Greece sent back a first wave of migrants to Turkey yesterday under an EU deal to ease its refugee crisis that has run into heavy criticism from rights groups.
At first light, a small Turkish ferry, the Lesvos, and a larger catamaran, the Nezli Jale, steamed out of the island of Lesbos carrying 131 migrants, mainly from Pakistan and Bangladesh, said EU border agency Frontex, which is escorting them to Turkey.
Police and riot officers were present, but “the procedure was very calm, everything was orderly,” Frontex spokeswoman Ewa Moncure told reporters at Lesbos harbor.
Photo: Reuters
Another Turkish catamaran carried migrants from the neighboring island of Chios. Officials did not confirm how many people were on board.
A few dozen activists on Chios gathered near the embarkation site to protest against the deportations, chanting “Freedom,” a photographer said.
“Stop the dirty deal,” “stop deportations” and “wake up Europe” were among the banners brandished in Lesbos against the disputed EU-Turkey agreement.
A couple of hours later, the first ferry docked in the Turkish coastal town of Dikili, reporters at the scene said.
Red tents have been set up along the town’s harborside to receive the arrivals.
However, Mustafa Toprak, governor of Turkey’s Izmir region, said the migrants would only be staying briefly in Dikili and the resort of Cesme — a second reception point — before being moved on.
Turkey and the EU clinched the agreement last month, with the 28-nation bloc desperate to stem its worst refugee crisis since World War II.
Under the terms of the deal, all “irregular migrants” arriving since March 20 face being sent back, although the accord calls for each case to be examined individually.
For every migrant returned, a Syrian refugee will be resettled from Turkey to the EU, with the numbers capped at 72,000.
In yesterday’s first wave, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala has said his nation was ready to receive 500 people and that Greek authorities had provided 400 names, although the numbers could change.
Police sources on Lesbos, a Greek holiday island that has served as the gateway for hundreds of thousands of people traveling from Turkey, said there had been a flurry of last-minute asylum applications.
“We... have over two thousand people that have stated their wish to seek asylum and we need to see a credible process go ahead with the Greek asylum service for those that wish to express their protection concerns,” said Boris Cheshirkov, the UN refugee agency spokesman on Lesbos.
Greek officials have been tight-lipped over how many migrants are to cross the Aegean Sea back to Turkey.
State news agency ANA reported that about 250 migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and African nations would be sent back daily between yesterday and tomorrow.
Yiorgos Kyritsis, spokesman for Greece’s refugee coordination unit, insisted yesterday’s operation only “involves people who have not requested asylum.”
Rights groups have criticized the deal, questioning whether it is legal and ethical.
“We don’t know what is going to actually happen, but if there is any question of collective deportations without individuals being given the right to claim asylum, that is illegal,” senior UN official Peter Sutherland said at the weekend.
Amnesty International says Turkey is not a safe nation for migrants — a charge Ankara rejects.
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