Unsettling Encounters: Tourists and Refugees Cross Paths in the Mediterranean

[unhappycamper]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/tourists-and-refugess-cross-paths-in-the-mediterranean-a-1046969.html



Two worlds are colliding on the beaches of the Mediterranean this summer: Vacationers looking for relaxation and migrants seeking relief from poverty or warfare. The result is a moral conundrum for Europe.

Unsettling Encounters: Tourists and Refugees Cross Paths in the Mediterranean
By Spiegel Staff
August 07, 2015 – 11:22 AM

~snip~

Rasib Ali drags his body out of the water with the last of his strength. His arms and legs are shaking, his lips are blue and his wet jeans and shirt cling to his body.

The Greek island of Kos is only a few nautical miles from the Turkish coast. Ali, an 18-year-old migrant from Pakistan, left Turkey in a rubber boat the night before. He traveled alone, unable to afford the cost of a spot on board a smugglers' ship. Not far from Kos, his boat capsized. Though he can't swim, Ali somehow he managed to make it to the beach.

Some Greek fishermen hurry over, pull Ali's clothes off and wrap him in a jacket. "Don't be afraid, boy, you're safe now," they say. Ali stares at the sea. "Thank you," he stammers, "thank you."

Three hours later, at around 7 a.m., the first hotel guests shuffle out to the shore for an early-morning yoga class, and by noon the beach is full. Families spread out their towels, retirees play bocce and children build sand castles. Tourists snorkel in the exact same spot where Ali almost drowned a few hours earlier.