Who wants to evacuate Kastellorizo?

The strong battalion, which was transferred recently in the island, is making the Turks to think twice about a possible move, while remaining ultimately in daily cruises from Kas on Kastellorizo.

We were witnesses to many of the problems and difficulties that you will read below, in our travel in this part of Greece.

In order to travel in Kastellorizo from Rhodes, we waited for two days because of non-existent flights and ferry connections and weather conditions which precluded the arrival on the island.

Maybe that's why Kastellorizo turns its back to ... the Greek government in Athens, and sends the message that if the politicians will not actualize their promises, things will get another turn.

The island which was marked by the statement of George Papandreou for the country's entry in the Memorandum, five years later has the same problems it had before; if not more...

"We got tired, asking for the obvious; those things, which in accordance with human rights, should every person to have, in order to live decently. We live on the edge of Greece and we have been mislaid, giving the feeling around the world that the Kastellorizo, has continuing demands. The island is asking for nothing new. We want the things that the Greek government should provide us, in order us to stay here and guard the borders of Greece.

Instead, they are acting, like they want to decimate us, like they want to make us abandon our island", says the 35-year old deputy mayor, Michalis Ahladiotis, father of a baby and husband of a pregnant woman, who remains on the island.

The cry of distress of the residents is very strong ... they do not withstanding other political visits ... They have had enough of the promises. Besides, the politicians, -by the Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, until the last MP-, just promise and they seek, with big words, to usurp votes every time they appear on the island.

The problems, for this part of the border of Greece, remain unresolved and this is the greatest feeling of shame that could cause "mother" Greece to her children. The mockery of the government to the islanders, who know that every day are "playing" with the odds to find themselves at the heart of a new Greek-Turkish conflict.

Moreover, the Turks are not hiding anymore. They know what Kastellorizo means, they know exactly the treasure hidden in the subsurface in the region and they seek to create a new gray area.

And yet ... The Greek government, rather than raise the Greek element on the island, instead of offering incentives to increase the population of the island, are daily mocking the existing residents. They are mocking those people who are keeping the Greek identity of the island. For any other case, as history has shown, we would be called to prove the obvious.

Without water, without a doctor...

The lack of drinking water and of a doctor is the permanent problem faced by residents on the island,. These are basic goods, if they want to live ... Water and doctor...

Thousands promises but no acts. Obviously, because politicians know best, what grounds are they forcing the Greek government to let this island, in the mercy of God (literally).

So today, the island has a seasonal doctor, after failing to find a way to bring a permanent (or more) doctors on the island, in order to treat the serious incidents of everyday life. With such frequent change of a single doctor, there are medical incidents which are lost in the sloppy and gaps.

People were in serious risk in the past, lives were lost, and every time some citizens has something serious, everyone depend on the army, to transport the patient with a helicopter, if possible by the weather.

"They usually send us, whatever medical specialty comes to their mind, for certain time. This is not a solution", says A.K. a young mother who every day prays, in order nothing to happen to her children.

At least, they should respect the elderly who live on the island, who are the ones who kept Kastellorizo as Greek, all these years. After the war and exile they returned, they wanted to resurrect the burnt earth and stayed at the island to rebuild it. Today these people do not have a doctor and feel insecure because they know that all they are waiting is to die", says the mayor of the island, Mr. Parisis.

"The recent mission of a Syrian doctor, hematologist, again does not solve the problem, he will soon leave. Until to have a chance to learn more for some of the incidents, he will leave and we will stay to wait for the next doctor", says angry, Michael Papoutsis and continues: "How the young people to stay on the island, how to create families? Knowing that their children may be victims of Greece, which is not able to protect their health and punish us because we chose to live in Kastellorizo? What do they want from us? To give up our land?"

The drama of transportation and Turkey...

The transportation is very sparse, and when something happens, we can not leave the island. We're trapped and worthy of our destiny. There is a flight two to three times per week and on the same days their is a boat itinerary. The service is subsidized and they must come even if they have a single passenger. And of course, while Greek politicians shut their ears to the cries of distress of the inhabitants, the Turks have opened their arms ... and are waiting:

"There are days that if we want to get out of here we can only swim because there is no way of transportation", says disappointed, Mrs. Varvara who lives on the island all her life". We are forced to go to Turkey, to Kas. We do the shopping from there and we try to cover most of our needs. In the end, we're going to make a contract with the Turks to bring us a doctor", says with anger and essentially reveals the size of the issue, which should have been resolved long ago, by the Greek government.

