Migrant crisis: fYRoM closes border; tension on Kos; latest batch of refugees in Piraeus

The latest on the “migrant front” on Thursday again witnessed heightened tensions amongst congregated third country nationals on the island of Kos, while a large ferry boat unloaded another 2,500 refugees on a Piraeus dock.

Moreover, the government in the neighboring former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) sent military units on Thursday to guard its porous border with Greece. As a result, some 1,500 third party nationals — most, but not all, identified as Syrian refugees — remained stranded outdoors on the Greek side of the border.

Officials of the neighboring government have closed off the border to the migrants, with the entire group now camped out at the Idomenei site on the Greek side. The Gevgeli border post is the nearest at the site.

The group of migrants transported to Piraeus by the “Eleftherios Venizelos” ferry boat were initially expected to be landed in northern Thessaloniki, although Piraeus was later chose as it sailed in mid-sea. One report holds that the change was due to leaked accounts of buses waiting in Thessaloniki to take the migrants to the border, a prospect that generated intense reactions in Skopje and other European capitals.

The vessel later headed back to the island of Lesvos to pick up more third country nationals camped on the island, Syrians designated as refugees, other citizens of Mideast countries but also would-be economic migrants from as far off as Bangladesh.

Scores of third country nationals that landed on Kos again caused disturbances in front of the police station on Thursday, demanding accelerated efforts to get them temporary travel documents.