Off the wire
• Syrian army thwarts massive rebel attack in Aleppo  • Muslim scholars calls for more efforts to defend image of Islam, fight terror  • Ouster of Syria's Assad before elections unacceptable: Iran  • Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei looks 5 months ahead of Rio Olympics  • Indian PM visits temple hit by massive blast, fire in southern state  • FLASH: AT LEAST 2 KILLED, 10 INJURED AS 7.1-MAGNITUDE QUAKE HITS PAKISTAN -- LOCAL MEDIA  • Dozens protest in Japan's Hiroshima amid G7 ministerial meeting  • 4th LD: Quake jolts Afghanistan, no Chinese casualty reported  • China wins 3rd straight against Venezuela in women's basketball warmup  • Chen 0.02 seconds shy of women's 50m free national record  
You are here: 　 Home

New clashes between migrants, Macedonian police at border with Greece

Xinhua, April 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

Macedonian police used tear gas Sunday to stop several hundred migrants from the border camp Idomeni in neighboring Greece to cross illegally onto Macedonian territory.

The migrants threw stones at the police forces. Three Macedonian police officers were reportedly injured in the clashes and they were transported to the Medical Center in Gevgelija, the Macedonian Ministry of Interior confirmed.

Local media reported that some of the migrants are injured as well, but still there is no official confirmation to this information.

"There was an attempt to break the fence at the border this morning. The migrants were violent, they threw stones and other objects," the Macedonian Ministry of Interior reported.

"They damaged the fence on three places trying to enter Macedonian territory by force. The police intervened and used chemical devices -- tear gas to stop them," the Ministry added.

Because of this incident, the presence of the police and military security forces at the border was additionally increased.

The Macedonian-Greek border has been closed since February in accordance to the EU plan to seal off the so-called Balkan route.

Still more than 10,000 migrants remain in the camp Idomeni on Greek territory. They refuse to return in hope that they will be left to continue their journey across Macedonia towards Western Europe.

According to humanitarian activists working in the area, the situation at the border escalated on Sunday because a number of buses arrived in Idomeni.

Refusing to return from their planned route, hundred migrants tried to breach the fence and continue into Macedonia. Endit