00:00At least 1,200 migrants have been detained in the Greek islands of Crete and the nearby islet of Gavdos over the past three days following a surge in arrival from Libya.
00:13Multiple boats were intercepted off Crete's southern coast from Saturday through Monday, prompting regional officials to request additional government assistance.
00:22Migrants typically make the 350-kilometre journey to Crete in unseaworthy boats of unhastily constructed to survive a single voyage or abandon vessels modified in scrapyards.
00:37Gavdos, which is a tiny island south of Crete, has been overwhelmed by arrivals.
00:43Boats and dinges remain washed up on its pebble beaches, many of them accessible only on foot.
00:48For years, the European Union has been funding, training and equipping the Libyan Coast Guard to prevent smugglers from transporting migrants and refugees from Europe in makeshift boats.
01:02However, the Coast Guard has faced repeated accusations of mistreatment of asylum seekers, leading many NGOs to denounce the policy.
01:11Under international maritime law, people rescued at sea should be disembarked at a safe port.
01:16And the UN does not consider Libya a secure port.
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