Jordy Worth Simon, illegal immigrant
"A whole group of us here at this camp came to this European island by boat.
Our boat sank near the island. We were rescued by the local coastguard."
Greek coastguards are busy. Over the past five years, over 25,000 illegal immigrants 600 people smugglers have been arrested in Greek waters. In Mythilinis bustling harbour, patrol ship 147 prepares for a long night.
radar commander ENG
We are in this area.
In front of us is the Greek coast.
Behind us is the Turkish coast.
Our position is roughly in the middle
of this area on our radar.
We are close to the border line
dividing Greek and Turkish waters.
Four turbine engines provide the patrol boat with enough power to reach a speed of 85 k.p.h., enough to keep up with the traffickers.
Captain Michalis Kapitanidis, head of harbour service
I chose this job because it means I'm at sea a lot, and I just love the sea.
And also because of the equipment. I'm an engineer so I enjoy working with it.
I find it a very enjoyable job.
Life on board consists of monotonously and endlessly scouring the radar screen. Was soon as targets are identified, the boat speeds off at full speed into the pitch dark.
ENG
It is hard for me and the crew to do this job all night. I won't say it's easy.
Stratios Drakoulis, harbour authority sublieutenant.
During last night's patrol at about 4 a.m. two inflatable boats were spotted.
There were four people in one boat, and five in the other, with oars.
They were stopped and told to turn back.
Will they try again tonight?
I don't know.
In my experience they never stop at just one attempt. They keep trying.
So today they'll probably try again. But we'll spot them again during our patrol.
We'll track them down and stop them again.
shot of Mythilene's night life
While tourists enjoy themselves in Mythilene's pavement cafés, a few kilometres away a group of illegal immigrants struggle on, drawn by the lights of Lesbos. They were prepared to row 14 hours to get there. But in just a few minutes they saw their dream of reaching Fort Europe shattered.
Jordy Worth Simon, illegal immigrant. ENG
"We hoped to find a better life here.
That is why we fled our countries.
We come from Somalia and the Sudan,
where wars are raging."
A deflated boat has washed ashore. Is this the silent witness to the illegal crossing? Along they quay, the coastguards have their own collection of confiscated Turkish boats.
interview with coastguard Fotios Garoufalias
Special Operations Unit
On 14 August at 3 a.m., 37 Turks tried to reach the Greek coast on this boat.
Something went wrong and the incident room contacted us to say that a boat had been shipwrecked and that people were in the water.
A call wass made to the harbour service's incident room. Hotel guests heard voices out at sea. A patrol board is dispatched immediately. But no S.O.S. message was received, and so the boat had to keep searching in the dark.
D. Karabinis, Lesbos coastguard commander
-feeling smugglers?
These smugglers are ruthless types
who do not hesitate to put lives at risk.
The lives of the illegal immigrants.
They just abandon them,
no matter what the weather, to avoid being arrested.
The only thing they are interested in,
is their profits from smuggling.
interview with coastguard Fotios Garoufalias
Special Operations Unit
The sea was teeming with people.
We could still see the bow,
so we knew where to look.
We don't know how long they had been in the water.
We wondered if there were any survivors
and how many were already at the bottom of the sea.
Together with the fishing boats that were there quickly
we managed to rescue 32 people
who were deeply traumatised.
Especially the woman who lost
three of her five children.
After we'd picked up 29 survivors
and a number of dead, we put them in a fishing boat.
They were taken to the harbour
so they could be transported to hospital,
as fast as possible by ambulance and by bus.
They were taken to hospital quickly,
especially the children.
fragment of crying mother in hospital, first part
My God, what is to become of me?
My three children,
all drowned.
Apparently, there was a huge hole
in the boat's hull.
That's how water first came in.
And because the boat was so heavily laden
it all happened very quickly.
When they saw the smugglers abandoning the ship,
panic broke out, and they jumped overboard too.
Then the boat sank.
Human smugglers hacked a hole in a boat, and then left double-quick in an escort boat. They have 8 deaths on their conscience. These people are the latest on an endless list of immigrants who illegally try to reach the coasts of Europe, but end up paying with their lives. United, the human rights organisation, says that the devastating reality of Fortress Europe is that it has cost the lives of at least 3,750 people this past decade.
Jordy Worth Simon, illegal immigrant
Why does Europe do this?
We suffer.
We come from far away.
Patrol, part 2 (second night)
This patrol boat is only a few years old, but it has seen so much service that it is virtually a write off. The crew systematically does overtime in order to patrol Europe's sea border. A new boat has been authorised but until it arrives, the Lesbos coastguard has only two patrol boats.
