by Roger McKenzie

MORE than 300 migrants have arrived on Greek islands over the past three days in separate incidents, the coast guard reported on Thursday.

The coast guard said that authorities had found 107 people the previous day on the islands of Samos, Mykonos and the tiny island of Ro, which lies in the Mediterranean off the southern coast of Turkey.

Those were in addition to another 109 people who arrived on Wednesday on the islands of Lesbos, Rhodes, Samos and Santorini, while a further 118 arrived Tuesday on the islands of Ro, Rhodes and Lesbos.

Most of the migrants were picked up near the coastline by coast guard patrol boats from dinghies or other vessels provided by smugglers. All were taken to migrant reception centres.

For decades Greece has been one of the main entry points into the European Union for people fleeing conflict or poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia and hoping for a better life in Europe.

According to figures from the United Nations, more than 14,000 people have reached Greece by land and sea so far this year. Arrivals in Greece for the whole of 2022 totalled 19,000.

In June, a battered fishing trawler heading from Libya to Italy with an estimated 500-750 people on board sank in international waters off south-western Greece. 

Only 104 survivors were recovered from the waters with Greek authorities facing heavy criticism for failing to come to the rescue in time.

The government has attributed the rise in migrant crossings over the past two months to better summer weather and smugglers taking advantage of an increase in Aegean small boat traffic during the tourist season.

Human rights groups and migrants have denounced the Greek government for carrying out illegal summary deportations of people arriving in the country without allowing them to apply for asylum, an accusation the government strongly denies.