Greece probes report of boat stopping migrants
Greece's coast guard says it is investigating media reports of uniformed men forcing dinghies carrying refugees or migrants to return to Turkey, stressing that anyone found violating the law will be punished.
Wednesday's statement came following a CBS news report that said an unmarked speedboat was seen approaching a dinghy carrying 40 Syrians from Turkey on Tuesday, with unidentified armed, uniformed men cutting the dinghy's fuel line and letting the boat drift. It was later picked up by the Turkish coast guard. The report said it was unclear whether the men were affiliated with the Greek coast guard.
The Greek coast guard said it was investigating the veracity of the claims and stressed such practices were "not consistent with the mission of the Hellenic Coast Guard, the ethos, humanity and professionalism of the members of the force." It noted Greek authorities had safely handled more than 260,000 new arrivals so far this year.
[AP]
