Quelle: Ekathimerini

Amid alarmingly frequent reports of refugees and migrants drowning in the Aegean, there are signs that a potentially safer land route toward Greece from Turkey is being favored by some.

A group on Facebook called “Crossing no More” has thousands of members, chiefly refugees from Iraq and Syria, expressing their desire to get to Europe but without the “boats of death.” In one posting on the group’s page on Tuesday, a member called on refugees to gather at the Greek-Turkish border.

A series of reports in Turkish newspapers point to the same trend. Daily Zaman reported Syrian refugees have begun “a voyage of hope toward Europe on the TEM highway,” a reference to the Turkish section of the Trans-European Motorway. It added that the people set off for the Turkish city of Edirne, which is close to the border, “after a report on social media that Greece is accepting Syrian refugees.”

Another newspaper, Hurriyet, carried a similar report, noting that some 3,000 Syrian refugees had made plans over the Internet to travel to Edirne in rented coaches and cars. According to that report, Turkish police intercepted the convoy.

According to Agence France-Presse, some 500 refugees gathered at Istanbul’s main bus station on Tuesday, planning to board buses to Edirne before attempting to cross into Greece’s northern region of Evros.

Reports of a shift in route come just two days after a smuggling vessel capsized off the small island of Farmakonisi, in the eastern Aegean, leading to the death of 34 refugees, including 15 children.

A total of 99 people survived the wreck, seven of whom are suspected smugglers. The seven, who claim to be Syrian and Palestinian refugees, are to face a prosecutor on Kos on Thursday.

Greek authorities are concerned about the repercussions of several EU member states tightening border controls as the migration crisis escalates. Austria heralded new border restrictions on Tuesday following decisions by Germany and Hungary to boost inspections at their borders.

EU justice and interior ministers are to hold an emergency summit on migration next Tuesday.

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siehe auch: Hurriyet Daily News

Syrian migrants flock to Turkish border town, face security forces

About 250 Syrian migrants have attempted to walk to Pazarkule border gate in the northwestern province of Edirne in the hope of reaching Germany via Greece amid intervention by security forces.

Some 3,000 Syrian migrants connected through the Internet and came from various provinces across the country, arriving in Edirne with rented buses and private vehicles. Upon notice of their arrival, police and gendarmerie forces blocked their way to the city in compliance with a notice issued by the Interior Ministry.

However, about 250 migrants succeeded in reaching Edirne on foot and gathered at the city’s main bus terminal where they staged a sit-in protest. Security forces convinced a hundred migrants to return to Istanbul while the rest remained in the bus terminal.

Ahmet Mihtaki, a migrant speaking on behalf of the group, said that they wanted to get to Germany by foot via Greece due to failed attempts at sea, which resulted in capsizings and drowning.

“We are not afraid of anyone. We risked death and all hardships when we came here. Our aim is to go to Germany. Turkish people, soldiers and police are so good and merciful. They should allow us to cross the border on foot. We will cross the border and go to live. We are going because of the war in our country. They should understand us,” said Mihtaki.

In addition, children holding images of Aylan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian toddler photographed lying in the sand in Bodrum after drowning in an attempted crossing of the Aegean, also demanded to cross the border, saying they wanted to get education in Germany. […]