Greece Says Country Cannot Handle Migrant Inflows

[Sally]

It's virtually impossible for a country like Greece whose citizens are also hurting to take in such a huge number of immigrants.


Greece Says Country Cannot Handle Migrant Inflows
By Reuters 8/7/15 at 12:03 PM

Refugees and immigrants disembark from a Greek ferry after arriving in the port of Piraeus near Athens June 14. An average of 600 migrants were arriving in Greece by sea each day, many of them fleeing poverty and conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Libya, at a time when the Athens government is facing its own economic crisis, said the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR.Yannis Behrakis/Reuters

Greece's infrastructure cannot handle the thousands of migrants landing on its shores from places like war-torn Syria and Afghanistan and needs European Union help, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday.

"Now is the time to see if the EU is the EU of solidarity or an EU that has everyone trying to protect their borders," he said after a meeting with ministers dealing with the influx.

The United Nations refugee agency earlier called on Greece to take control of the "total chaos" on Mediterraneanislands, where thousands of migrants have landed.

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Greece Says Country Cannot Handle Migrant Inflows

 

[Mr. H.]

My newly-wedded son and his bride are in Greece for their honeymoon.

 

[aris2chat]

greece can't handle greece

 

[waltky]

Greece overrun by migrants...

UNHCR: Greece Overwhelmed by Migrants
October 16, 2015 — The U.N. refugee agency is warning that Greece cannot cope with the flood of refugees and migrants landing on its shores because it lacks proper reception facilities to register and screen them.

The backlog in processing is increasing tensions, violence and chaos, the UNHCR said. A violent flare-up in a crowd on the island of Lesbos Thursday forced its staff to be evacuated briefly from a registration site. Meanwhile, thousands of refugees and migrants were arriving by sea from Turkey, the agency said. An upsurge in sea crossings over the past couple of days has increased the death toll, according to UNHCR. In one incident, seven people drowned following a collision between a smuggling boat and a Greek coast guard vessel, authorities said.

Refugees and migrants line up to board buses at the Greek port of Piraeus, near Athens, Oct. 15, 2015. They were among nearly 2,500 arriving from Lesbos on the passenger ferry, Eleftherios Venizelos​

Updated facilities sought

Last Saturday in Athens, during talks with its European Union partners, Greece pledged to open five migrant processing centers. The first so-called “hot spot” reception center is expected to open by next week in the Lesbos community of Mitilini, an official said. Establishing proper facilities to process the thousands of desperate people arriving in Greece would reduce the turmoil, UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said. Disturbances during the last few days stem from "the inability to deal with these large numbers of arrivals," he said. "… Some people [are] walking across Lesbos to try and get around the problems there and then moving on through Europe." The migration crisis isn’t "adequately being managed," in part because of limited facilities, Edwards added. "Many people go through without being fingerprinted. Many people move along this journey without the basics of dealing with large refugee and migrant population movements being in place. That is what needs to change."

A Syrian refugee prays as he arrives on an overcrowded dinghy on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast​

Strains on countries

More than 100 people have died making the crossing from Turkey to Greece this year, while more than 3,100 have perished across the Mediterranean as a whole, the UNHCR reported. So far this year, more than 450,000 refugees and migrants have arrived by sea in Greece, putting enormous strain on local communities, the agency noted. The European Union has agreed to establish reception centers in so-called hot spots, such as Lesbos. Until now, it has failed to do so. The UNHCR said it is absolutely urgent and essential to establish the centers to properly manage people and assess who is in need of asylum and who is not. It said a proper registration process also is essential for the success of a planned relocation of 160,000 refugees mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq among the European Union’s member States.

UNHCR: Greece Overwhelmed by Migrants

See also:

Objects left on the beach by migrants on Lesbos
Oct 16,`15 -- The migrants arrive by the hundreds on the beaches of the Greek island of Lesbos. And in their eagerness to move on, they leave behind belongings they carried on their backs.

The people fleeing war and poverty, mostly from Syria but also from Afghanistan, Iraq or Pakistan, turn up from the Turkish coasts after crossing rough seas on precarious rubber dinghies. This northeastern Greek island has become one the main entry points to Europe for refugees this year. More than 1.000 people arrive every day to the beaches on the north of the island, by now a dramatic routine.

A children's toy is portrayed on a beach next to the town of Molyvos, on the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos. The migrants arrive by the hundreds on the beaches of the Greek island of Lesbos. And in their eagerness to move on, they leave behind belongings they carried with them.​

The beach arrivals always chaotic, especially in bad weather. Children and adults jump off the dinghies as they approach the shore, desperate to reach land as soon as possible. On their backs, they carry the few personal belongings they managed to take on the journey. Some of them end up on the beach.

News from The Associated Press

 

[waltky]

Migrants demanding passage to western Europe...

Police, migrants clash on Macedonia border; soldiers build fence
Sat Nov 28, 2015 - Police in Macedonia fired tear gas and stun grenades at desperate migrants stranded for days at the Greek border and who are demanding passage to western Europe, as soldiers began erecting a metal fence to keep them out.

