FYROM authorities arrested an undisclosed number of refugees and at least ten photojournalists who crossed into the Balkan country from Greece Monday evening. The press members, most of them from Greece, were following the refugees who decided to leave the camp at Edomeni in search of an unguarded spot so they can enter FYROM.
Many took to twitter saying they had no idea about their exact geographical location since they were following the refugees caravan, but when arrested, FYROM army explained that they entered the country illegally and asked them to pay a 250 euro fine.
#Refugees Arrested photographers escorted by #FYROM police @euronews – More pics here https://t.co/nhT6Wc8qNt by RWS pic.twitter.com/i27Dk1PNYj
— Yannis Karagiorgas (@IKaragiorgas) March 14, 2016
Initially witnesses reported that the caravan included at least 500 refugees, many of whom were elderly and children. FYROM authorities circled the refugees once on their soil and put them in military trucks who left for an undisclosed location. Later it ws reported that they might be taken back to Greece.
Human beings are being transported from #FYROM to #Greece in covered military trucks. This is #Europe in 2016. pic.twitter.com/eS16rcyTOx
— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) March 14, 2016
After being stranded in Greece for weeks since FYROM decided to close its borders, an increasing number of desperate refugees are willing to try their luck or pay smugglers in order to find an unguarded spot to enter FYROM and continue their journey.
The migrant caravan that left Idomeni camp includes men, women, and children.
Personas enfermas, niños, mujeres. Todos caminan. Su única esperanza es cruzar por donde no está la valla. #Idomeni pic.twitter.com/gkdwwRJSvn
— Fotomovimiento (@Fotomovimiento) March 14, 2016
As Missing Migrants Project reports, “arrivals to Greece continue with a daily average of some 2,000. Updated unofficial data of arrivals to Greece by sea since the start of 2015 now stands at over 985,000. At current levels of arrivals, IOM expects the total number of sea-borne migrants and refugees to Greece in the current emergency to reach the million-person mark by the end of next week.”
The Greece-FYROM border still remains officially closed.
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