Greece puts its islands up for sale to save economy

[demoleft]

Now Greece is making it easier for the rich and famous to fulfill their dreams by preparing to sell, or offering long-term leases on, some of its 6,000 sunkissed islands in a desperate attempt to repay its mountainous debts.

The Guardian has learned that an area in Mykonos, one of Greece's top tourist destinations, is one of the sites for sale. The area is one-third owned by the government, which is looking for a buyer willing to inject capital and develop a luxury tourism complex, according to a source close to the negotiations.

Potential investors also looking at property on the island of Rhodes, are mostly Russian and Chinese. Investors in both countries are looking for a little bit of the Mediterranean as holiday destinations for their increasingly affluent populations. Roman Abramovich, the billionaire owner of Chelsea football club, is among those understood to be interested, although a spokesman denied he was about to invest.

the guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/24/greece-islands-sale-save-economy

the sadness of it, really.

[liberalla]

1. I wish I had some money to buy one. I love Greece.

but I agree, very sad. It's painful to see what is happening there.

(and many other places, too)

[tinymontgomery]

2. Been to Rhodes

what a lovely place and a lot of fun.

[JDPriestly]

3. I remember visiting Mykonos in 1965. It was authentic.

The village was small. The houses were painted white. A large pelican greeted our small boat. The people were poor. Life was simple. There were very few tourists. It was viewed as a place from which to visit the Island of Delos on which no people or nearly no people lived at the time. What a travesty.

[Bobbieo]

5. Any oil rigs close by?

[JDPriestly]

6. Nary a one. The good old days.

[Hannah Bell]

7. i visited it about 1983. it was disco city. you couldn't sleep at night because you could hear

"planet claire" blasting all over the island.

things have changed.

[Hannah Bell]

4. Criminal. and it won't "save the economy" either. fuck this global locust class.

[Gold Metal Flake]

8. Capitalism works!

Mission accomplished.