Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 01-04-14

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cyprus-mail.com/>

Saturday, April 14, 2001

CONTENTS

[01] When Easters coincide

[02] Archbishop's Easter message

[03] Youth loses thumb in firecracker accident

[04] Gypsies from north to be housed 'near Kotsiatis'

[05] 13 held in round-up of illegals

[06] Cypriot arrested in London on suspicion of fraud

[07] Turkish Cypriots take to the streets in protest over lost savings

[08] Poachers spark shooting threat

[01] When Easters coincide

Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in Nicosia, John Morley, said that the common Easter day happens "on average" twice in ten years.

The Western Church calculates the date of Easter from the Mandy Thursday - the first Thursday after the third moon of the year, given that Passover and the Exodus were dated according to the full moon in the third month of the Jewish year.

The Orthodox Church dates Easter on the same basis, but the moon has to pass through a full cycle.

The Orthodox Church celebrates the Resurrection with a candlelight service on Saturday night, spilling over into the early hours of Sunday.

Worshippers at St Paul's are invited to a dawn service at 6am tomorrow, as well as family communion at 9.30am.

The tourism industry is reporting high hotel bookings for the weekend, from Greeks, Cypriots as well as Western Europeans given the mutual festivities.

Next year Easter Sunday falls on March 31 and on May 5 for the Orthodox Church; the maximum difference between the two is five weeks.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[02] Archbishop's Easter message

"Jesus resurrects! Salvation, like the bright star of dawn, will take us from the night to daybreak," the message says.

"Those who crucified justice, hypocrites like Pontius Pilate, wash their hands in front of the tragedy of our people. But let the light of Resurrection guide us through the darkness of international cunning."

"We will lift our cross and bear it with dignity all the way to the summit of Golgotha because the resurrection of Christ signals our resurrection. To be freed, you must feel free inside," the Archbishop said.

" Happy Easter, Greeks! Happy Easter, those of you enclaved in the Karpass peninsula! Happy Easter, displaced brothers and suffering relatives of the missing! Never stop hoping for justice and resurrection."

In his Easter message later today, President Glafcos Clerides to is expected to wish for health and happiness for all, especially those who are suffering from the consequences of the Turkish invasion and continuing occupation.

He too is expected to express a hope for Cyprus' own resurrection, which will lead to a solution of the Cyprus Problem.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[03] Youth loses thumb in firecracker accident

He was rushed to Nicosia's Archbishop Makarios III hospital for emergency surgery.

The authorities have clamped down hard on fireworks this year in an effort to prevent the rash of injuries from improvised devices set off to mark Easter.

Every year sees youths losing fingers, being blinded or suffering burns when home-made firecrackers blow up in their hands.

This season, the first injury was last Thursday, when a 17-year-old Larnaca high school student lit off a firecracker that exploded in his hands, seriously injuring his left eye.

He was discharged after four days in the hospital and was lucky not to have lost his eye, his doctor said.

Last week, police said they had warned pharmacists and shops selling fertilisers or other potentially explosive materials to watch for young people asking for suspicious materials. Their sale is prohibited to anyone under 18.

The authorities have also launched a campaign with explosives experts going to schools and communities and talking to young people about the potential dangers.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[04] Gypsies from north to be housed 'near Kotsiatis'

Interior Ministry sources yesterday said that work was already under way to set up a holding centre in a farmland area about three kilometres from the village of Kotsiatis in the Nicosia district. Plans to establish holding centre inside the same village fell through last week when local residents protested and threatened to boycott next month's parliamentary elections.

The same sources noted that the makeshift residences would be complete by May, and that tents would be set up if housing later proved to be insufficient.

So far dozens gypsies have been put up in abandoned houses in Turkish Cypriot villages in Paphos, while others are being temporarily housed in a section of Nicosia's central prisons facility. A few are still staying in tents.

Amid protests by residents of villages in the Paphos district and suggestions by political figures, including Justice Minister Nicos Koshis, that spies may be among those arriving from the north, the government opted for the holding centre solution. The stated aim is to hold the gypsies there until their identities are established.

On Monday Interior Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou said that one of the Turkish Cypriots arriving from the north had in fact been found to be a mainland Turk and that he would be duly deported.

Attorney-general Alecos Markides is currently examining four cases of gypsies suspected of being mainland Turks.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[05] 13 held in round-up of illegals

The illegals, who are all male and aged between 22 and 37, told police they had paid up to $2,000 each to be taken from Syria to Italy on a 30-metre long ship. On arrival in the occupied areas, they got off the boat and were met by Turkish Cypriots on a section of the coast they could not identify.

The Deputy Police Director for the base at Dhekelia, Nikos Pantehis, said that the illegal immigrants said that they gave $50 to a Turkish Cypriot taxi driver to bring them to the free areas after midnight, but he demanded $50 for each one.

