Tension grows in Greek island of Chios, while some 450 refugees who refuse readmission to Turkey have been waiting at the central port to cross into Athens.

Refugee swap begun on Monday within the Turkey-EU deal starting from March 20 and a group of refugees left the Greek island in a ferry bound for Turkey’s Dikili coast. However, refugees rejected to be sent back to Turkey, urging “We have risked our lives to live better” in Chios.

Two-month-old refugee in need of liver surgery

21-year-old Barzan Sabah told DHA that their family has stayed in Turkey’s northeastern province of Van for 14 days, before they arrived to Aegean province of İzmir. Sabah said that his two-month-old daughter had a liver disease and she urgently needed a surgery to survive.

“Our target was to reach our relatives who entered Germany’s Munich six months ago. We have paid 1,300 liras to cross into the Chios island, in a boat carrying 14 people. If we have stayed in our country, we would die. We do not have passports to apply for my daughter’s surgery in a hospital” he said.

“No house, no work, no salaries in Turkey”

Syrian refugee Sabah said they did not want to go back because “Turkey does not offer the good conditions, jobs and money offered by Europe”. “We do not have the money even for buying food. We do not know what is waiting for us in Turkey; we have concerns” he added.

Another Syrian refugee, 24-year-old Ahmet Mahluf said they feared of “terror threat in Turkey” and raised his concern that they would not be welcomed by Turkish people.

“Life in Turkey is difficult. No house, no work, no salaries… They pay you 200 liras and now, I am out of money after 13 days. We sleep on the stone ground, under blankets here” said 24-year-old Azad Arab who has fled Syria with his wife.

“EU does not want us anymore”

Another refugee, Adnan Davut told DHA that he has had to flee Syria because he was forced to join the Islamic State (IS). He expressed his determination to go to Europe, regardless of the country.

Şahin Hüseyin, said he has moved to Syria from Turkey’s southeastern province of Mardin. “Many people risked their lives to cross from Turkey to Greece, after having sold everything they had. Many families came apart. But the European Union does not want us anymore. However, they have vowed to accept Syrian and Iraqi people” said Hüseyin.