The Greek Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) government has yet to create a hotspot for an island in the east Aegean despite the fact that it is nearing the end of December. Instead, it is trying to handle the flow of thousands of refugees in Athens while frantically seeking temporary shelters. The lack of plan forced Greek mayors of the central union of municipalities of Greece (KEDE) to create a committee for the administration of refugees and migrants.

Marousi Mayor George Patoulis, head of KEDE, said that the mayors were forced to create the committee in the absence of a national plan.”The local government is constantly startled by the rough and scrappy decisions of the government, that are taken at the last minute and justifiably cause concern to the local community,” said Patoulis, adding that the government made a wrong choice in using the Olympic facilities as a shelter for refugees. “For these areas there needs to be a complete plan of exploitation that would take into account the needs of the country to draw investments and create new employment positions rather than use this as a depository of people.”

Following confusion on Wednesday in the transfer of migrants from the Tae Kwon Do stadium in Paleo Faliro, a bus of 120 people arrived shortly before 9.30 a.m. on Thursday and began transporting these people to the hockey court at Hellenikon at around 10.30 a.m. in an operation that is set to be completed late in the afternoon.