A suspicious Turkish barge tries to enter Greek territorial waters. The coastguards don't want to arrest those on board, they simply want to block the barge's way. This means that Turkey will still be responsible for any illegal immigrants on board.
We are EU guards. We feel responsible and proud because we guard the borders of a few hundred million people. A few years ago, we only guarded Greece's borders.
By summer 2003, the coastguard here had arrested 15 people smugglers. It's a difficult job because the myriad of small islands provides plenty of places for the smugglers to hide at night.
In the harbour of the Turkish fishing village of Ayvalik, close to Lesbos, potential smuggling vessels lie idle. Usually the smugglers use decrepit, unseaworthy fishing boats. Sometimes they use the opposite: fast, stolen speed boats. Speed boats are very popular among smugglers because with sufficient engine power they can do the crossing in five minutes.
Jordy Worth Simon, illegal immigrant
"I came by boat. We went on board at the Turkish coast. They said it was Italy.
We wanted to go to Italy. Now we're stranded on a Greek island.
Greece has to guard 16,000 km of coastline and 3,000 islands. An almost impossible task. Greece has come under criticism for its alleged over tolerant stance on illegal immigration. Italy, for instance, is calling for tehGreeks to toughen up. A few months ago, Minister Umberto Bossi suggested opening fire on boats with illegal immigrants on board, although later on he said it was just a joke and journalists misconstrued what he said. But Karabinis is still angry about it.
Karabinis
I think we do what we can under the circumstances. But I must add that under no circumstances do we endanger human lives. Not the lives of the immigrants, nor the smugglers. Rescuing people from drowning is our highest priority.
That's why we don't use weapons as it could put lives at risk. And we wouldn't abandon them if they were in danger.
But Greece is far from a soft touch for illegal immigrants. Far away from civilisation, hidden between idyllic olive groves is Camp Kteo, one of the two temporary reception centres on Lesbos for illegal immigramnts.
At the edge of a kind of building site, 112 illegal immigrants are being detained here, squashed together in just a few tents. They have no beds, blankets, toilets or showers. There is just one tap, but the water is undrinkable. There are only two guards. Cameras arent allowed inside the camp, but the refugees have to go to the toilet in the olive groves and they are allowed to fetch drinking water nearby.
Jordy Worth Simon, illegal immigrant on location:
29.36.48 "I expect to find a good position, anything good. But I see nothing different here, OK?
The frustration is clearly getting to the immigrants.
Too many people, that leads to problems. No sleep, no water, no food. There are many problems here, too many problems.
Jordy Worth Simon, illegal immigrant
There is no food or water here. We need good jobs in order to stay here.
It's a jungle here. There are lots of snakes. Every day we catch lots of snakes.
The water is bad. The food is very bad. We only get two meals a day.
Lesbos is up in arms. This cannot go on, and they can't go on. At this march, Policemen, coastguards, ambulance staff and firemen are protesting about the dreadful conditions of the illegal immigrants, and of the people who guard them.
banner:
Association of Lesbos Police Employees
END THE LIES,
enough is enough
That people in such a respectable profession are reduced to demonstration speaks volumes about the frustration felt here. Athens turns a deaf ear to the immigrant problem. Civil servants were forced to pass round a hat in order to buy blankets and other necessities.
policeman with moustache, cynically
When Camp Lakada here in Mitilini was set up, it had all the creature comforts imaginable. The health-care there was first class. But they forgot to tell us that some of the inmates had TB, leprosy, lice, hepatitis, Aids and God knows what kind of other illnesses. We found that out for ourselves by being in daily contact with them. We demand that they stop trying to fool us. Those civil servants screaming for a pay rise who have only ever seen an immigrant on TV. Our force has already participated in ten discussions on this issue. And what's the outcome? One more rubbish dump of a reception centre.
Church
Illegal immigrants that don't manage to reach the island alive are buried by the church. Father Stavros Saklamakis has just returned from a course about immigrant care. If the government fails to respond, the church must take action.
Saklamakis claims the biggest problem so far has been that everyone, right up to the Government, tries to shirk responsibility.
Father Stavros Saklamakis
It's a big problem. We don't know how many people are arriving each day. Our community is not geared to this kind of situation.
It is not clear who bears responsibility for these people. It is not my task to designate responsibility to one particular person. But our community as a whole is responsible for these people who come here exhausted and desperate and who really need our help.
Back on the 147, the crew suddenly spots a speedboat, which ignores the coastguards stop signals.
Only when the man realises that he can't shake us off, does he admit defeat. He turns out to be just an ordinary Greek who has no ID on him. He is given a hefty fine. The crew have difficulty in maintaining professional courtesy. To them, it feels exactly the same as a fleeing smuggler.
