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Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
On Europe's hardened frontier, Greek island keeps migrants at bay
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Migrants disembark from a rubber dinghy at a beach near the village of Tsonia, Lesbos island, Greece June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki/File Photo LONDON - Sailing in the June sunshine off the island of Lesbos, Greek fisherman Thanos Marmarinos remembers how he saved migrant women and children whose dinghy was breaking up in a gale one night ten years ago. Initially, when he received the midnight call, he was reluctant to leave his bed. The winds were bitterly cold, and he had already been on one rescue mission that evening - thousands of migrants were arriving in rickety boats every day at that time. "You'll feel guilty if they drown,' the 70-year-old recalled his wife saying. Soon he was lifting people onto his boat. One infant was wrapped up so tight he could only see their eyes. 'We would help again," Marmarinos said. "I would be the first to." He risks jail if he does. Anyone caught helping migrants to shore today may face charges including facilitating illegal entry into Greece or helping a criminal enterprise under a 2021 law passed as part of Europe's efforts to counter mass migration from the Middle East and Asia. It's one example of deterrents that have greatly reduced arrivals to Europe since the 2015 migration crisis but that rights groups say risk the lives of those attempting to enter. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore MHA to support HSA's crackdown on Kpod abusers and help in treatment of offenders: Shanmugam Business S'pore's economic resilience will face headwinds in second half of 2025 from tariffs, trade conflicts: MAS Business S'pore's Q2 total employment rises, but infocomm and professional services sectors see more job cuts Singapore Fewer than 1 in 5 people noticed suspicious items during MHA's social experiments Asia Powerful 8.8-magnitude quake in Russia's far east causes tsunami; Japan, Hawaii order evacuations Singapore Migrant workers who gave kickbacks to renew work passes were conservancy workers at AMK Town Council Asia 'Hashing things out': Japan, Vietnam, EU contest terms of US tariff deals behind the scenes Singapore Escape, discover, connect: Where new memories are made Ten years ago, Lesbos, a tourist destination near Turkey ringed by quiet villages and tree-lined coves, became the first stop for half of the million people headed for Europe from countries including Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Lesbos residents helped them find food and shelter and the island became a hub for charities and aid workers, and a symbol of Europe's solidarity towards people fleeing war and poverty. Today, the island shows how far government responses have hardened against people seeking refuge in Europe. In 2015, some countries initially welcomed the new arrivals, especially those fleeing Syria's civil war. German Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the borders to nearly 900,000 asylum seekers that year. But communities felt overwhelmed. Her ratings plummeted, and today, anti-immigration policies are multiplying across Europe. By 2024, irregular migrant arrivals to the European Union had fallen to around 240,000, less than a quarter of 2015 levels, data from EU border agency Frontex show. Just 11,200 migrants, arrived in Lesbos last year, according to figures from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR. When migrants arrive in Lesbos now, they are often intercepted by police as they near a coastal road used by holidaygoers. Charity workers need special permission from authorities to help them ashore or they face fines or imprisonment. A new camp to house migrants is under construction in a pine forest on a remote part of the island. In the village of Skala Sikamias - which a decade ago was a frenzy of damaged dinghies, exhausted migrants and charity workers - tourists now dine on grilled fish while cicadas hum from the beachside pines. The island's tourism industry has recovered after a sharp drop. In 2024, the number of people arriving on international flights to Lesbos topped 76,000, according to Greece's tourism confederation SETE, back to levels before the crisis. 'The island is moving on,' said Panagiotis Christofas, the mayor of Lesbos' main city, Mytilene. 'The crisis is in the past for us.' 'THEY COULD HAVE SAVED HER' Not for everyone. At around 2 a.m. on April 3, Beck Morad Sadeji was on a dinghy approaching the island with 30 other migrants from Afghanistan including his wife of 55 years and his daughter, he told Reuters. The coastguard ordered the boat back to Turkey, he said. But as a coastguard vessel approached the dinghy, it destabilised the overloaded craft, which held six families, including infants. People fell overboard but the coastguard staff watched for several minutes without helping, Sadeji said. Eight people, including his wife and a 2-year-old boy, drowned. 'If they had helped, no one would've died,' Sadeji said. In a statement on April 3, the coastguard said it launched a rescue operation immediately when it saw the dinghy was taking on water. In response to Reuters requests for comment, it said the coastguard always acts 'with professionalism and absolute respect for human life'. Since 2015, Greece's coastguard service has saved 263,000 third-country nationals in danger at sea, it said. Sadeji said he still has nightmares and urges other migrants not to come. 