Greece calls on stranded refugees to avoid perilous river crossing in border area

The Greek government on Tuesday called on thousands of refugees stranded near its border with Macedonia to avoid any perilous crossing over rivers and streams.

The move came a day after some 1,000 refugees, including children, risked their lives illegally entering Greece's neighboring country.

Yorgos Kyritsis, spokesman of the newly established Refugees Crisis Management Mechanism, urged the refugees and migrants to have faith in Greece and not to believe "messages of impostors that could put their life in danger."

Greek police have been investigating individuals and groups who distributed pamphlets written in Arabic during the weekend, encouraging 12,000 people staying at the makeshift tent city of Idomeni in Greece to attempt the risky crossing and continue their journey towards central and northern Europe.

The refugees have been trapped in Greece for over a month due to the gradual border closures along the Balkans.

In a bid to offer free news and useful information to the refugees and migrants so that they will not rely on "irresponsible individuals or conman," Kyritsis told local media that the Greek national news agency AMNA will launch an Arabic edition of its website on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, hundreds of refugees who spent the night near the stream in the hope of crossing into Macedonia on Tuesday morning were returning to the Idomeni camp, after being informed that the people who illegally entered on Monday would be sent back to Greece and that the Macedonian authorities had stepped up surveillance at points which are not fenced.

Most of the 30 journalists, photographers and activists who were also detained by Macedonian border police on Monday after following the refugees and migrants into the country were released Tuesday.

Senior European Commission officials will visit Idomeni on Tuesday to be briefed on the prevailing conditions. Endi