Syrians Find No Refuge in Greece
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Syrians Find No Refuge in Greece - WSJ.com
▻http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324096404578354100202130318.html?mod=googlenews_wsjLes réfugiés syriens meurent en tentant de rejoindre les îles grecques par la mer.
Over the past year, 6,500 Syrians were detected crossing into Greece illegally—about six times the level of the previous year—according to Frontex, the European Union border agency. More still went undetected, say Greek officials. An additional 1,500 were found living in Greece without the necessary permits.
An increasing number are attempting to enter by sea from Turkey’s Aegean coast, meanwhile, after Athens erected a 10-kilometer (7-mile) “security fence” along the porous northern section of the Turkish border.
Smugglers crowd migrants onto flimsy plastic or inflatable boats, often offering one of them a discount to pilot the craft, according to the Hellenic coast guard. While the distance between Turkey and the border Greek islands around here can be as short as a few miles, local currents and winter storms can be vicious. Journeys are usually made at night.
Since November, more than 100 migrants have drowned and at least a dozen bodies of Syrians have washed up on north Aegean islands, according to coast guard estimates.