Macedonia, along with other Balkan countries on the migrant route, began turning away "economic migrants" nearly two weeks ago. Human rights groups have criticized the decision, under which only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans are allowed through. The new restrictions triggered days of protests from Iranians, Pakistanis, Moroccans and others, stranded in squalid tent camps on the border. Some Iranians have sewn their lips shut. One man on Saturday threw himself on railway lines before the police, screaming and flailing. Saturday's violence broke out after one migrant, believed to be a Moroccan, was electrocuted and badly burned when he climbed on top of a train wagon. An angry crowd surged towards lines of Macedonian police and began throwing stones, a Reuters photographer at the scene said.

A stranded migrant throws a tear gas canister back to Macedonian police officers, as minor clashes broke out during a protest against the building of a metal fence at the Greek-Macedonian borders near the village of Idomeni, Greece November 28, 2015.​

The police responded with tear gas and stun grenades, driving the crowd back, a Reuters photographer at the scene said. Some officers threw stones. In a surge that began about 18 months ago, migrants have been flowing across Balkan borders, having landed by boat in Greece from Turkey. Human rights groups say international conventions require countries to treat asylum requests on merit, not on the basis of nationality. Earlier on Saturday, Macedonian soldiers began driving metal poles around 3 meters high into the cold, muddy ground, building a barrier similar to that erected by Hungary on its southern border. European Union member Hungary in September and October sealed its southern border to migrants, calling them a threat to the security, prosperity and "Christian values" of Europe.

But the Macedonian government said it had no intention of sealing its border completely. A government spokesman said the aim of the fence was "to direct the inflow of people towards the controlled points for their registration and humane treatment." "We would like to underline that the border will remain open," said spokesman Aleksandar Gjorgjiev. "We will allow passage for the people who come from war-affected regions as we have done thus far." Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia say they began filtering the migrants after Slovenia, further along the route, announced it would start doing the same. The number of migrants making the journey to Europe rose dramatically this year compared to 2014, although the influx shows signs of decreasing as winter approaches. Germany expects roughly 1 million refugees and migrants to arrive this year alone.

Police, migrants clash on Macedonia border; soldiers build fence

 

[aris2chat]

Migrants demanding passage to western Europe...

Police, migrants clash on Macedonia border; soldiers build fence
Sat Nov 28, 2015 - Police in Macedonia fired tear gas and stun grenades at desperate migrants stranded for days at the Greek border and who are demanding passage to western Europe, as soldiers began erecting a metal fence to keep them out.

Macedonia, along with other Balkan countries on the migrant route, began turning away "economic migrants" nearly two weeks ago. Human rights groups have criticized the decision, under which only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans are allowed through. The new restrictions triggered days of protests from Iranians, Pakistanis, Moroccans and others, stranded in squalid tent camps on the border. Some Iranians have sewn their lips shut. One man on Saturday threw himself on railway lines before the police, screaming and flailing. Saturday's violence broke out after one migrant, believed to be a Moroccan, was electrocuted and badly burned when he climbed on top of a train wagon. An angry crowd surged towards lines of Macedonian police and began throwing stones, a Reuters photographer at the scene said.

A stranded migrant throws a tear gas canister back to Macedonian police officers, as minor clashes broke out during a protest against the building of a metal fence at the Greek-Macedonian borders near the village of Idomeni, Greece November 28, 2015.​

The police responded with tear gas and stun grenades, driving the crowd back, a Reuters photographer at the scene said. Some officers threw stones. In a surge that began about 18 months ago, migrants have been flowing across Balkan borders, having landed by boat in Greece from Turkey. Human rights groups say international conventions require countries to treat asylum requests on merit, not on the basis of nationality. Earlier on Saturday, Macedonian soldiers began driving metal poles around 3 meters high into the cold, muddy ground, building a barrier similar to that erected by Hungary on its southern border. European Union member Hungary in September and October sealed its southern border to migrants, calling them a threat to the security, prosperity and "Christian values" of Europe.

But the Macedonian government said it had no intention of sealing its border completely. A government spokesman said the aim of the fence was "to direct the inflow of people towards the controlled points for their registration and humane treatment." "We would like to underline that the border will remain open," said spokesman Aleksandar Gjorgjiev. "We will allow passage for the people who come from war-affected regions as we have done thus far." Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia say they began filtering the migrants after Slovenia, further along the route, announced it would start doing the same. The number of migrants making the journey to Europe rose dramatically this year compared to 2014, although the influx shows signs of decreasing as winter approaches. Germany expects roughly 1 million refugees and migrants to arrive this year alone.

Police, migrants clash on Macedonia border; soldiers build fence

They should demand their countries change and actually work for the well being of the citizens instead of their pockets or to incite hate and dissension.

 

[waltky]

Greece gonna need more bailout money to support alla refugees...

The Latest: UN: nearly 770,000 people enter Greece in 2015
December 9, 2015 | The Latest in the influx of people into Europe. All times local:

7:20 p.m.

