Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
GREECE HAS SENT a ship to the resort island of Kos to speed up the registration of hundreds of Syrian refugees following mounting tensions over a huge influx of new arrivals.
The Eleftherios Venizelos docked in Kos in the afternoon and will be moored for about two weeks during which authorities will register newcomers to the island, said Major General Zakharoula Tsirigoti, the head of the Greek police’s immigration department.
But the Syrians, most of whom are living rough – either sleeping in tents or on the beach – will not be hosted on the ship.
“It’s only for the screening and briefing of the Syrians,” Tsirigoti told reporters.
She said she expected registration on the boat to start “hopefully tomorrow, or if we manage to prepare everything, tonight.”
The ship will not be used to register any Iraqis, Afghans or any of the other new arrivals on the island, who Tsigiroti said were “immigrants, not refugees.”
Earlier this week, about 2,000 refugees and immigrants were relocated to a football stadium.
Overwhelmed police beat them with truncheons and sprayed fire extinguishers during a scuffle on Tuesday.
- ‘Long-term solution needed’ -
At the start of the week, there were about 7,000 migrants and refugees on the island, which is home to some 30,000 people.
According to the officer, some 2,500 refugees and migrants now remain, with many taking regular ferry services to Athens once they are registered.
“Tonight, we are expecting some 1,900 Syrians to leave the island,” Tsirigoti said.
From Athens, most of the migrants and refugees hope to leave Greece for countries further north, including Germany and Sweden.
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) criticised the government’s initiative to register the Syrians on the ship.
“What we want is a long-term solution, which is reception,” said MSF’s humanitarian affairs officer Constance Theisen.
“If this boat is only temporary, it’s ridiculous,” she told AFP.
Kos Mayor George Kiritsis said Greece cannot deal with the crisis alone, however.
“The European Union has to help financially (with) the immigration problem,” Kiristis told reporters at the port.
“Also the European Union must understand that at some point, the countries have to share the people that are coming here, or else the problem won’t be solved. The people are still going to be coming here to find a better place,” he added.
Some 124,000 refugees and migrants landed on the Greek islands during the first seven months of the year — up 750 percent from 2014, according to UN figures.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Surely the heritage department should be obligated to look into this, whatever it turns out to be does it not warrant further investigation, any archeological find is part of our past and may give us a deeper insight into our history, I find it hard to comprehend how they can dismiss this!…
@Kate Flaherty: it’s an obvious leg pull.
@Kate Flaherty: If you put out enough bait , you’ll always catch one .
@Fiona deFreyne: most likely but they should go out and have a look. It’s only Meath, not the dark side of the moon.
@Kate Flaherty: exactly. Like wtf else have they got to be doing?? Not like there’s a new find every week
@Kate Flaherty: great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather, is that you?
@Ken Hayden: The experienced archealogist says ‘he has never seen anything like it’ – so it must be from an alien source or perhaps political.
It might even be an ancient grave then so.
@Fiona deFreyne: Are you sure…..
@Stephen Brady: Its only Meath…..Loughcrew, Newgrange, Trim Castle, Boyne Battle site, seige of Drogheda are all fake then..??
@Chris Kirk: exactly what I was thinking, that part of the country is steeped in history but I think Stephen was trying to point out it’s only County Meath they have to travel to not the other side of the world!..,
@Kate Flaherty: It’s clearly an angel. I mean, who’s ever heard of a neanderthal?
@Grotmaster: Stone the crows, I wondered where that angel went…
Some sort of ancient jelly baby..
@Irish Patriot: I hope its not bound to some ancient jelly curse.
@Stefan Epure: Don’t get all wobbly on me now.
@Irish Patriot: i doubt it, the head is not bitten off
Inspired by the Angel of Springfield.
And at risk of being labelled a big drysh*te, digging massive big holes in close proximity to archaeological sites is really not good.
There must be easier ways of getting likes and attention.