'Humans are supposed to help other humans,' he said. Migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, while far below 2015 levels, are still common. In the Eastern Mediterranean route alone, which includes Greece, 191 migrants died or went missing trying to reach Europe in 2024, according to data from the International Organisation for Migration, a UN agency. The IOM recorded 2,573 migrant deaths and disappearances on all Mediterranean routes last year. Greece has come under scrutiny for its treatment of migrants and refugees approaching by sea, including one shipwreck in 2023 in which hundreds of migrants died after what witnesses said was the coastguard's attempt to tow their trawler. Frontex said in April it is reviewing 12 cases of alleged human rights violations by Greece, including some allegations migrants were pushed back across the frontier. In January, the European Court of Human Rights, which examines complaints against EU member states, found similar violations by Greece. Greece denies that it violates human rights or that it forcefully returns asylum seekers from its shores. Meanwhile, Greece's centre-right government is outspoken against refugees coming by sea. In July, the new migration minister, Thanos Plevris, called the arrivals an 'invasion'. 'We are worried about the rhetoric,' said Maria Clara Martin, UNHCR's representative in Greece. 'People will demand more restrictive policies just as conflict is on the rise.' Greece's migration ministry and the prime minister's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story. NEW MUSIC SCHOOL Lesbos's change of response was spurred by a March 2016 deal between the EU and Turkey whereby Syrian refugees who arrived in Greece from Turkey would be returned back across the border. Greece changed from being a transit country on the route to northern Europe to a holding zone where migrants had to wait for their fate to be decided. The number of people stuck on the island swelled as asylum applications to other EU countries slowed. A camp in an old military base outside the village of Moria housed more than 10,000 by 2018, up from a few hundred before the summer of 2015. Fights broke out between migrants. Locals accused them of stealing livestock and cutting down trees for firewood. In Moria village, where the cobbled streets are barely wide enough for one car, thousands of camp residents would come daily in search of food. Businesses erected security cameras after a series of break-ins, locals said. Thanasis Chatziargyriou runs a small window framing factory by the camp. 'I couldn't sleep at night because my alarm kept going off,' he said. Voters on Lesbos swung to the right. Support for the far-right Golden Dawn Party peaked above 8% in a general election in September 2015, up from 4.6% earlier in the year, official data show. 'The political narrative became about how the refugees destroyed the island,' said Efi Latsoudi, a social scientist and charity worker in Lesbos. 'People were talking only about the negative.' A fire swept through Moria camp in 2020, gutting the makeshift structures used for housing and forcing thousands to sleep on the side of roads. Four Afghan asylum-seekers were sentenced to 10 years in prison for starting it, though their lawyers protested their innocence. Another smaller camp called Kara Tepe was built on the coast, which now houses about 1,000 people. Today, on the exterior wall of the Moria camp, 'Welcome to Europe' is still painted in capital letters. Another message has been scrubbed out but is just visible. 'Human Rights Graveyard,' it reads. Christofas, the mayor of Mytilene, said the Athens government plans to turn Kara Tepe into part of the city port. The Moria site will house a music school. The annual 'What Greeks Believe' opinion poll carried out last year by the Athens-based diaNEOsis think tank showed around 70% of respondents believed Greece should be stricter on managing migrant flows. The European Union wants tougher rules. In May, the European Commission proposed an amendment to EU law that would allow member states to deport rejected asylum seekers to countries with which they have no connection. The proposal still needs approval by the European Parliament and the Council, which represents national governments. In July, the United Kingdom and France announced tougher migration controls and Greece passed a law temporarily halting asylum claims from migrants coming from north Africa. 'TOO BIG' Lesbos's future, EU-funded, migrant camp is cut into a depression between wooded hills at the end of a dirt track about 40 km (24 miles) north of Mytilene. The facility will be able to house 5,000 people. Unlike Kara Tepe, which is a short walk from a supermarket, this site comprising rows of identical grey shipping containers is miles from the nearest convenience store. Locals oppose it, saying it will increase the threat of wildfires in a region that often does not see rain for months. 'The camp is too big for the island,' said mayor Christofas. He sees no need for such a camp on Lesbos, given slowing migrant arrivals. But people do still come. Out at sea that June morning, fisherman Marmarinos spotted another small dinghy approaching. It held 19 migrants, from Yemen and Sudan, according to Legal Centre Lesbos, a local aid agency that provides legal assistance to migrants. Marmarinos said he spent so much time in 2015 helping migrants that he barely made a fishing wage. This time, he was reluctant to approach the vessel in case he got in trouble with the coast guard. He looked from afar. If they needed him, he would help, he said. The boat landed in a rocky cove. The migrants disembarked and ran up a steep hillside. Police, who monitor the coastline from the cliffs, picked up the migrants and took them to a holding camp. "Someone will call to say a boat has come, and the coast guard will come. We'd better get out of here,' Marmarinos said. REUTERS
Japan Today
5 days ago
- Japan Today
Greek port workers jailed pending trial on drug smuggling charges
