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Athenian officials begin clearing park of tent residents

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

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

The government has said the place 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 the park earlier. Another 30 have refused to budge.

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Police say a total of 171 were resettled Sunday, but many more live in other public spaces in Athens.