Plans to expand Chios hot spot inch forward
Plans to expand a refugee screening center, or hot spot, on the eastern Aegean island of Chios inched forward Thursday, as police on Lesvos said they had arrested six people in the wake of riots at the island’s infamous Moria facility.
Thursday, the Chios Court of First Instance rejected a request by the municipal authorities to stop work to install new prefabricated huts at the island’s Vial hot spot until a ruling is issued on an injunction against the Migration Ministry on January 16.
Works to install the units were briefly interrupted Thursday after a local man complained that equipment operated by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) was encroaching on his land. Police allowed construction to resume as the claim could not be backed up.
Also Thursday, police on Lesvos said they arrested six suspects aged between 16 and 32 at the Moria camp following violent interethnic clashes on Tuesday night. Police said the charges cover a wide range of crimes including illegal arms possession, physical assault, robbery and animal theft.