"A whole group of us here at this camp came to this European island by boat.
Our boat sank near the island. We were rescued by the local coastguard."
Greek coastguards are busy. Over the past five years, over 25,000 illegal immigrants 600 people smugglers have been arrested in Greek waters. In Mythilinis bustling harbour, patrol ship 147 prepares for a long night.
radar commander ENG
We are in this area.
In front of us is the Greek coast.
Behind us is the Turkish coast.
Our position is roughly in the middle
of this area on our radar.
We are close to the border line
dividing Greek and Turkish waters.
Four turbine engines provide the patrol boat with enough power to reach a speed of 85 k.p.h., enough to keep up with the traffickers.
Captain Michalis Kapitanidis, head of harbour service
I chose this job because it means I'm at sea a lot, and I just love the sea.
And also because of the equipment. I'm an engineer so I enjoy working with it.
I find it a very enjoyable job.
Life on board consists of monotonously and endlessly scouring the radar screen. Was soon as targets are identified, the boat speeds off at full speed into the pitch dark.
ENG
It is hard for me and the crew to do this job all night. I won't say it's easy.
Stratios Drakoulis, harbour authority sublieutenant.
During last night's patrol at about 4 a.m. two inflatable boats were spotted.
There were four people in one boat, and five in the other, with oars.
They were stopped and told to turn back.
Will they try again tonight?
I don't know.
In my experience they never stop at just one attempt. They keep trying.
So today they'll probably try again. But we'll spot them again during our patrol.
We'll track them down and stop them again.
shot of Mythilene's night life
While tourists enjoy themselves in Mythilene's pavement cafés, a few kilometres away a group of illegal immigrants struggle on, drawn by the lights of Lesbos. They were prepared to row 14 hours to get there. But in just a few minutes they saw their dream of reaching Fort Europe shattered.
Jordy Worth Simon, illegal immigrant. ENG
"We hoped to find a better life here.
That is why we fled our countries.
We come from Somalia and the Sudan,
where wars are raging."
A deflated boat has washed ashore. Is this the silent witness to the illegal crossing? Along they quay, the coastguards have their own collection of confiscated Turkish boats.
interview with coastguard Fotios Garoufalias
Special Operations Unit
On 14 August at 3 a.m., 37 Turks tried to reach the Greek coast on this boat.
Something went wrong and the incident room contacted us to say that a boat had been shipwrecked and that people were in the water.
A call wass made to the harbour service's incident room. Hotel guests heard voices out at sea. A patrol board is dispatched immediately. But no S.O.S. message was received, and so the boat had to keep searching in the dark.
D. Karabinis, Lesbos coastguard commander
-feeling smugglers?
These smugglers are ruthless types
who do not hesitate to put lives at risk.
The lives of the illegal immigrants.
They just abandon them,
no matter what the weather, to avoid being arrested.
The only thing they are interested in,
is their profits from smuggling.
interview with coastguard Fotios Garoufalias
Special Operations Unit
The sea was teeming with people.
We could still see the bow,
so we knew where to look.
We don't know how long they had been in the water.
We wondered if there were any survivors
and how many were already at the bottom of the sea.
Together with the fishing boats that were there quickly
we managed to rescue 32 people
who were deeply traumatised.
Especially the woman who lost
three of her five children.
After we'd picked up 29 survivors
and a number of dead, we put them in a fishing boat.
They were taken to the harbour
so they could be transported to hospital,
as fast as possible by ambulance and by bus.
They were taken to hospital quickly,
especially the children.
fragment of crying mother in hospital, first part
My God, what is to become of me?
My three children,
all drowned.
Apparently, there was a huge hole
in the boat's hull.
That's how water first came in.
And because the boat was so heavily laden
it all happened very quickly.
When they saw the smugglers abandoning the ship,
panic broke out, and they jumped overboard too.
Then the boat sank.
Human smugglers hacked a hole in a boat, and then left double-quick in an escort boat. They have 8 deaths on their conscience. These people are the latest on an endless list of immigrants who illegally try to reach the coasts of Europe, but end up paying with their lives. United, the human rights organisation, says that the devastating reality of Fortress Europe is that it has cost the lives of at least 3,750 people this past decade.
Jordy Worth Simon, illegal immigrant
Why does Europe do this?
We suffer.
We come from far away.
Patrol, part 2 (second night)
This patrol boat is only a few years old, but it has seen so much service that it is virtually a write off. The crew systematically does overtime in order to patrol Europe's sea border. A new boat has been authorised but until it arrives, the Lesbos coastguard has only two patrol boats.
