Migrant camps to go ahead despite local opposition

The government is intent on pressing forward with the creation of new, more restrictive, reception centers for migrants despite the vehement opposition of local authorities both on the islands of the eastern Aegean which are under particular pressure and on the mainland. 

"The closed facilities will be built and and the sprawling camps that discredit Greece and fail to offer basic living standards will close," government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters on Tuesday, referring to intensely overcrowded centers such as the notorious Moria camp on Lesvos. 

Petsas added that construction is already under way in some places and will begin in the coming days at the remaining sites slated for the new camps. In an apparent bid to allay concerns about a sudden influx of migrants into local communities, Petsas added that the capacity of the camps will not exceed 1 percent...

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