We Don't Have A Choice" Say İllegal Migrants İn Aegean Resort Town

In Bodrum resort district of Muğla, the number of illegal migrants keeps rising over a flock from Burma, Pakistan, Iraq and Congo, in addition to 1,000 Syrian migrants.

Locals report migrants fight inhumane conditions in order to survive on streets, after having set up a camp at a land near Kanuni Sultan Süleyman High School and Bodrum's busy marketplace in the district centre.

"We have left our home behind. We do not have the choice to go back to our country. We will save our lives by crossing into Europe. We have no harm on anyone. We do not want this misery either" said Rawani Muttalip, among the Syrian migrants in a worrying wait at the marketplace of Bodrum.

Another migrant, 34-year-old Muan Hani told that he has migrated to Turkey from Pakistan 6 months ago and said, "We were fooled, three times. They have claimed to find us jobs in a factory in Bodrum and take have taken our money. They told us to wait here for them. But then we found out that there is no factory in the district. Now we don't know what to do. No money, no job, ne bread. It has been three days; no one comes no one goes."

Despite feeling sorrow for the migrant's conditions, shop keepers in the district aired their grievances. "In the last two months, we have become enable to do business. The marketplace returned into a refugee camp. Illegal migrants want money and food, then provoke disturbance when we reject. In this case, tourist wouldn't come to the marketplace either, and the ones who visit the market would have to do shopping with fear" said Osman Özer who runs a restaurant.

Özer added that the shopkeepers witness with their own eyes how organisators teach migrants how to cross into Greek island and then carry them in groups. Selahattin Özay who owns a shoe shop added that the number of illegal migrants rise, rather than falling and urged upon people's concern that migrant's origins or their health condition is not clear, thus the situation will lead to a disaster.

Shop keepers in the town accentuate that their business has fallen by 60 percent because of the flock of illegal migrants.

On Aug 3, 44 Syrian migrants, including 12 children, 8 women, have escaped death after their boats crossing from Gümbet and Bitez beaches into Greek Island of Kos has faced the danger to sink.

(Photo) - Muğla