa olevan 'Avoin Syli'-laivaston suorittamaa pelastusoperaatiota.

Kreikka on Euroopan (älyllisen) kulttuurin kehto!

[Alaric]

Lesboksella on alkuviikosta ollut levottomuuksia. Läpsyttelijät järkkäsivät maanantaina jopa 2000 hengen mielenosoituksen vaatien parempia olosuhteita leireille ja nopeampaa turvapaikkahakemusten käsittelyä. Poliisit hajottivat tämän miekkarin kyynelkaasulla.

Paikalliset ovat täysin vittuuntuneita ja "valtasivat" tiistaina hallituksen rakennuksen. Läpsyt osoittivat myös mieltään uudelleen.

https://twitter.com/HommaMedia/status/1224377507631259648

[tweet]1224377507631259648[/tweet]

Linkistä löytyy paljon kuvia:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7961387/Thousands-migrants-clash-police-Lesbos-tear-gas-fired-refugee-protesters.html (3.2.2020)

Thousands of migrants clash with police as riot cops fire tear gas to disperse crowds protesting about refugee camp conditions on Lesbos

Police on the Greek island of Lesbos today fired tear gas at thousands of migrants protesting against tougher new asylum rules.

Brandishing makeshift signs with the word 'freedom', some 2,000 men and women walked out of the overpopulated camp of Moria to demonstrate.

Violence broke out near the Kara Tepe camp after hundreds of people marched from the island's congested migrant camps to the city of Mytilene, according to a police official.

Aid groups have described living conditions in some of Greece's island camps as appalling.

The protesters walked some 4.3 miles towards the port capital, Mytilene, but were blocked by police outside the town.

Some evaded a police cordon and crossed a slope to reach Mytilene, where a group tried to set up tents.

Boris Cheshirkov, Greece spokesman for the UN refugee agency, said in a statement: 'A significant backlog of pending applications and serious delays in asylum procedures have been a major contributing factor to the dangerously overcrowded conditions we see on the islands.'

'Long waiting times are also contributing to the mental toll that people are facing,' he said.

After years of procedural delays, Greece faces a backlog of almost 90,000 asylum applications, Cheshirkov said.

(...)

https://twitter.com/HommaMedia/status/1224739896067313664

[tweet]1224739896067313664[/tweet]

https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2020/02/04/lesvos-moria-locals-asylum-seekers-protests/ (4.2.2020)

Moria residents occupy public building, asylum seekers stage new protest

Locals are angry, asylum seekers are exhausted. Both groups have reached the limits of their patience. Residents of the village Moria symbolically occupied the building of the General Secretariat of the Aegean & Islands Policy on Tuesday morning as a response to the unprecedented incidents and protest by asylum seekers a day earlier. At the same time, a group of Afghans have gathered outside the Municipality Theater in Mytilene reportedly chanting "Lesvos people, we are sorry!"

Local media report that residents also from surrounding villages participate in the occupation.

The community of Moria took the occupation decision on Monday evening after a group of some 300 asylum seekers "mainly form Afghanistan" passed through the village after they returned  from the protest in the island's capital Mytilini.

When the situation seemed to escalate the church bells tolled and the residents rushed to the village square and the community house.

A fire set in an abandoned warehouse triggered new tensions with the locals accusing the asylum seekers for the fire.

The community demanded a permanent police squad to be deployed at the entrance of the village and police patrols. Minister for Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis has reportedly satisfied the request.

Moria residents complain about "the tragic situation" in their village with the overcrowded hot spot nearby. "We want our village back," they say.

(...)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-greece-lesbos-protest/migrants-refugees-on-greeces-lesbos-chant-freedom-in-second-day-of-protest-idUSKBN1ZY1Y3 (4.2.2020)

Migrants, refugees on Greece's Lesbos chant freedom in second day of protest

Hundreds of migrants rallied for a second day on the Greek island of Lesbos on Tuesday to demand the faster processing of asylum requests, while local residents staged a separate protest calling for the camps to close.

The migrants chanted "Freedom" and some held up a banner saying: "Our children are still alive".

Riot police dispersed them without resorting to tough tactics, a Reuters witness said.

On Monday, police had fired teargas at protesters who marched from the congested migrant camps to the city of Mytilene. About 40 people were arrested.

Earlier on Tuesday, Lesbos residents rallied outside a government building to protest against having the camps on the island. A banner read "Lesbos is Greek land".

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A police official told Reuters more guards and riot police would be deployed on the island.

Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Tuesday the protests underscored the state's duty to protect its citizens and the need to implement new policies.

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[Alaric]

Kreikan varamaahanmuuttoministeri Giorgos Koumoutsakos kutsuu loisiksi ns. avustusjärjestöjä, jotka läpsyjä hyysäävät, ja epäilee näiden tekevän yhteistyötä ihmissalakuljetus­jengien kanssa.

Esim. Lesboksella on usein rannoilla muutama henkilö huomioliiveissä valmiina odottamassa saapuvia.

https://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2020/02/05/greece-ngos-leeches-alternate-migration-minister/ (5.2.2020)

Alt Migration Minister: "NGOs-Leeches set up over night to get EU funding"

Τhe Greek conservative government found a "scapegoat" for the Migration Crisis: the NGOs dealing with refugees and asylum seekers. Alternate Migration Minister, Giorgos Koumoutsakos, went to far to describe them as "leeches" that were "set up in one night in order to have access to EU funding."

Greek Migration Minister gave statement today clearly turning against HR Groups + NGOs working with #refugeesgr. Criminalization of humanitarianism is a Europe-wide issue + growing in polarized EU, securing borders against most vulnerable.

Speaking at the Parliament debate before the voting to the amendment increasing control over Greek and foreign NGOs, Koumoutsakos spoke of "networks consisting of NGOs, doctors and lawyers."

"When we took over, a net of interests had been formed around immigration due to the large slowdown in the ineffective asylum application process. This led to 80% of applicants being considered as vulnerable. Doctors, lawyers, NGOs are involved in this network. This whole network has been rooted for five years in managing the misery of the people who came to the country, This network that acted like leeches was very well-established," he said.

In an interview withe Thema FM, he went further to accuse NGO for cooperating with human traffickers.

"When a boat arrives on a rocky shore of Levsos and the port authorities go there, they find 3-4 people in yellow and orange vests who when asked 'what are you doing here?' they respond tha they clean the beaches," he said describing a specific incident.

He added that "there are good reasons to be skeptical."

He stressed  that "the dark roots of this interest networks must be brought to light."

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