Macedonia erects fence on Greek border to control migrant flow

A lot of them received minor injuries but two were hospitalized in the nearby town of Gevgelija, Macedonia’s Interior Ministry said.

Greece has seen a rebound in the number of crossings by migrants to its islands near the coast of Turkey despite growing difficulties in crossing the Balkans to reach central and northern Europe.

Tensions peaked at Greece’s border with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia over the weekend after the FYROM army started building a border fence to keep out would-be migrants.

Police say the reduction in numbers may have to do with the onset of cold weather and the fact that some Balkan countries are letting people through only selectively.

A government spokesman said the aim of the fence was “to direct the inflow of people towards the controlled points for their registration and humane treatment”.

Gjorgjev said the fence was aimed at ensuring migrants did not try to slip across the frontier undetected, without going through the checkpoint. “The border will remain open”.

He added that “the dynamic and the structure of the migrants flow has been determined in accordance with European Union demands and (those of) the countries of the Balkan route”.

A few ran across into Macedonia but were quickly detained by police.

As Europe’s worst migrant crisis since World War Two continues, the Macedonian government says it won’t seal off access to refugees fleeing war.

“Several police officers were injured”.

The police responded with tear gas and stun grenades, driving the crowd back.

The man, one of those whose entry into Macedonia has been forbidden, climbed on top of a stationary train carriage and touched a power cable overhead. The man was taken away with severe burns in a Red Cross ambulance.

His fellow migrants are shouting slogans, and some are chanting “God is Great” in Arabic.

The Macedonian Army has begun erecting a wire fence along the country’s border with Greece to control a wave of migrants trying to cross, local TV channel Telma reported on Saturday.