Coastguard detains 28 migrants

COASTGUARD officers arrested 28 illegal immigrants on April 12 after rescuing them from a rocky islet, authorities said. The immigrants - all men, whose nationalities were not immediately known - were stranded on the tiny island of Koufonisi, south of Crete, some 380km southeast of Athens, after being abandoned by smugglers. They were taken to Crete on a coastguard patrol boat. Thousands of illegal immigrants from Asia, the Middle East, Africa and eastern Europe enter European Union member Greece every year. The government has increased border patrols and surveillance of immigrant groups ahead of the August 13-29 Olympics, amid fears that terrorist groups could exploit people smuggling routes.
(16.04.04)   Athens News   ()
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