Migration minister concedes Samos camp has 'biggest problems'

Migration Minister Dimitris Vitsas on Tuesday admitted that the camp on Samos has the "biggest problems" among the reception and identification centers operating on the Greek islands, saying that efforts are being made to transfer migrants to more suitable facilities on the mainland or, if necessary to other islands where conditions are marginally better.

Speaking a day after some 500 asylum seekers took to the streets of Samos to protest conditions at the camp, Vitsas told Praktoreio radio on Tuesday that efforts are under way to address the problems at the over-crowded facility, as well as to start transferring refugees entitled to protection to camps on the Greek mainland and to deport those who are not entitled to refugee status.

In a related development, meanwhile, businesses and services on Samos on Tuesday announced that they would go on strike on February 7...