Athens, Sep 2 (IANS): The transfer of some 1,500 refugees and migrants living on the Greek island of Lesbos started on Monday as part of the new conservative government's agenda to decongest the area.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis' government said it would be transferring the migrants to camps in northern Greece and Turkey.

The first group of some 640 people left aboard the "Caldera Vista" ferry to the port of Thessaloniki, from where they were supposed to be transferred to the Nea Kavala camp, some 60 km north of the city.

A second boat was also scheduled to depart from Lesbos to the same destination, Efe news reported.

The people to be transferred were women, minors, sick people, the elderly, as well as asylum seekers who have had their asylum petitions approved.

In total, the Greek islands house more than 20,000 people in camps with a capacity for 6,000. And more migrants continue to arrive.

Over the weekend 300 people arrived in Lesbos and by Monday morning another 100 shored up, said the report.