Aegean Boat Report

There has been a substantial increase in numbers of refugees leaving for the Greek islands in August this year. Compared to last year’s 5,483 departures in August only, there’s been an increase of 299% with the same month this year’s total of 21,870 hopeful refugees who set out from Turkey on their dangerous journeys crossing the Aegean Sea on their quest for a safer and better life.

Only 7,893 of them actually arrived the islands though, yet coverage on the returned refugees is nowhere to be found in media. Why is that?

Why is media only focusing on the increase of the lucky few arrivals – leaving out the even higher numbers of the unlucky ones that didn’t make it to Europe?

Even though the increase of successful arrivals is 152% higher than that of August last year – which is, in fact, quite significant – the numbers of non-successful attempts of crossing the Aegean Sea to escape hell are even higher. But no-one ever mentions that.

The fact that the number of boats stopped – and in many cases arrested – by the Turkish coastguard before reaching the Greek islands has increased by a staggering 496% compared to August last year. How can media and big organizations forget to mention that?

In one month alone, almost 14,000 people have been arrested while trying to reach safety in Europe. What is holding the media back from reporting on such an important issue? Politics? Lobbying? Ignorance?

Sure, there’s often hidden agendas behind media’s behaviour but there’s no reason good enough to keep such important news back from the the rest of the world. Is there?…

Today approximately 1500 people were transported from Lesvos to the mainland in a desperate attempt to take some pressure off the overcrowded island.

About 1000 people will be put in 200 tents in New Kavala – a camp where tensions are so high that organizations themselves have had to pull out of the camp as it’s too dangerous to remain. In other words, the refugees are being transferred from a bad situation to an even worse one – from one tent to another…

Arrivals on Lesvos this month alone has been almost 4000 people, so this action will in fact take some pressure of that specific island but it’s not going to solve any problems in the long run whatsoever. To keep moving people around within Greece’s borders will not change anything – it’s just a desperate attempt by a government that has no chance of dealing with this crisis alone.

“Simplifying The Day – Norway Will Not Accept Boat Migrants” is now being used as a slogan for the Norwegian right-wing party Fremskrittspartiet (The Progress Party).

The Norwegian right-wing Minister for The Elderly And Public Health, Sylvi Listhaug is exploiting innocent refugees of the crisis in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas to promote the Progress Party in the upcoming election using the slogan “Norway Will Not Accept Boat Migrants» to win voters by producing fear through xenophobic propaganda.

This while being fully aware of the simultaneously ongoing horrid situation for refugee children on the Greek islands – with one child refugee recently being stabbed to death in the temporary refugee camp, Moria where kids are left unattended. Still Norway refuses to assist EU in accepting refugees – thus leaving the southernmost countries to deal with the situation on their own.

The Progress Party, with their appalling attitude towards refugees and complete lack of empathy, is a disgrace for Norwegian politics and the country’s political debates. While people are living in inhuman conditions and children are locked up in closed refugee camps on the islands, the Progress Party wants Norway to do absolutely nothing about it. Humanity seems to have been completely lost while narcissism has taken over… There are no words to describe the shame the average Norwegian is feeling regarding this issue. None.

Yesterday 13 boats arrived at the same time, in the outskirts of Skala Sikamineas, Lesvos north, 547 people. Some are trying to give an impression that it’s only young men traveling, nothing is further from the truth.

246 children arrived yesterday, 246! That really puts things in perspective. Where I come from that’s a a medium size school or 22 football teams. Also on the boat, 124(23%) women and 177(32%)men.

There has been a steady increase in arrivals the last couple of months, more and more people are fleeing a difficult situation in Turkey. So far in August 100 boats have arrived on Lesvos, 215 boats total on all islands, that’s almost 8000 people in one single month.

We should also mention what is happening on the Turkish side, to be able to see the whole picture. In August 410 boats have been stopped, 13.000 people arrested by Turkish Coastguard and police. A staggering 625 boats have started the trip towards Greece, 21.000 people.

I have been running Aegean Boat Report, a Norwegian NGO, since December 2017, from a small town in the north of Norway. People following the page have believed that this was done from the ground in Greece, and by a team, not one single man. It has been challenging, and a lot of hard work.

I have used thousands of hours, at the expense of my family, to provide correct and neutral information to the general public. The refugee crisis isn’t over, just because the journalists left.
Its still ongoing, and arrivals on the Greek Aegean Islands haven’t been this high since 2015.

Before I started Aegean Boat Report, I gathered information, and distributed it on a daily basis, to teams and volunteers on the ground. This so people working on the islands, could have a better overview on the situation. I have been supporting teams and volunteers, since early 2016.

In late 2015 I worked as a volunteer on the shores off Lesvos north, taking in boats day and night. This experience changed me, for better ore for worse, it made me who I am today. Dose this make me a better person?
I don’t think so, but perhaps it has made me more reflected on the word we live in.

Continue reading “The Story”

There is a massive increase in boats traveling towards the Greek Aegean Islands, people are fleeing Turkey by the thousands every week.
A political shift in Turkey, and threats of mass deportations, forcing even more people out on the dangerous journey towards Europe.

We have seen a steady increase in boats since June, numbers from July was the highest since 2015, and it seems that August will be even higher. So far this month 115 boats have reached the Greek Aegean Islands, 42 of them on Lesvos, 25 on Samos. In July a total of 175 boats arrived on the islands.

The refugee crisis has been forgotten long time ago by the press. Teams and organizations on the ground has been screaming for more press coverage for years, and when they finally get it, they try to hinder them from doing their job, quite ironic.

We can all agree that some journalists can be ruthless, doing whatever it takes to get a good shot. Also there is the issue of exploiting vulnerable people to media exposure.

Most journalists is just trying to do their job, in a professional and considerate way. They have a permit from Greek government, and are not to be hindered by individual volunteers or NGO’s, unless they are interfering ore hindering ongoing operations.

For some unexplained reason, Greek government has stopped publishing arrival, transfer and population data from the Greek Aegean Islands. For two weeks there has been no updates. This can of course be some kind of technical problem, but no information on such problems has been posted. So what other reason can be the cause of this, if not technical incompetence?

What we do know is that arrivals is rapidly increasing, population on the islands is higher than ever, and transfers to mainland is historically low. Is the intention to hide these facts?

ABR has made several attempts to get some kind of answer from the General Secretariat for Information and Communication, but they chose not to communicate at all..