CROATIA/SERBIA/HUNGARY/MACEDONIA UPDATE (Sun 19:00 4/10/15)

CROATIA/SERBIA/HUNGARY/MACEDONIA UPDATE (Sunday 19:00 4/10/2015)

CROATIA/SERBIA border
======================

- Almost all refugees still transit via BAPSKA on Croatian/Serbian border. Makeshift camps are running both sides of the border. On Serbian side mostly Czech/German team, on Croatian side more international. Starting Monday your help will be urgently needed, as many volunteers left after the weekend! Please, if you can plan your journey and help during the weekdays, that would be a huge help. Your help is needed especially during the nights, when majority of refugees crosses the border.

- Quick food and water are always useful, as well as garbage bags 200 liters. Also warm jackets and other clothes, gloves, hats, SHOES! (especially 41-44 size, but all sizes are good, especially mens), new SOCKS!. Also 5 liter water bottles, oranges, raincoats (unlimited number), bags, headlights with batteries are needed. Food in larger quantities is also problem to delivery across the border, so please buy it in Serbia/Croatia directly.

- Foldable tables also are needed, plastic cups, plastic spoons, thermo cups, AAA batteries, gafa, working gloves, rubber gloves, signal spray colors, mats.

- Help in the area on Serbian side is coordinated by Misa, her number: +420 774 195 786. When arriving on place at Bapska to volunteer on both sides of the border, please report yourself at the organizing team and please obey they instruction.

- Volunteers traveling via Hungary/Serbia and Croatia/Serbia border crossings are experiencing problems at the Serbian customs offices, which does not want to let them in the country without paying custom duties and declarations. Shoes, clothes and large quantities of food are also problem. Always try to reduce amount of aid you carry so it does not seem suspicious, also try to pretend you are not aid workers but just tourists. Cover supplies with your personal belonging and luggage. In case of problems, there is a possibility to leave your supplies at Tovarnik at Croatian side, but the size is limited. Use Tovarnik/Sid border crossing.

- Location of makeshift camp is near Sid at Serbian side, when approaching Sid from west (from Tovarnik) turn left on light, and after 2,5 km turn slightly left when road turns right (fork type of crossroad), then through the fields cca 3,5 km and you arrive on the spot.

- Croatian side is easily accesible via Šarengrad. The most important thing is NOT to stop at Opatovac or Tovarnik and ask anyone there about Bapska because there weer causes when locals/police told volunteers not to go to Bapska or that they need accreditation. That is NOT true for Bapska at the moment: people there have talked everything through with the police and they WILL let you through. Please print out map if you don't have GPS.

- Bajakovo, Tovarnik, Batina and Ilok border crossings are now open for transit, so it may be possible to cross border via Ilok/Backa Palanka border crossing.

- Since the beginning of migrant crisis 110 294 migrants have entered the Republic of Croatia. Currently, there are 781 migrants at the Opatovac Temporary Admission Center.

- Even when working on Serbian site at Bapska border crossing, try to set permanently Croatian phone operators to stay within EU roaming prices.

- Archive of these updates could be found at http://pastebin.com/u/michalberg


HUNGARY
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- BEREMEND, MAGYARBOLY - After two days pause, refugees started continuously passing through Beremend. MigrationAid operates aid centre near Beremend with storage room and accommodation for its volunteers. MigrationAid is looking for volunteers for few day shifts. There is also possible to get some transportation from Budapest. See http://bit.ly/1FQ6uJR for scheduling your time.

-  HEGYESHALOM - Migration Aid's operative team is looking for volunteers at the Hegyeshalom border. Volunteers would be working in team of four in 12 hrs shifts. (6am-6pm, 6pm-6am). The volunteers are responsible to take care of the refugees, which primarily includes the distribution of donations and keeping the site clean.

Volunteers are leaving daily from our warehouse in Verseny utca, Budapest. First car at 4pm which also transports the daily supply and another one at 4am with the volunteers. Please see scheduling of volunteers shift for Hegyeshalom at http://bit.ly/1VueVBD

For more information about both locations contact Andras Siewert, Tel.: +36 30 895 1917, E-mail: operations@migrationaid.net, https://www.facebook.com/siewert.org

- ZAKANY - border crossing still open for providing help to refugees. Refugees at Zakany constantly need water and food for lunchpackets (bananas, apples, sliced bread, sliced cheese, mueslibars) as well as blankets. Zakany volunteers set up a twitter account to inform what is needed there: https://twitter.com/zakanysolidar, or contact SOSkonvoi - +43 676 630 94 86 or https://www.facebook.com/SOSkonvoi

- Information about times of arrival of special trains from Tovarnik to Botovo/Zakany are published on twitter account of Croatian government - https://twitter.com/VladaRH

- MigrationAid is still collecting material donations personally or via mail orders or shipments to their storage at Budapest, district 7, Verseny street 10, where they can receive donations at 16.00-20.00 every day. Please read carefully their daily donation list at  https://www.facebook.com/migrationaidhungary


SERBIAN-MACEDONIAN BORDER
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- PRESEVO - The situation is getting better at Presevo, despite 3-4000 refugees cross borders every day from Macedonia and Bulgaria. Many refugees are waiting in the main street to get registered, they need to get papers to stay in Serbia legally for 72 hours, otherwise they are not allowed to travel further. Because capacity of officials are limited, thousands of people are blocked in this small town in long queues and spends the night without shelter.

- Your help is still needed there, but the facilities of NGOs and volunteers helped the situation significantly in past two days. Please bring cash so you can buy supplies which are the most needed and help the local volunteers to distribute them.

- Contacts: Agon from the Youth Office when you come close only: Tel. 00381 628 54 94 69 or go directly to the office for instructions or contact Xhelal Hasani from the Center of Solidarity and Advancement Tel. 00381 633 74 034, xhelal_hasani@hotmail.com when nearby.


Other news
=============

- There were more than 100 000 people in Vienna on Saturdays demonstration and concert in support of refugees. Thank you for your support!

- PLEASE: if you are reporting on Facebook and twitter about the situation at any of the places, please EVER include this:
1) location (be careful about spelling)
2) time and date
3) are there any refugees to help? (and approx. numbers)
4) are there any volunteers needed at this site at the moment?
5) are there any supplies needed at the moment and if so, what is needed?

This is really ESSENTIAL to help making any information and coordination more precise and useful.

- If you have any additional info, please don't hesitate to contact me via Facebook or at michal.berg@esports.cz

- Hungarian/Croatian border could be closed at any time with the fence. Croatian officials have declined to comment on what might happen if or when Hungary seals the border.

- Police department in Burgenland (Eastern Austria) has opened a 24hr hotline. Family members who are looking for their relatives can call: +43 591 331 033 33

- If you are willing to donate money, you can use my paypal paypal@esports.cz and I will move the funds immediatelly to the people on site. You can also donate donations@migrationaid.net for MigrationAid. Thanks to those who already donated!

- Czech only: Odkaz na užitečný manuál pro dobrovolníky: http://dobrovolnici.jdem.cz/ - určitě čtěte před odjezdem. Pro vjezd do Srbska stačí občanka, ale pas je vždycky lepší mít.

- When traveling to help, always take headlight, reflexion vest, good shoes, protective gloves and warm clothes and be prepared for rain. And always try to contact anyone in charge of coordination on site and obey his instructions. And be careful!