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WORLD NEWSTuesday 12 April 2016

Macedonia calls on Greece to prevent migrant riots

A Greek coast guard officer tries to calm Syrians who argue between them selves as they embark istry asked Greece to fully A few hundred people also
on a bus, transporting them to government-built shelters from the Athens port of Piraeus, on Mon- engage its police forces to protested in Idomeni Mon-
day, April 11, 2016. More than 53,000 people who made their way to Greece from Turkey have prevent what it called the day, marching to the razor-
been stranded in the country since Balkan and European nations shut their land borders to stem violent rioting of migrants. wire border fence carrying
the largest refugee flow the continent has seen since World War II. The call came a day af- a Greek and German flag,
ter seven-hour clashes be- but no violence was re-
(AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) tween Macedonian secu- ported.
rity forces and hundreds More than 53,000 peo-
K. TESTORIDES refugee crisis deepened grants and refugees from of migrants and refugees ple who made their way
Associated Press Monday, with Macedo- attempting to breach a who attempted to break to Greece from Turkey
SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) nia accusing its southern border fence between the through the border fence have been stranded in
— A rift between Macedo- neighbor of not reacting two countries. at an impromptu refugee the country since Balkan
nia and Greece over the to prevent hundreds of mi- Macedonia’s foreign min- camp housing more than and European nations
11,000 people near the shut their land borders to
Greek village of Idomeni. them to stem the largest
Macedonian authorities refugee flow the conti-
fired tear gas and rubber nent has seen since World
bullets, and medical aid War II. Greece has been
agencies said they treated frantically building new
about 300 people, includ- refugee camps, but does
ing children, for respira- still not have the capacity
tory problems and injuries. to house them all.Those in
Macedonia said 14 police Idomeni have refused to
offers and nine soldiers leave the sprawling camp,
were wounded. made up mostly of small
Greek police observed tents pitched along rail-
from their side of the bor- way tracks and in fields, in
der and did not intervene, the hope the border might
while the Greek govern- open. Activists have circu-
ment strongly criticized lated in the camp over the
the “indiscriminate use of past few weeks, distribut-
chemicals, plastic bullets ing fliers urging camp resi-
and stun grenades against dents to protest and make
vulnerable people.” a push on the fence.
The Macedonian foreign
UK’s Cameron defends financial arrangements ministry said Skopje has
been continuously request-
JILL LAWLESS mounting pressure since his being traduced.” ment’s claim that it is com- ing from Athens “coopera-
Associated Press father, Ian Cameron, was Cameron said his father mitted to closing tax loop- tion, information sharing
LONDON (AP) — British identified as a client of a had set up an investment holes. and preventive action to
Prime Minister David Cam- Panamanian law firm that fund overseas so it could Cameron has championed dissuade violent rioting of
eron fought back Monday specializes in helping the trade in dollar securities greater financial transpar- migrants and illegal border
after days of criticism over wealthy reduce their tax — “an entirely standard ency, and is due to host an crossing from Greek into
his finances, lashing out at burdens. The prime minis- practice and it is not to international anti-corrup- Macedonian territory.”
what he called hurtful and ter initially refused to say avoid tax.” He said millions tion summit in London next The “establishment of law
untrue claims about his whether he had a stake in of Britons had investments month. and order in the borderline
late father’s investments Blairmore Holdings, an off- in such funds through their A law requiring British com- zone, in and around the
sparked by leaked details shore firm established by workplace pensions. panies to disclose who re- migrant reception centers,
about the offshore ac- his father, before acknowl- Cameron said “there have ally benefits from their own- is essential to prevent such
counts of the rich and fa- edging he had sold his been some deeply hurtful ership comes into force in incidents in the future,” the
mous. shares in it shortly before he and profoundly untrue al- June. Cameron said Mon- ministry said.
Trying to restore his govern- was elected in 2010. legations made against my day that Britain’s Crown It added that Macedo-
ment’s shaken reputation, “I accept all of the criti- father,” who died in 2010. dependencies and over- nian security forces, along
Cameron insisted that “as- cisms for not responding Revelations about the seas territories — including with police officers of sev-
piration and wealth cre- more quickly to these issues Cameron family finances such tax havens as Jersey eral EU member states
ation are not somehow last week,” Cameron told — found among more than and the British Virgin Islands deployed at the border,
dirty words” and said Britain lawmakers in the House of 11 million documents from — had also agreed to were attacked by migrants
was acting to stop evasion Commons. “But as I said, I the Panamanian law firm share beneficial ownership throwing stones and they
in its overseas tax havens. was angry about the way Mossack Fonseca — have information with U.K. law- responded “swiftly and ac-
Cameron has been under my father’s memory was overshadowed the govern- enforcement bodies.q cordingly.” q