FILE PHOTO: A view of the container terminal of the Piraeus port, in Perama suburb of Piraeus, Greece January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki/File Photo By Yannis Souliotis Six workers at Greece's largest port Piraeus, arrested for allegedly participating in a gang smuggling cocaine hidden in shipping containers from Latin America, were jailed pending trial on Friday, legal sources said. The case is the third investigation since 2023 that has led to the arrest of port workers on drug trafficking charges. The suspects, employed by a private company handling cargo operations at Piraeus port were arrested on Monday. On Friday they responded to charges including participation in an international criminal organisation at least since 2024, according to police officials. They have denied wrongdoing. The drugs were concealed in refrigerated containers loaded with bananas which were shipped from Ecuador, the police said. Greek police said the investigation, which revealed the gang's tactics and included surveillance of their communications, was launched after a tip-off by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The criminal ring, led by an Albanian gang, exploited the workers' access to port facilities and knowledge of loading and unloading cargo procedures, the police officials said. The alleged gang members were tasked with locating the ships and extracting the cocaine parcels from the containers, and one of them was in contact with the drug buyers in Albania, the officials added. Three guns and bullets were confiscated during the operation. Defence lawyer Nikos Aletras told Reuters that the initial investigation was "rushed" and the charges were aggravated, as seven suspects appeared before a prosecutor on Friday to respond to the accusations. Six of them were later detained pending trial and a seventh suspect was released. South American production of cocaine has surged over the past decade, with traffickers helping to turn Europe into a major consumer and a transit point for cocaine. European countries have been seizing record quantities of cocaine annually since 2017. © (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025.
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Straits Times
Greek port workers jailed pending trial on drug smuggling charges
FILE PHOTO: A view of the container terminal of the Piraeus port, in Perama suburb of Piraeus, Greece January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki/File Photo ATHENS - Six workers at Greece's largest port Piraeus, arrested for allegedly participating in a gang smuggling cocaine hidden in shipping containers from Latin America, were jailed pending trial on Friday, legal sources said. The case is the third investigation since 2023 that has led to the arrest of port workers on drug trafficking charges. The suspects, employed by a private company handling cargo operations at Piraeus port were arrested on Monday. On Friday they responded to charges including participation in an international criminal organisation at least since 2024, according to police officials. They have denied wrongdoing. The drugs were concealed in refrigerated containers loaded with bananas which were shipped from Ecuador, the police said. Greek police said the investigation, which revealed the gang's tactics and included surveillance of their communications, was launched after a tip-off by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The criminal ring, led by an Albanian gang, exploited the workers' access to port facilities and knowledge of loading and unloading cargo procedures, the police officials said. The alleged gang members were tasked with locating the ships and extracting the cocaine parcels from the containers, and one of them was in contact with the drug buyers in Albania, the officials added. Three guns and bullets were confiscated during the operation. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Cambodia calls for ceasefire with Thailand after deadly clashes Asia 'Nothing like this has happened before': At least 16 dead as Thai-Cambodian conflict continues Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Multimedia Lights dim at South-east Asia's scam hub but 'pig butchering' continues Asia Hottest 'ticket' in Jakarta? Young Indonesians compete for a slot at singing club Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Opinion ColdplayGate meme fodder isn't an opportunity for a marketing campaign Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly Defence lawyer Nikos Aletras told Reuters that the initial investigation was "rushed" and the charges were aggravated, as seven suspects appeared before a prosecutor on Friday to respond to the accusations. Six of them were later detained pending trial and a seventh suspect was released. South American production of cocaine has surged over the past decade, with traffickers helping to turn Europe into a major consumer and a transit point for cocaine. European countries have been seizing record quantities of cocaine annually since 2017. REUTERS
The Star
6 days ago
- Science
- The Star
Greek fir forests dying as heat peaks and snow cover wanes
FILE PHOTO: A drone view of dying fir trees among the green forests, due to prolonged droughts leaving them exposed to pest infestations according to scientists and locals, near the village of Kalavryta, Peloponnese, Greece, July 9, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki/File Photo KALAVRYTA, Greece (Reuters) -On the wooded slopes surrounding the village of Kalavryta in southwestern Greece, hundreds of dying fir trees stand out among the dark green foliage, their brittle, reddish needles a stark reminder of how drought slowly drains the life from nature. Fir trees are known to need cooler, moist climates. But prolonged droughts in recent years linked to a fast-changing climate in Greece are leaving them exposed to pest infestations, scientists and locals said. "In the past, we used to see a few dead trees scattered amongst the healthy ones," said Katerina Kolirou, head of the local forest service in Kalavryta, a village famed for its forests of the Greek fir species Abies