Shameful Images in Symi's Harbour

www.SymiNews.com March 2010 No 12 THE NEWS OF SYMI DISTRIBUTED FREE Monthly newspaper by the Municipality of Symi - in association with SymiGreece.com Dead bodies of illegal immigrants in open view Shameful Images in Symi’s Harbour 10 » BY CHRISTOS BYRON [email protected] Progress of The bodies of two illegal immigrants who were drowned in the sea off Symi while Public Works trying to enter the “Paradise” of Europe from nearby Turkey were left in open view in A photo report from the public front of the Roloi (Clocktower), one of the works in progress on Symi most recognisable places of the harbour. The bodies remained there, without supervision, for more than five hours. The story and accompanying photographs were published on the SymiGreece.com website the following day and were quickly picked up by much of the local media, making front page articles in newspapers and reports on TV news. The story begun a few days earlier when the Symi Port Authority was informed by a fisherman that a dead body was floating in the sea in the “Diapori” area of Symi. A vessel from the Port Authority then collected Φώτο © SymiGreece.com the body, that of a man aged about 60 years old. That same day, Symi’s Police found 10 found a boat, about 5 metres in length, upside of local forensic services for post-mortem 9 » illegal immigrants in Pedi and one of them down and half sunk, leading to fears that examination. Due to the high winds blowing allegedly recognised the dead man saying maybe there had been more people on board around Symi at the time, the continuing Five Minute that he had been their trafficker. the boat at the time of its foundering. Soon searching of the sea had to be abandoned and At the instruction of the Unified Centre of afterwards, two more bodies were recovered resumed the following day. Lives Co-ordinating Research and Rescue, the port by the Port Authority and were transported to police sent two further vessels to the area and Rhodes where they were placed in the care Continued on page 8» A glance at old-time characters of Symi No more navy boats in our seas BY DIMITRIS CHRYSOCHOOS [email protected] The Mayor of Symi accepted an from Symi, particularly as the time official invitation from the Turkish to travel by road from Bozburun authorities of the Provincial to Marmaris is quite short (45 District of Mugla to attend a joint minutes). discussion about matters concerning The reception by the local the economy of both sides (e.g. Municipalities of the District of 12 » tourism). Mugla was warm with the hospitality The visit was timed shortly far exceeding expectations. before the start of activities at the The boat “Ostria” captained by The church bell new international entry/exit port of Makis Rodis and aided by Giorgos the Municipality of Bozburun on Konstadinidis departed from Symi of Merkouris the 5th of April. The new status of at 15:30 on Tuesday 2 March. the port is expected to enable better Memories of summer service for visiting yachts and to Continued on page 11» in Marathounda see the start of day trips to and 8 THE NEWS of Symi March 2010 The “Paradise” that is Europe Editorial « Continued from page 7 SYMI IS BUSY with activity in the run- Early in the afternoon of Friday the two coffins from the ANES boat “Symi not in another island in the south of up to the Easter weekend and the arrival 5th of March, I became aware of two II”, put the bodies inside the coffins, and the Dodecanese and as a result there is of the first day-trip boats of the 2010 large, yellow plastic bags laid out on then to arrange for them to be taken to a delay in it coming when there is an season. With the weather this past month the new jetty immediately in front of the Rhodes. emergency or else that it doesn’t come bronze statue known as Mihalaki. At one Immediately, the Mayor contacted at all. not quite knowing how to make up its end of the jetty (about 50 metres away) a a high-ranking officer of the Port At about 9pm, the bodies had been mind, as though it is reaching out for the group of half a dozen people were fishing Authorities in Athens to find out the moved a few metres further to the side coming summer while still holding on to and chatting. One of them saw me taking exact responsibility of an elected of the road on the right of the Roloi. the winter, we can be reminded that Symi photos and advised me to “take care” Municipality in situations such as these. This time they were inside simple is always a place of contrasts as can be to not “get into trouble”. When I asked The high-ranking officer (whose name wooden boxes but, yet again, there was why, the response left me speechless: has been disclosed to the editors) told no-one to look after them and passers- illustrated in the two main stories in this “there are two dead bodies in the bags”, him unequivocally that neither Symi’s by were going close to them. There edition of The News of Symi. said one woman and continued “they’ve Municipality nor its Police should were no notices at all telling people to been here since this morning. They involve themselves, saying that the total keep away or that the boxes constituted WITH THE OPENING of a new abandoned them and left… I was here responsibility for transporting the dead a health risk. At 9:30pm, the lifeboat international port in Bozburun, just when it happened and when I asked the bodies to Rhodes lied solely with the arrived from Rhodes and immediately a port policeman why they were leaving Port Authority of Symi and adding that number of uniformed people were there across the water from Symi, the minds them here, he told me that it was because he wondered “why they are not doing to welcome it. Great fuss was made by of many on our island and also of our they weren’t his responsibility”. The their job as they should”. those who took the bodies onto the boat Turkish friends looks optimistically to woman, visibly upset, then asked “where The Port Authority also contacted to wear disposable rubber gloves before the future. The official visit of the Mayor are the TV channels to show this shame? ANES asking the boat company to touching the boxes. of Symi to the new port and his meeting is it because they’re illegal immigrants transport the bodies to Rhodes with the In this way these luckless immigrants that we have to leave them like dogs in “Symi ΙΙ” that same evening. However, left Symi forever, having made the fatal with officials in Mugla province (page 7, the open like that? No-one is watching ANES is not permitted to transport dead mistake of seeking a better fortune far 11) was a great success and should prove them, small children have gone to the people for whom there is an ongoing away from their homeland. Almost very beneficial to the tourist industry. bags while playing and there’s only been police, judicial or other investigation, certainly leaving behind family and The hospitality and friendship between me to tell them to keep away… they will without correct authorization and friends, and maybe children, it seems start to smell very soon…”. paperwork. In any case, the ANES quite possible that none of them will our island and our Turkish neighbours, The spectacle was quite unbelievable. boats, when they are on Symi overnight, ever find out what has happened to those already well-established in Datca, is now Two dead bodies in open view in the are obligated to be on stand-by to cover they have lost. Yet surely these are not spreading further and this can only be a most central location in the harbour, any medical emergencies involving the only ones who have disappeared in a good thing. abandoned by the authorities without living people who require immediate similar fashion in the Mediterranean sea, any supervision whatsoever. While I was transportation to Rhodes. after trusting to luck and unscrupulous there, many people walked by, looking After the intervention from the traffickers to get them to the “Paradise” IN CONTRAST, we are also sad to report at the bags and shaking their heads in Mayor, the Port Authority of Rhodes that is Europe. the deaths of five people, seemingly illegal disbelief. On one of the bags there was sent an “all-weather” lifeboat to collect Would a Symiot, another Greek, or immigrants and their trafficker, after their the notice “Beware, Infectious”. the bodies, something that could, and a tourist who was found floating dead boat capsised near to Symi. While this The Symi Port Police contacted the should, have happened more than 5 hours in our seas have been given the same tale would have been sad enough, it is Mayor of Symi about the incident, saying earlier. In an interview in the ANTENNA treatment, I wonder? Would they have that their vessel could not transport the Dodecanese radio station the following been abandoned in the same way to lie compounded by the shocking treatment bodies to Rhodes due to the weather, day, the Mayor talked about the lack in the open in front of the Roloi inside a of two of the bodies after their recovery and asking him to personally intervene, of a “good collaboration between the plastic bag? Let’s hope that the publicity from the sea several days later (page 7, 8).

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