Because, in fact, the information arriving on the island from Turkey, talk about a coordinated effort of the neighboring country to offer full medical coverage to residents of the Aegean islands, through a floating hospital, which for this reason it will move "freely" in the wider region.

The problem of the water

The works for the water lake-reservoir continues for... 15 years. It is not ready yet. And on the island, the residents, permanent or not, are suffering; in the winter or in the summer. Just because of the summer tourism, water is conveyed by water carrier ship from Rhodes, and is unsuitable for drinking because until it reaches to the island, is full of microorganisms. The result is that people pay thousands of Euros in bottled water and they rely upon the army in the winter, to bring them some cubic of water. The water problem is evident even in the summer and creates problems in tourism. The water tanks on the island remain maintenance free and the water that is gathered from desalination, deemed inappropriate.

Kastellorizo seems to be under development, but in fact is constantly moving backwards, due to the crimes of the state which makes choices and assignments which never end. Even the houses which were built by government subsidies to be given to low income residents of Kastellorizo, were never inhabited, because due to the bad construction the buildings were deemed unsuitable.

Rage against Lovervos...

There has not been a long time, from the day that the Minister of Education, Andreas Loverdos had visited the island, declaring the start of the school year by visiting the school. But it seems that he did not enjoy the trust of students, (like maybe achieved with high school students in Korea), ... on the contrary, he angered them.

"He came to make a speech and leave. He did not listen to us at all. He did not want to listen to us. He was rude, because every time we wanted to tell him something, he was passing by us. In a teacher who has three children and tried to explain how difficult it is to live without your family, he glared and said: 'Madam, finish your talk, let's go ... I did not come here to hear you, I came to talk".

We therefore say that instead of making use of the Super Puma, which costs so much money, he should not come at all and to use that money, in order to fix the toilets, the halls and our baskets, which are broken. Our children have nothing else to do on the island, except sports", says an angry mother of a student.

They insist on... Greece

And yet ... For the residents of Kastellorizo, what matters, what makes them still hoping in better days, is their love for the motherland. And they do everything possible in this difficult time, so the land of Kastellorizo not to end in foreign hands. They are receiving many offers by the land market but they want to keep the Greek character attempting to control who buy land on their island.

They know that foreign companies representing Turkish interests, are trying to buy large areas or have already do so, in order to sell plots in Turks 'investors'. They do not want such an "investment", which has as n ultimate goal the change of the character of the island.

George Papandreou, Antonis Samaras, Andreas Loverdos, Adonis Georgiades and other Prime Ministers ... (current and former), Ministers and MPs, gave to the residents promises which never became a reality. Promises for roads, for a new school, for permanent doctors, for water. For the cover, simply put, of the minimum basic living needs ... Armies of ministers and legislators passed from the Kastellorizo.

They were rigid due to their pomposity, they said and stated what they had on their minds and then fled. ... And then, they forgot everything, and reached to the point to call the mayor (from the office of A. Samaras), in order to remind them which of the commitment of Prime Minister had not been actualized ... Suddenly, when the Maximou was updated for the presence of Newsbomb.gr on the island.

The testimony of a young fisherman is shocking: "Fortunately we have the military and prevents illegal immigrants to come to the island, because then we would had greater problems...".

No one cannot today claim that the future for Kastellorizo is prescribed auspicious ...

As we have seen, the elderly are waiting patiently their death and the young are seeking ways to leave the island ... So, mathematically, if the Greek government does not invest in the island, Kastellorizo will be "wiped off" the map of Greece. Perhaps much sooner than the foreign decision makers and the new world order ...are planning.

"Sometimes I think ... is it right to leave? I want to leave, but what about my place? If we all leave what will happen to our place? And then something inside me keeps me firmly rooted here. I don’t know until when".

The only responsible for answering to that student is the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Antonis Samaras...