Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 98-10-25

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cynews.com/>

October 25, 1998

CONTENTS

[01] Girl, 3, hurt in fall from horse at UN open day

[02] Nikiforos airspace violations continue

[03] Bishop fires his lawyer

[04] Pilot refuses to take deportees on board

[05] Organisers hope Turkish Cypriot kids can attend conference

[06] Do you know this mystery man?

[07] Drugs arrest at airport

[08] More and more cars registered

[01] Girl, 3, hurt in fall from horse at UN open day

A THREE-year-old Greek Cypriot girl from Nicosia was in intensive care last night with multiple injuries sustained in a fall from a horse at the United Nations Open Day.

The accident happened in the early afternoon as some 2,000 Greek and Turkish Cypriots thronged the grounds of the UN-controlled Ledra Palace Hotel inside Nicosia's Green Line to attend celebrations marking 50 years of global peacekeeping.

According to witnesses, the little girl was having a free horseback ride under supervision of UN personnel when the animal became startled by a noise.

"The girl fell off and her foot got caught in the stirrup and she fell down and was hurt," Unficyp spokesman Peter Schmitz told The Sunday Mail. "We took her to the medical centre and she was then taken by ambulance to hospital."

Schmitz said an investigation was under way into the incident.

Sources said the child sustained a fractured skull, broken ribs and internal bleeding and was in critical condition when admitted to Nicosia General Hospital. By late afternoon her condition had stabilised, the sources said.

The horseback riding was cancelled for the remainder of the afternoon but the other open day events continued.

October 25, 1998

[02] Nikiforos airspace violations continue

TURKISH military aircraft again violated Cyprus airspace yesterday morning during the joint Nikiforos-Toxotis military exercise.

The Turkish planes also entered Greek airspace in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Greek aircraft flying to Cyprus to take part in the manoeuvres.

Four of the six Greek planes later destroyed ground targets as part of exercise, and two landed at the 'Andreas Papandreou' military base at Paphos before making their way back to Crete.

The Greek navy also took part yesterday with five ships and a submarine. The vessels will be open to the public this afternoon (4-6pm) at Limassol and Larnaca harbours.

Speaking at Larnaca port yesterday, Greek navy commander Margarinis Tsavaras said: "Everybody should know we're here and will jointly face any provocation from Turkey in the framework of the joint defence pact." He called for "coolness and readiness" in the face of Turkish provocations during the five-day exercise.

Cypriot National Guard units yesterday carried out a mock attack to recapture lost ground using parachutists and live ammunition.

President Glafcos Clerides watched yesterday's exercise and later said it was the best he had seen during his six years as president.

The manoeuvres end today with a parade.

October 25, 1998

[03] Bishop fires his lawyer

Speaking at a press conference Chrysanthos announced that he had reached the decision to fire his lawyer, Christos Kitromilitis, for making public statements regarding his possible resignation as bishop.

Chrysanthos said that his stepping down had never been discussed, and added: "We have nothing to fear from the revelation of the truth."

Alkis Mavronichis, Chrysanthos' economic adviser, yesterday decided to continue providing his services to the bishop, despite having resigned on Friday.

Speaking at the Limassol Bishopric press conference, Mavronichis said he was upset at the time he resigned and now realises it had been a mistake.

Mavronichis said the media had misunderstood his comments that politicians were involved in Chrysanthos' allegedly shady business dealings.

A subsequent outcry over these comments had led to him announcing his resignation on a TV programme on Friday.

Chrysanthos is under investigation after his name was implicated in fraud and money laundering activities.

A Holy Synod committee made up of three Bishops is currently investigating the charges against Chrysanthos.

Police say have completed their enquiries in Greece and will continue in England on November 1.

Attorney-general Alecos Markides announced on Friday that approval had also been given for police to conduct enquiries in a third, so far unnamed, country.

October 25, 1998

[04] Pilot refuses to take deportees on board

A BALKAN Bulgarian Airlines pilot yesterday refused to allow nine Nigerian deportees aboard his aircraft at Larnaca, police said.

The nine men are part of a group of 48 illegal immigrants awaiting deportation from a detention centre at Larnaca who caused a riot late on Friday night when told they were to leave the island yesterday morning.

Two immigrants and a policeman were taken to hospital after officers used tear gas to quell the riot which was brought under control at around midnight.

Police said yesterday the five Nigerians were taken to Larnaca airport to be put aboard a Balkan Airlines flight to Sofia at around 7am. From there they were to have been put on a connecting flight to Nigeria.

