“The new, closed and monitored facility offers much better living conditions, is located outside the city and has more extensive security measures in place to protect residents, staff and local communities,” said Notis Mitarakis, Greek Minister for Migration.
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The remaining 550 migrants from the old camp will start moving to the new one from Monday.
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Pilot project
The facility, known by the Greek authorities as a closed center with controlled access, surrounds a barbed wire fence and is equipped with cameras, X-ray scanners and magnetic doors. It is accessible exclusively via an electronic chip.
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According to the Greek media, people can leave the camp every day between eight o’clock in the morning and eight o’clock in the evening – except for those whose asylum application has been rejected by the authorities and who are to be returned to Turkey under the EU’s agreement with Turkey on refugees.
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A new camp for migrants on the Greek island of Samos
Photo: Alkis Konstantinidis, Reuters
The camp is one of five such facilities planned on the Aegean islands of Leros, Lesbos, Kos, Chios and Samos. The EU has allocated 276 million euros (6.98 billion crowns) for these projects. The camp on the island of Samos is to serve as a pilot.
Human rights groups have criticized the new closed refugee camps. According to them, the restrictions for migrants are too great.
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“Only this camp can help our patients survive,” Médecins Sans Frontières humanitarian organization announced in advance.
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The Greek government, on the other hand, points to better camp facilities, such as air-conditioned rooms, running water, toilets, separate areas for families and greater security. “The government is addressing the issue of migration, as we promised the citizens,” Mitarakis said.
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| The tide stopped |
| The year before, 10,500 migrants arrived in Samos |
| So far, there have been only 111 of them |
| There were still 7,500 people in the old camp last year |
| Now 550 more will be added to the new camp |
| Greece has achieved a reduction in the number of migrants arriving by tightening controls at sea borders and relocating people to the mainland |
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Greece is preparing for a new wave of migration after the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. However, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has promised to stop the influx of migrants before they reach the Greek border.
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:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/7LCYSHSXTETXBNHW4XY3MMZ74U.jpg "The new batch of Moderna vaccines is already in Colombia")