Later, they walked for about 10 hours until they came to the roundabout at the old police station in the village of Achna, which is on SBA territory. An SBA police patrol spotted them and in a subsequent operation mounted between 2am and 6am a total of eleven illegals were rounded up and taken to the SBA police station in Dhekelia.

Another two illegal immigrants were picked up by a Cyprus police patrol car at the junction of the road to Pyla and Dhekelia-Aradippou highway, and were then taken to the Oroklini station, where they are still being held.

British Bases police at Dhekelia brought the detainees to the 'Sir George' hostel, which serves as a temporary holding centre, where they will stay until next Tuesday when they will appear before the Dhekelia district court on suspicion of illegal entry on to British Bases territory.

The same court will rule next week on another 24 Iraqi Illegal immigrants who came in two previous groups and who are now staying in detention centres on the British Bases. After serving any sentence imposed, they will be taken to the village of Richmond where there are already 120 Iraqi illegal immigrants together with their families.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[06] Cypriot arrested in London on suspicion of fraud

Andreas Kanaris, whose was named several years ago in connection with the paramilitary EKAS organisation and cases involving the theft of mosaics and the illegal sale of a house, was apprehended by police last Tuesday while making a cash withdrawal at a London bank.

According to press reports, the bank employee recognised Kanaris and notified the authorities, who arrested him on the spot. The same reports indicated that two million pounds had been recently deposited in Kanaris' bank account, and that Kanaris is suspected of having illegally transferred money from other people's accounts into his own.

Kanaris' wife has denied that her husband is involved in any wrongdoing, and claims he did not have any knowledge of the deposit.

On Wednesday a London court remanded Kanaris in custody for eight days.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[07] Turkish Cypriots take to the streets in protest over lost savings

Metin Arhun, Leader of the Bank Victims Association, set up in the wake of last year's banking crisis in the north, told the Cyprus Mail that 70,000 people had lost $300 million, spread across eight or nine different banks.

"There has been a tremendous loss of money. Some people now have no income whatsoever. We're calling on the government to bring those responsible to account, take them to court and put them in prison," he said, speaking through a translator.

The demonstration attracted several hundred people and was in full swing by 11 am. The crowd gathered outside the 'parliament' was prevented from storming through the gate by riot squad 'police'.

Loud chanting and jeering accompanied the appearance of political party representatives who showed their faces.

"They should know that people deposited their money in the banks, because the government gave them the assurance to do so. They told us that all the banks were under a government guarantee and said to us 'why don't you put your money in these banks?' That's a big controversy," said one man, who said he worked in the courts for 40 years.

"I am outraged. That's how angry I am," he said.

"I am in full agreement with this gentleman. We deposited our money, someone stole it, and we want our money to be given back," said his friend.

Banners were waved, daubed with slogans such as: "We have lost our money. Where is justice?" and "The people who stole our money are still eating".

Arhun urged on the crowd with a loud-hailer. One old woman was shrieking, waving her arms up and down in fury.

"We want them to give our money back or resign. This is not the kind of administration that these people deserve. These people have fought for their freedom. They have territory but they don't have the right government, " said a man who works on the British base at Dhekelia.

"There is nothing wrong with the banking system. The only defect is that there's no true audit. If there was this wouldn't have happened," he added.

The focus of the protest was the $35 million lost by clients of PEYAK bank.

Mother of three Meyrem Hussein and her husband lost £5,000, and she is not optimistic about getting it back.

"We're fighting, but not everybody's coming to the protest. We put our money in three banks and the others are giving us £200 a month, but PEYAK isn't giving us anything. That's all we have to live on with our children," she said.

"Turkey has paid at least five banks. This one is the only exception and these people don't know why," said another.

Ali sold his house in London to move back to Cyprus with his wife and three children. He says he has lost £125,000.

"I'm trying to go back to London, but can't get the money to go back," he said. His neighbour in the crowd lost £115,000.

Apart from a fire lit in the middle of the road as the crowd began to thin, the rally was peaceful.

The protestors also marched towards the UN checkpoint at the Ledra Palace, where they convened outside a block of flats, before eventually giving up and going home.

"I think the government will come to its senses in the end. They will get some money from Turkey and they will pay. But it is doubtful whether (Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf) Denktash is sincere. People think that his main aim is to overthrow the government and to replace it with a coalition in which his son will be a part," concluded one elderly man.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[08] Poachers spark shooting threat

CyBC radio said that the gunfire had come from poachers hunting in Strovilia.

SBA Spokesman Rob Need confirmed the incident and said that Turkish Cypriots had complained to the SBA about "shots being fired at them", warning that they would "shoot back if a similar incident occurs and we don't know whether the shots are aimed at us".

"That's why people should not hunt illegally," Need said.

CyBC reported that the United Nations' Force in Cyprus tried to sort out the matter, explaining to the Turkish Cypriots that the gunfire was not aimed at them, but they repeated that they would shoot Greek Cypriots if the incident reoccurred.

The chairman of Acheritou Community Council, Zacharias Panayiotou, was quoted as stressing the need for adequate policing in the area.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

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