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Refugees resettle in new temporary camps as evacuation of Greece's tent city continues

Xinhua, May 26, 2016 Adjust font size:

Thousands of refugees have been trying to resettle on Wednesday in newly established temporary organized hospitality centers across northern Greece as the evacuation of the makeshift refugee camp of Idomeni at the Greece-Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) border continued for a second consecutive day.

No violent incidents have been reported since early Tuesday when police units sealed the camp and started busing people to open accomodation centers set up lately in an industrial zone at the outskirts of Thessaloniki, some 80 km to the south from the border crossing which has become a symbol of Europe's closed borders since February.

According to the latest estimates by Greek police sources, more than 3,000 refugees and migrants have boarded the coaches in the first two days of the operation that was expected to last one week and relocate all 8,500 people who remained in Idomeni.

Journalists were banned from approaching Idomeni's camp -- with the exception of Greek state TV and news agency -- as well as from entering the new reception centers.

Xinhua followed some of the buses on Wednesday and reached the fence of the hospitality center of Derveni where refugees were trying to make a new start inside old warehouses, containers and tents, awaiting for their final relocation to other European countries under a lengthy procedure.

Most of them are tired from the perilous journey from their wartorn countries and the tragic living conditions at the muddy field of Idomeni where they remained stranded since mid-February when the passage to FYROM on the way to central Europe was closed.

Compared to the poor sanitation, shortage of food, medication, tents and blankets in the overcrowded informal tent city of Idomeni, the accomodation center of Derveni and other six camps set up to house approximately 6,000 refugees in total have been described by the Greek state as decent facilities.

However, despite the disappointment from the realization that the borders will not reopen, on Wednesday there were still several refugees opting to leave Idomeni, carrying their belongings in bags and walking to other nearby informal camps rather than the state-run facilities. Endit