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Friday November 20, 2015
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No. 712
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Special Feature – p13-33
On the front line in refugee crisis Thanks to Batley aid workers on the Greek island of Lesbos, the bodies of 30 children and 40 adults will be given the decent burial which was being denied to them... AID workers from Batley have faced the agonising task of burying refugees who drowned on their way to Greece. Members of the One Nation charity saw cemeteries on the island of Lesbos at capacity – and plans for alternative funeral sites delayed by red tape and officials’ inaction. Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox, a former aid worker, intervened to ensure that 70 bodies could be buried. The Mount Pleasant-based One Nation set out for France, Hungary, Austria and Germany in September with supplies for refugees. Two weeks ago a team went to the front line in the European migration crisis, the Greek island of Lesbos, after seeing TV coverage. Refugees – many from Syria – are landing there in boats from nearby Turkey at a rate of up to 7,000 people a day. Not all make it – in just one tragedy on October 30 the bodies of 22 refugees washed up on a beach after their makeshift boat sank. Rafts and dinghies intended for 10 people are packed with up to 40, including
By David Miller News Reporter davidmiller@thepressnews.co.uk
some in wheelchairs. Maqsood Motala, of Batley Carr, said: “Shockingly, we heard that there were around 70 bodies that still needed to be buried as all the cemeteries are full.” There were about 30 children plus 20 women and 20 men whose bodies were left in storage at a hospital. Among the dead were a man, his wife and two of their four children. The other two children survived. Mr Motala said: “The Lesbos authorities promised us a spot near the hospital but were still to confirm this and they kept delaying the final decision.” He sought help from Mrs Cox, Batley West councillor Shabir Pandor and local mosque group Rabetah Al Ulama Al Islamiyyah. Mrs Cox said: “It’s an incredibly sad situation and one of the many tragic consequences of the refugee crisis emerging from the civil war in Syria.
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The One Nation charity from Batley is collecting donations of goods for an aid convoy to Syria due to set off soon. Baby milk formula, nappies, thermal blankets, toiletries and non-perishable tinned food are among the items needed. Goods can be taken to a drop off point at Unit 1B, New Ing Mills, Field Lane, Batley, which is near the Indian Nights restaurant. It is open from Monday to Thursday, 11am to 3pm. For other days or further details call 07889 978772, 07812 997878, or 01924 856923.
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