The U.N. refugee agency says nearly 770,000 asylum-seekers have entered Greece so far this year on their long trek toward a better life in wealthier European Union countries and said more than 200 have drowned en route. UNHCR data released Wednesday said 58 percent of the 768,916 people arriving in Greece were men, 26 percent children and 16 percent women. Some 60 percent said they were Syrians. Nearly all arrived on Greece's eastern Aegean sea islands after paying smuggling gangs in Turkey for a berth in flimsy, overcrowded boats. An average of 3,800 people a day have been making landfall this month, compared to 4,560 in November. The UNHCR listed the total number of Greek Aegean drowning deaths by Tuesday at 217, with another 126 people listed as missing. Another 12 people drowned Wednesday in the Aegean as a smuggling boat sank, and 12 other passengers on it are missing.

1:45 p.m.

The German government plans to issue a new identity document to migrants arriving in the country amid efforts to improve management of the influx. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere on Wednesday presented the paper photo ID, which authorities plan to issue to newcomers from February. Migrants will need the "arrival ID" to claim asylum-seeker benefits and conduct asylum proceedings. De Maiziere said the ID will enable authorities to keep better tabs on where asylum-seekers are and where services are needed. The government says some 965,000 people were registered as asylum-seekers in Germany between January and the end of November, though the process has been chaotic at times.

11:55 a.m.

Greek riot police have removed hundreds of protesting migrants from a border crossing to Macedonia, which is denying them entry, deeming them to be economic migrants and not refugees. The protest had severed a key Greek freight train link with northern Europe for three weeks, and also periodically prevented refugees that Macedonia will accept from crossing the border. The services are now expected to restart soon. Buses carrying about 650 people, including many from Iran and Morocco, are heading south from the Idomeni border crossing, which police sealed off earlier to remove the migrants.

Migrants, who were lost in an open sea, ask for help from the members of the Frontex, European Border Protection Agency, from Portugal, as they try to approach on a dinghy the Greek island of Lesbos, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015. In another incident six children have drowned after a rubber dinghy carrying Afghan migrants to Greece sank off Turkey's Aegean coast. Turkey has stepped up efforts to stop migrants from leaving to Greece by sea.​

Escorted by police motorcyclists and patrol cars, the buses were expected later Wednesday in Athens, where authorities have set up shelters and will encourage the migrants to make asylum applications in Greece. Police said 10 migrants were detained for resisting their transfer to the buses. Journalists and photographers were also briefly detained, despite obeying police instructions to keep away from certain areas. Macedonia only allows migrants from war-torn Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq through in their long trek north to wealthier European countries. Protesters from other countries say they, too, merit refugee status as they face persecution at home.

11:30 a.m.

See also:

UN urges Jordan to let 12,000 stranded Syrian refugees cross border
Tuesday, Dec. 08, 2015 - The United Nations urged Jordan on Tuesday to allow in 12,000 Syrian refugees stranded at the border in deteriorating humanitarian conditions and offered to help reinforce security at registration points.

The Syrians are fleeing escalating air strikes on their battered homeland as well as punishments imposed on civilians by Islamic State militants in the north, including forced marriages, beheadings and floggings, it said. The number of refugees at Syria’s remote northeastern border with Jordan, where many are gathering near an earthen wall or berm, has jumped to 12,000 from 4,000 in recent weeks, the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.

Human Rights Watch said Jordan was putting many lives at risk by blocking 12,000 refugees, most of whom it said were women and children. “Jordan should stop stranding people in remote border areas for months on end and swiftly screen them in the country’s well-established transit centres,” Nadim Houry, deputy Middle East and North Africa director of HRW, said in the statement. Aid workers and two Jordanian relief officials attributed the sudden rise in refugees at the border to Russian bombing of IS-controlled areas in eastern Homs, such as Palmyra, as well as in Raqqa province and city. A Jordanian official declined comment.

“It includes elderly people, it includes people who are sick and wounded, it includes children, women and others who are vulnerable and really need help,” UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing. “We’re concerned that women have had to give birth at the berm in very unsanitary and unhygienic conditions,” she said. Respiratory tract infections, gastroenteritis and skin diseases such as scabies have been reported. There are signs of acute malnutrition among children and outbreaks of diarrhoea. The UNHCR is appealing to Jordan to allow in the most vulnerable cases, Fleming said. Diplomats say refugee numbers in Jordan have fallen sharply in the last 18 months as tens of thousands have returned to Syria or emigrated while only a trickle are now allowed in.

Jordanian officials have closed scores of unofficial border crossings since May 2013 and say the kingdom has reached its limit in absorbing more refugees. The numbers entering Jordan have slowed to fewer than 50 a day this year, according to UNHCR. Jordan still hosts 632,228 Syrian refugees, severely straining its infrastructure and economy, Fleming said. She said Jordan had legitimate security concerns but those could be addressed by properly assessing each case, and UNHCR was prepared to upgrade security of the registration area at Jordan’s Azraq camp to allow for comprehensive screening. “If refugees are not admitted to Jordan and substantial assistance is not provided, the lives of refugees will be at risk in the coming months,” Fleming said.

UN urges Jordan to let 12,000 stranded Syrian refugees cross border