cephalonica. "Now, unfortunately, among the dead ones, we try to spot the few remaining healthy green firs." Less water and moisture mean that fir trees become more vulnerable to attacks by pests thatbore into their bark to lay eggs and create tunnels, disrupting the trees' ability to transport nutrients between roots and branches and leading to their death. "These are wood-boring beetles," said Dimitrios Avtzis, a forest entomologist and research director at the Greek Agricultural Organization Demeter, a state research agency, as he cut into the bark of a decaying tree in Kalavryta and found a beetle thathe later placed in a vial for examination. "They don't form populations as large as bark beetles, but they are just as destructive to the tree." Across the globe, 2024 was the warmest year on record, with the average temperature exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial era for the first time. Temperatures in Greece rose by the same amount between 1991-2020, but insome northwestern mountain areas there was a larger 2C increase, said director of research at the National Observatory of Athens Kostas Lagouvardos, who led a study on rising temperatures and snow cover. This, in turn, reduced the number of days the soil was covered by snow, another vital source of moisture for fir trees. He estimated a 30-40% snow-cover decrease over the years. Fir forest decline, also seen on the Greek mainland and the Ionian Islands, is not unique to Greece. In the province of Huesca in Spain, also in the Mediterranean region, a different species of fir in the Pyrenees mountains, the Abies Alba, has also shown signs of declining in recent years, a development that scientists link to extreme heat. In Kalavryta, authorities plan to remove dead and infested trees to limit the damage. But this might not be enough to save the forests. "We cannot stop climate change," Lagouvardos said. "What we can try to do is mitigate it or find solutions. But we cannot create snow." (Reporting by Vania Turner in Athens, additional reporting by David Latona in Madrid; Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Climate
- Straits Times
Greek fir forests dying as heat peaks and snow cover wanes
FILE PHOTO: A drone view of dying fir trees among the green forests, due to prolonged droughts leaving them exposed to pest infestations according to scientists and locals, near the village of Kalavryta, Peloponnese, Greece, July 9, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki/File Photo KALAVRYTA, Greece - On the wooded slopes surrounding the village of Kalavryta in southwestern Greece, hundreds of dying fir trees stand out among the dark green foliage, their brittle, reddish needles a stark reminder of how drought slowly drains the life from nature. Fir trees are known to need cooler, moist climates. But prolonged droughts in recent years linked to a fast-changing climate in Greece are leaving them exposed to pest infestations, scientists and locals said. "In the past, we used to see a few dead trees scattered amongst the healthy ones," said Katerina Kolirou, head of the local forest service in Kalavryta, a village famed for its forests of the Greek fir species Abies cephalonica. "Now, unfortunately, among the dead ones, we try to spot the few remaining healthy green firs." Less water and moisture mean that fir trees become more vulnerable to attacks by pests that bore into their bark to lay eggs and create tunnels, disrupting the trees' ability to transport nutrients between roots and branches and leading to their death. "These are wood-boring beetles," said Dimitrios Avtzis, a forest entomologist and research director at the Greek Agricultural Organization Demeter, a state research agency, as he cut into the bark of a decaying tree in Kalavryta and found a beetle that he later placed in a vial for examination. "They don't form populations as large as bark beetles, but they are just as destructive to the tree." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Live: Thailand, Cambodia clash with jets, rockets, artillery in deadly border row Asia 9 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Singapore Boy, 15, charged after being caught with vapes 5 times; ordered to stay 2 years in S'pore Boys' Home Business MOM probing work injury claim flagged by late Sumo Salad boss Jane Lee: MOS Dinesh Business New tie-up offers insurance savings for SMEs committed to workers' health and well-being Singapore What's key to a good life? Most Singapore residents choose emotional and mental well-being Singapore Over 2 years' jail for man who worked with wife to cheat her then-boyfriend of $220k Asia South Korea police raid offices of BTS' agency Hybe over share probe Across the globe, 2024 was the warmest year on record, with the average temperature exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial era for the first time. Temperatures in Greece rose by the same amount between 1991-2020, but in some northwestern mountain areas there was a larger 2C increase, said director of research at the National Observatory of Athens Kostas Lagouvardos, who led a study on rising temperatures and snow cover. This, in turn, reduced the number of days the soil was covered by snow, another vital source of moisture for fir trees. He estimated a 30-40% snow-cover decrease over the years. Fir forest decline, also seen on the Greek mainland and the Ionian Islands, is not unique to Greece. In the province of Huesca in Spain, also in the Mediterranean region, a different species of fir in the Pyrenees mountains, the Abies Alba, has also shown signs of declining in recent years, a development that scientists link to extreme heat. In Kalavryta, authorities plan to remove dead and infested trees to limit the damage. But this might not be enough to save the forests. "We cannot stop climate change," Lagouvardos said. "What we can try to do is mitigate it or find solutions. But we cannot create snow." REUTERS
