Feature: Greece evacuates largest informal refugee camp at Greek border village

By Friday, little was left in the border village of Idomeni that reminds of the presence of refugees. The railway line, which had been occupied for 70 days in protest of border closure, was cleared and repaired before resumption of train services.

The resumption of train services at Idomeni marks the successful conclusion of a three-day police operation to evacuate the largest informal refugee camp at the small village near the border with the Republic of Macedonia.

Greek Public Order Minister Nikos Toskas has made a visit to the camp, saying that the government was satisfied with the conclusion of the operation as planned, "with respect to the people who fled wars to save their lives and seek a better future in Europe."

Speaking on local MEGA TV channel in Athens, Deputy Minister for Migration Policy Yannis Mouzalas said the government was determined to "put an end to the shame of the favela and make sure it will not be created again."

Meanwhile, Greek ministers said that more evacuation operations will be carried out in the coming weeks to relocate all refugees into state-run hospitality centers with better conditions and sufficient aid.

Over the past three days, bulldozers knocked down the tents that housed up to 13,000 refugees at Idomeni since February in the muddy field next to the border crossing.

The squalid Idomeni camp, which had become a symbol of Europe's policy of border closure, was sealed off to media and most volunteers since Tuesday, when police units started transferring the 8,500 refugees who remained in the area to newly established centers some 100 km to the south at the suburbs of Thessaloniki.

On Thursday, the last 1,000 refugees were peacefully driven away from the makeshift tents by coaches, and cleanup crews started removing the debris, soaked blankets and toys left behind.

Toskas deflected criticism for the inhumane living conditions at Idomeni where people were staying in the open in freezing temperatures since February, and pointed to European countries which closed the Balkan route.

Vicky Markolefa, communications manager of non-governmental organization Doctors Without Borders, echoed the Greek government's argument that Idomeni is "an example of Europe's failed policy."

However, she voiced concern over the manner the evacuation was carried out and the fate of the people moved into official shelters as well as those who left by themselves for nearby unofficial camps.

Approximately 4,000 refugees and migrants boarded the buses as part of the police operation, according to government figures, while the other 4,000 left Idomeni, unconvinced that this was their best option.

"We will be around because, as you know, there are several informal settlements at gas stations which are home to thousands. So we will be on the refugees' side, we will monitor the situation, try to provide as much as possible to these people who have been left with nothing due to the failure of the European policy," said Markolefa.

The government has said that measures will be taken to make sure refugees do not return to Idomeni after the police operation.

The government's next goal is to evacuate in coming weeks the informal camp at Piraeus port which currently hosts 1,500 refugees and evacuate the former international airport Hellinikon in Athens' southern suburbs where another 1,400 people are crammed in the arrivals hall.

With some 53,000 refugees and migrants stranded in Greece, according to government figures on Friday, the goal is to relocate them all to official accommodation centers across Greece by autumn, Mouzalas said.

He estimated that about 15,000 of the refugees will be gradually relocated to other European countries, another 15,000 will remain in Greece and the rest will either make use of the voluntary return program or will be returned to their countries of origin if they will not be eligible for asylum.

By sunset Thursday, the first train travelled across the border to the Republic of Macedonia. During the 70 days the tracks were occupied and trains sat idle, Greek railways operator Trainose lost 2.5 million euros (2.8 U.S. dollars), the company said. Endi