A suspicious Turkish barge tries to enter Greek territorial waters. The coastguards don't want to arrest those on board, they simply want to block the barge's way. This means that Turkey will still be responsible for any illegal immigrants on board.
We are EU guards. We feel responsible and proud because we guard the borders of a few hundred million people. A few years ago, we only guarded Greece's borders.
By summer 2003, the coastguard here had arrested 15 people smugglers. It's a difficult job because the myriad of small islands provides plenty of places for the smugglers to hide at night.
In the harbour of the Turkish fishing village of Ayvalik, close to Lesbos, potential smuggling vessels lie idle. Usually the smugglers use decrepit, unseaworthy fishing boats. Sometimes they use the opposite: fast, stolen speed boats. Speed boats are very popular among smugglers because with sufficient engine power they can do the crossing in five minutes.
Jordy Worth Simon, illegal immigrant
"I came by boat. We went on board at the Turkish coast. They said it was Italy.
We wanted to go to Italy. Now we're stranded on a Greek island.
Greece has to guard 16,000 km of coastline and 3,000 islands. An almost impossible task. Greece has come under criticism for its alleged over tolerant stance on illegal immigration. Italy, for instance, is calling for tehGreeks to toughen up. A few months ago, Minister Umberto Bossi suggested opening fire on boats with illegal immigrants on board, although later on he said it was just a joke and journalists misconstrued what he said. But Karabinis is still angry about it.
Karabinis
I think we do what we can under the circumstances. But I must add that under no circumstances do we endanger human lives. Not the lives of the immigrants, nor the smugglers. Rescuing people from drowning is our highest priority.
That's why we don't use weapons as it could put lives at risk. And we wouldn't abandon them if they were in danger.
But Greece is far from a soft touch for illegal immigrants. Far away from civilisation, hidden between idyllic olive groves is Camp Kteo, one of the two temporary reception centres on Lesbos for illegal immigramnts.
At the edge of a kind of building site, 112 illegal immigrants are being detained here, squashed together in just a few tents. They have no beds, blankets, toilets or showers. There is just one tap, but the water is undrinkable. There are only two guards. Cameras arent allowed inside the camp, but the refugees have to go to the toilet in the olive groves and they are allowed to fetch drinking water nearby.
Jordy Worth Simon, illegal immigrant on location:
29.36.48 "I expect to find a good position, anything good. But I see nothing different here, OK?
The frustration is clearly getting to the immigrants.
Too many people, that leads to problems. No sleep, no water, no food. There are many problems here, too many problems.
Jordy Worth Simon, illegal immigrant
There is no food or water here. We need good jobs in order to stay here.
It's a jungle here. There are lots of snakes. Every day we catch lots of snakes.
The water is bad. The food is very bad. We only get two meals a day.
Lesbos is up in arms. This cannot go on, and they can't go on. At this march, Policemen, coastguards, ambulance staff and firemen are protesting about the dreadful conditions of the illegal immigrants, and of the people who guard them.
banner:
Association of Lesbos Police Employees
END THE LIES,
enough is enough
That people in such a respectable profession are reduced to demonstration speaks volumes about the frustration felt here. Athens turns a deaf ear to the immigrant problem. Civil servants were forced to pass round a hat in order to buy blankets and other necessities.
policeman with moustache, cynically
When Camp Lakada here in Mitilini was set up, it had all the creature comforts imaginable. The health-care there was first class. But they forgot to tell us that some of the inmates had TB, leprosy, lice, hepatitis, Aids and God knows what kind of other illnesses. We found that out for ourselves by being in daily contact with them. We demand that they stop trying to fool us. Those civil servants screaming for a pay rise who have only ever seen an immigrant on TV. Our force has already participated in ten discussions on this issue. And what's the outcome? One more rubbish dump of a reception centre.
Church
Illegal immigrants that don't manage to reach the island alive are buried by the church. Father Stavros Saklamakis has just returned from a course about immigrant care. If the government fails to respond, the church must take action.
Saklamakis claims the biggest problem so far has been that everyone, right up to the Government, tries to shirk responsibility.
Father Stavros Saklamakis
It's a big problem. We don't know how many people are arriving each day. Our community is not geared to this kind of situation.
It is not clear who bears responsibility for these people. It is not my task to designate responsibility to one particular person. But our community as a whole is responsible for these people who come here exhausted and desperate and who really need our help.
Back on the 147, the crew suddenly spots a speedboat, which ignores the coastguards stop signals.
Only when the man realises that he can't shake us off, does he admit defeat. He turns out to be just an ordinary Greek who has no ID on him. He is given a hefty fine. The crew have difficulty in maintaining professional courtesy. To them, it feels exactly the same as a fleeing smuggler.