Greek Authorities Begin Clearing Athens Park of Migrants

A migrant with his child makes his way to board a fire brigade bus to be transferred from a park to an organized camp which has been set up by the Greek state a few miles from the centre of Athens, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015. Greek authorities say they have started resettling migrants living in tents in a park in the capital Athens, but many are wary of such a move and have moved to directions unknown thus far. AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis

ATHENS, Greece—Greek authorities said Sunday they have started resettling migrants living in tents in a park in Athens, but many were wary and had moved out ahead of the operation.

Fire brigade buses moved the migrants, most from Afghanistan, to a settlement of 90 containers in the Athens district of Votanikos. Each can house six to eight people and has air conditioning, running water and a toilet.

The government has said it is not a detention center and everyone is free to come and go. However, police estimated that about a third of the park’s almost 300 tent residents, wary of such promises, packed their belongings and left earlier. Another 30 have refused to budge.

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