We did our very little bit for the refugees on Saturday morning, heading down to Yialos at 11.00 to see what needed doing. As it turned out 24 refugees had just arrived and were at the port police station waiting to be processed. While Neil stayed at the old post office to receive donations and tidy up, sort out and do whatever needed doing there, me and Ian (who has come to Symi for the winter/time being to run Solidarity Symi with Wendy) took some water and basic supplies (biscuits, colouring books for the children etc.) around to the other side to see what we could do there. It’s never really ‘situationally appropriate’ to take photos so the only one here today (above) was taken by Solidarity Symi and I have taken it from their Facebook page which will keep you up to date with what the charity is doing for refugees and those in need more locally.
As soon as we got there we asked if anyone could speak English and there were two people who could. As Ian went to talk with the officers and see what was what, I answered questions from the man who spoke English while the lady who spoke some gave out the things to the children and others. Most of the group were asleep having been awake through the night. None of them had much by way of possessions and some were barefoot as their shoes were wet; one child had a fever and two ladies needed to see a doctor for some minor cuts sustained when, in their words, a Turkish coastguard threw a bottle at them; but I am not sure if that was as in “Here, take this water it might help” and it was an accident, or for some less palatable reason. The questions the guy was asking me were interesting though and might give you some idea of what’s on the minds of the refugees when they arrive.
Are you from the UN? No, I explained, we’re just locals trying to help.
How long will the port police take? It varies from two hours to many more, you just have to be patient.
When is the boat to Athens? Our next one is Wednesday, but there are boats to Rhodes and connections can be made three.
What is Rhodes? Can we get a taxi? I explained about Symi being a small island, Rhodes having more ferries, and another refugee aid station.
How much is the boat to Rhodes? Depends on the boat etc.
How long does it take to get to Athens? Between 12 and 17 hours from Rhodes, around 17 hours from Symi. (A bit of shock at this news.)
How much? I explained that the police station has all this information and timetables and it would be explained in more accurate detail over there.
What happens to us now? After the port police you will be taken to the other side of the harbour to the regular police, they do some paperwork and send it to Rhodes, when they get the okay from Rhodes you are free to move around.
Is there a shelter at the other side, is it a camp? No, they have a terrace you can shelter on, we will try and find you accommodation for the night, but otherwise… We have sleeping bags and clothes you can have.
And so on.
Back at the aid station we prepared 24 sleeping bags and washbags per family unit. On Saturday the guest list was made up of: Single mum (pregnant) with two young children, didn’t know where she was heading; single mum with two older children (the boy was either deeply in shock or had a mental disability, he was not very responsive but his mother was not unduly worried); Mother/father with three children; mother/father with two children; another mother and father with three children; two single men, one around 14 I’d say, and a young couple with no children. So, six families and two single guys. Having been given permission from the port police, we were able to take the three ladies who needed medical assistance around to the clinic where the doctor saw to them.
Later in the day, I am guessing now as we went off duty at 13.00, the group would have been sent over to the police station and completed their paperwork. There were no day boats in on Saturday and only the Dodekanisos coming back later in the day, but, looking from our balcony on Sunday, I can see people still on the police station terrace, so I assume our party has not yet been able to get to Rhodes.
There. That’s what we did on Saturday morning, just thought you might like to know.
