Dear all
i have to keep you informed about the crazy things happening on Lesvos again.
Yeasterday we from Village of all together wrote a letter to the chiefs of the police coastguard major and UNHCR and Amnesty, informing them about the situation in PIKPA which is used since one month from the coast guard to bring for few hours (as they said) new ariving refugees, instead of keeping them in the coastguard space in the harbour (where they would disturb the image for ariving tourists).
the refugees are left in PIKPA sometimes since 14 days! and the police is only taking care of their meals and not always with the right amount of food.
The solidarity group of the village of all together have to handel all this new comers with no suport . Not financial and not human..While greek authorities get European money for it.
So we wrote this letter again to complain about the misuse of the coatguard of PIKPA and of our possibilities.
Saying that since one month 1.300 refugees have found schelter in PIKPA without any medical care, and no other care than food by the greek police. that we ask that a doctor sees them before coming because we fell unable to recognise sicknesses and urgent medical needs and that PIKPA has a capacity of 80 people but most of the time the coast guard brings much more.
one daily newspaper EFIMERIDA TON SINTAKTON, that published our letter
http://www.efsyn.gr/?p=226644
called also the chief of the greek coastguard in Mitlini to hear his point of view:
"who are this volunteers and what do they have to do with PIKPA? he said, they do desecrate the place!
we have the permission of the authorities to bring refugees there. Do you think it is human to let the people in the sun in the harbour?"
As you can imagine we from the village of all together got very upset!
specially that the coastguard is in daily contact with us and this can not be denied.
Already when the minister Varvitsiotis visited Lesvos and Moria together with Mrs Malmström some weeks ago and he was asked what is the relation to the solidarity group running the PIKPA, he answered : "this are squaters and i only know the NGOS that work in Moria : Doctors of the world, UNHCR and Metadrasi."
So ovioulsy the greek authorities try to play a double face game, on one side in everyday llife using the solidarity group for their needs and towards media and eu politicians pretending they dint konw them and have nothing in common. In the solidarity group we try to have humour and say: ok now they admitt being squaters!
after having read this sentences in the newspapers we tried to figure what would be the best reaction. one proposal was to make tomorow morning a press konferenz in PIKPA with all refugees that wait since days or weeks to get registered, to talk directly with the media.
our lists are not safe.
so this evening we were sitting in PIKPA writing down since how man days the afghan families are there, and then the police transporter came!!!!
this has not happened since days, except to bring released people to us.
they came and anouced that they will take 48 people which was all of the ones waiting since days or weeks.
so now PIKPA is temporarly empty, for sure only short time but so that no press konferenz tomorow can take place.
I have to mention that in todays newspapers the press release of w2eu and jogs about the 36 minors transported from Mori with the ship to Athens to a prison in hancuffs had an own artikel.
in the EFIMERIDA TON SINTAKTON.
and that in EMPROS a lokal newspaper there was two pages about the bad construction mistakes in MORIA prisonhttp://www.emprosnet.gr/article/62762-psahnoyn-na-vroyn-ti-diarroi
that make it impossible to run before 2015.And saying that the minister and Mrs Malmström have visited a place pretendng this is ready to function, while in reality no kanalisation and not even elektricity is planned and able to work.
In adition to the letter of protest that our groups (w2eu, JOG; Christian Peacemakers Team Mediteranean) send today to the greek coatguard, greek police, major of mitilini and Human Rights Committee of the European Parliament , Amnesty and Human Rights Watch, concerning two cases of police brutality in Mitilini that we all witnessed, this produced quite much negative publicity for the greek coastguard and police.
This shows that a presence at the border regions is not only important and usefull for new ariving refugees who need informations and suport, but also that critical watching of what happens at the borders is a very important part the european society should carry.
marily
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» Mitlini news 21.8.14 : the coastguard chief says volunteers with whom he daily has to do, are desecrators!