@Neil Jackman:
publicity stunt id imagine
@Neil Jackman: remember the angel in the Simpsons??
@Ian Parker: you’re comnent is spot ob.
@David Dickson: your
Building a stop on a fairy trail and all the workers were wearing trainers no work clothes and only one spade with no handle between them. Thick or what!
a stone death mask of Gonzo
@Itsme: Need a stone death mask of someone – why not Zoidberg!
@Itsme: looks more like a bishop.
@Diogenes: Or Gonzo!
@Dae Monicus: Oophs it’s been done sorry itsme.
@Dae Monicus: Why no Zoidberg!
I’m outraged. Someone from sinn fein should be arrested and held responsible for this.
@itzme: it might be one of the many bodies they’ve disappeared over the years. Somebody ask Gerry does he recognise it.
@Sensword Byhax: didn’t know sinn fein disappeared any one, would you care to share your information. ?
@itzme: Well ppl IN SF did, with a probability so close to one as makes no odds. Of course, they were also in other things as well. Every time I see one or two of them especially glad-handling as politicians always think of that story about James Joyce, who was at a Harvard symposium when an American student raced up to him going ”OH MY GAWD JAMES JOYCE!!!! LEMME SHAKE THE HAND THAT WROTE ULYSSES!!” To which Joyce replied ”Well, if you must, but remember it’s done a lot of other things too….”
@Sensword Byhax: would you use the same probability when betting on a horse with your own money?
@itzme: if I was a betting man it’d be money in the bank. Sadly I dropped a fiver on Greasepaint at Aintree in 1983 and the hoor’s still runnin most likely. Cured me of that in an instant. Being from Cavan.
@itzme: SF/IRA. Most people are smart enough to know they are two branches of the same organisation. You’re not that smart, apparently.
If its in the Meath Chronicle it must be serious.
fake
Laughing. Good try and it’s not even 1st April yet.
I heard today from a source in Meath that it was legitimate. A similar, but much smaller find was made at the Hill of Ward in Meath a few years ago and there was the same response from the dept of Heritage, they denied the find. I was told the reason why, but Id be afraid to post it here.. I think it had to do with funding, and whether it was to be made available. etc.
@Morgan Ferriter Art: why in the christ would you be afraid????
@Morgan Ferriter Art: Its an ancient Egyptian statue of there god thoth by the looks of its beaked head.
@Morgan Ferriter Art: Don’t get me started please…..archalogists often forget that people sometimes put things in the ground to bury them, not to dig them up again and what often turns out to be heritage is no more than somebody’s buried rubbish.
@Morgan Ferriter Art: As the person overseeing the excavation at the Hill of Ward I can assure you that no similar find was made. What was found was the skeleton of an infant in a formal burial from c. 400 AD. The National Monuments Service were informed (as were the coroner and gardai as is the law) and did come to visit the site.
This could be a case for Scully and Mulder!
@Brendan Rogers: inspired to dig out my old “catatonia” cd now!
@Ken Mitchell: Ah CDs, those were the days
Obviously one of the Beaker people.
Child of the face on Mars.
Typical Ireland…no investigation…nothing like this has ever been found before. Superstitions at play here… its situated in the middle of a fairy ring.
It could be a statue that was in the process of being carved and was rejected for some reason.
@Cathal Mac Einri:
Because its nose was too big?
@Walt Jabsco:
Or wasn’t big enough?
@Cathal Mac Einri: Too big for the milk float
The return of the Dummy.
no mention of the gold that i found , phew , thought i was busted there for a second
Ok.. I could be wrong, and this could be a dummy.. good acting by the 3 lads if this is the case.! Rip big-nose. :-)
and not a word about the gold
Monuments don’t check anything out unless it’s far enough away for overnight expenses. This could a boost for our tourism, possibilities are endless as most people will believe anything connected with new or even old fairies. Fairies and leprechauns should be grant aided to help them proliferate and boost our tourism. This specimen from our past looks like an ancient traffic bollard.
have your say