But a police spokesman said the pilot of the Balkan Airlines aircraft refused to take them.

"He said he wouldn't take them because they were not accompanied by security personnel," the police spokesman said. "It's not our job to accompany deportees."

He said he had no idea what the procedure would be after the Nigerians arrived in Sofia.

"He (the pilot) said he would not allow them to sit with the other passengers," the police spokesman said. "He also said he felt they were of a bad character."

He confirmed the nine immigrants are currently being held at detention cells at Larnaca airport. "We are trying to make other arrangements."

The 48 immigrants, mainly single African males who have been held at Larnaca for the past two months, set fire to the blankets in their holding cells on Friday night to protest against the planned deportation of the nine Nigerians.

Police said that when they were asked to move out of the burned cells the immigrants resisted and officers were forced to use tear gas.

By 11.30pm police said all of the immigrants had been moved into the courtyard of the cells which form part of the former Famagusta divisional command.

Two immigrants and a police officer were treated at Larnaca hospital with breathing problems because of the tear gas. The remainder of the detainees were transported in groups to Larnaca Central police station. Yesterday they were back in their original detention cells, the police spokesman said.

Their asylum applications have been rejected by the UNHCR.

Until late August the Africans had been housed at the Pefkos Hotel in Limassol along with fellow passengers found starving and sick aboard a ship floating off the coast of the island in June.

Of the original 113 passengers from the fated Ridallah, some 50 still remain at the Pefkos while others have already been deported.

October 25, 1998

[05] Organisers hope Turkish Cypriot kids can attend conference

The two-day conference on 'Children's Rights and Wrongs' on November 5-6 will be attended by 700 delegates.

Seven children, one from India, two from Zambia, one from Cambodia, one from Guatemala and two from the Philippines, all activists for children's rights in their own countries, will also attend.

The conference is being organised by the Cyprus-based Centre for World Dialogue.

Its president, Hossein Alikhani, told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) some 60 Greek Cypriot schoolchildren would be attending and that efforts were under way to have their Turkish Cypriot counterparts brought across the Green Line as well.

"We will make another effort early next week, but so far the messages we get from the Turkish Cypriot regime are not encouraging," Alikhani said.

He said the aim of the conference is to raise awareness of the necessity for radical action to protect children worldwide.

Thirty-three prominent speakers will address the conference, including the Deputy Director of Unicef, Stephen Lewis, and other representatives of UN and international bodies concerned with child welfare.

Cypriot speakers will include deputy Androulla Vassiliou and Professors Andreas Demetriou and Andreas Kapardis from the University of Cyprus.

The first day of the conference will focus on the realities of the rights of the child, child labour, commercial exploitation and children in armed conflict.

An exhibition by photojournalist Reza from Iran, who has covered the plight of children in Rwanda and elsewhere, will be staged during the conference.

October 25, 1998

[06] Do you know this mystery man?

The mystery man was found on September this year lying on a street in the northern Italian town of Pavia and was taken into care where he received medical attention.

The programme said he has somehow indicated that he had travelled a long way and that an aircraft was involved.

He has also indicated that he was travelling with two of his 11 sons.

So far doctors have been unable to ascertain his nationality but "some of his gestures seemed to indicate a Byzantine origin, perhaps a Cypriot" the programme's Internet site said.

The programme's producers have contacted media on both sides of the Green Line in Cyprus to help in solving the identity of the mystery man.

October 25, 1998

[07] Drugs arrest at airport

The stash was found by Larnaca Drug Squad and Larnaca Airport Customs officials yesterday in baggage belonging to Andreas Apostolos, 31, who had arrived from Athens.

Apostolos, a cafeteria owner from Ayia Napa, was arrested and held for questioning.

The medicines have been sent to government laboratories for identification.

Police told The Sunday Mail that the medicines are not thought to be illegal narcotics. It is against the law to import and sell medicines without a licence, and police said they believe Apostolos, who does not have a licence, brought the medicines in to resell them.

October 25, 1998

[08] More and more cars registered

The first nine months of this year saw the total registration of motor vehicles rise by 24.7 per cent compared with January to September last year.

The largest increase was for motorbikes and mopeds, with a rise of 29 per cent, or 4,687 separate registrations.

The number of private saloon cars registered over the same period was 18, 186, a rise of 24.2 per cent on last year. Most of these cars (13,576 - 74.7 per cent) were second-hand.

The number of goods vehicles also rose - by 22 per cent. Van registrations were up 24.4 per cent, but heavy goods vehicles decreased by 4.1 per cent.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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