As the army began erecting the metal fence, minor clashes broke out, with migrants throwing rocks at Macedonian police, who responded with tear gas.
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Over the past two weeks, several Balkan states including Macedonia have been turning back migrants from countries other than Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, all of which are embroiled in conflict.
The extent of the barrier was not yet known, but the photographer said that the Macedonian military was using heavy machinery to build a 2.5-metre-high (8-foot) fence near the crossing point used by migrants at Gevgelija.
Days of protests by Iranians, Pakistanis, Moroccans and others stranded in squalid tent camps on the border, erupted into clashes on Saturday. One man on Saturday threw himself on railway lines before the police, screaming and flailing.
Many of those refused entry to Macedonia from Greece are from Iran, Pakistan and Morocco.
The Moroccan man, one of those who have been banned from entering Macedonia, climbed on top of a stationary train carriage and touched a power cable overhead.
“We would like to underline that the border will remain open”, said spokesman Aleksandar Gjorgjiev.
A government spokesman says Macedonia has started to erect a fence on its southern border with neighboring Greece in order to prevent illegal crossings and to channel the flow of migrants through the official checkpoint.
In a surge that began about 18 months ago, migrants have been flowing across Balkan borders, having landed by boat in Greece from Turkey.
Greek news agency Ana reported that Macedonian police fired stun grenades in the migrants’ direction.
More than 800,000 refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia have arrived in Europe by sea so far this year, most through the Greek islands, seeking a better life in wealthier European countries such as Germany.
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“We will still allow the migrants from war-affected countries to pass”.
