What has been happening on the island of Kos, in the eastern Aegean,
has no precedent. Every night, at least 5 to 7 boats loaded with Syrian
and Afghan migrants start their journey from Turkey’s Bodrum, and
head to the Greek island of Kos. Dozens of migrants piled into boats
which barely remain afloat and are equipped mostly with small engines
or even with oars approach the island. Some of them will be detected
by the Coast Guard, while the rest can be seen with a naked eye as
dots in the horizon. Almost all migrants arriving on the island of Kos
are hosted in an old abandoned hotel without electricity and without
appropriate hygienic conditions for about 15 days, which is the
required time for their documents to be issued that will allow them to
continue their journey to Athens and then from FYROM to a northern
European state. The living conditions are extremely hard and as there
is not enough space and beds for everyone. Migrants are forced to
sleep on the floor and in makeshift tents.Those of them who have
some money stay in rooms, but as they say the prices are high, since
they need to pay about 15 euros per day. This amount quickly
multiplies considering these people are trapped for at least two weeks
on the island, until they receive their documents. According to the
Greek coast guard, the number of undocumented migrants entering
Greece by sea reached 10,445 people in the first quarter of 2015,
compared to 2,863 people for the same period last year.
