Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 01-06-05

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

Tuesday, June 5, 2001

CONTENTS

[01] Muslims protest police raid on Mosque in search for illegal immigrants

[02] Fire Service feels the heat

[03] Syrian man held after Ukrainian artiste found strangled to death

[04] Two held after Romanian woman claims she was raped

[05] Testing the talent at the Acropole

[06] Car hire firm hits back at tourist complaint

[07] Housemaids enjoy the day off

[01] Muslims protest police raid on Mosque in search for illegal immigrants

MUSLIMS in Cyprus have protested against the alleged desecration of a Nicosia mosque by police who burst in during prayers looking for illegal immigrants.

Their outburst was precipitated by allegations that four immigration officials raided the Ömeriye Mosque in central Nicosia without removing their shoes.

As a mark of respect for a sanctified building, Islamic practice dictates that all worshipers and visitors must remove their footwear before entering any mosque.

Notices in English and Greek at the entrance to the mosque clearly ask people to remove their shoes.

The alleged incident took place on May 24 at 5.30am, at the tail end of the first prayer session of the day, which started at 4.30am.

A student at Americanos College, Syed Atif Raza Kazmi, claimed four officers walked up to two Pakistani men while they were praying and shook them because they seemed unresponsive.

Intercollege student Bilal Alam confirmed his story.

The officers then waited for them to finish, before checking their papers to confirm that they were legal residents.

But the officers arrested three alleged illegal immigrants from Libya, who were hiding in the kitchen.

Coming just five months after youths set light to a carpet and smashed the windows on the left hand side of the mosque's entrance in January - during the holy month of Ramadan - the latest incident has caused concern among Muslims in Cyprus.

"We condemn these incidents especially when government officials were also involved in these inhuman acts that pertain to clear violation of the fights of a minority. We demand that appropriate action be taken to prevent such incidents from becoming a continuing series. We fear that if continued, [it] may initiate an unwanted grudge between religious groups," read a letter sent to the Cyprus Mail.

At the focal point of Muslim worship, Friday prayer, between 300 and 400 people attend the Ömeriye Mosque in Nicosia.

"All of us were thinking about a protest in Eleftheria Square, because we want to let the government and the public know that this sort of thing shouldn't happen. But, instead, we've opted for a 'polite' protest in the newspapers," said Kazmi.

"If this continues, it will become serious and things will go from bad to worse," he added.

A 400-signature petition against continued disrespect of the mosque has been sent to the Libyan Consulate in Nicosia, said Kazmi.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[02] Fire Service feels the heat

THE first days of June have proved to be a nightmare for fire fighting crews, as they were forced to battle the flames from Friday through to Sunday in a string of fires, which killed hundreds of livestock and burned several square kilometres of trees and wild scrub.

The largest of the blazes started at noon on Saturday in the area around the village of Fassoulla in Limassol.

The fire department said the fire had started from the rubbish dump and spread like lightning, aided by the strong winds.

Despite the large force fighting the blaze, which included three helicopters and dozens of civilians, the fire burned out of control for hours and razed everything in its path.

Hundreds of farm animals, including rabbits, pigeons, pigs and dogs, were burned as the fire spread to a nearby farm, whose owner could not do anything but watch the destruction of her property.

The fire threatened homes at the outskirts of the village, while a group of television and radio aerials only just escaped the flames.

The fire was finally put under control at around midnight after burning around four kilometres of carob and olive trees along with wild scrub.

But at around 5am on Sunday, the fire service had to scramble again after a fresh blaze in the Moutayiakka area of Limassol.

The fire was extinguished within 20 minutes.

The fire service said the fire was the work of arsonists after they found five different starting points.

A third fire on Sunday, again in the Limassol area, destroyed around half square kilometre of trees and wild scrub. Helicopters were again used to fight the blaze.

On Friday a car taking part in the Cyprus rally set fire to Ayia forest in the Paphos district when it crashed off the road and rolled over bursting into flames.

No one was injured during the accident but the flames, aided by the wind, spread to nearby trees and scrub in the heartland of the Paphos forest, near Stavros tis Psokas in a remote mountain area.

Forestry personnel scrambled to the scene and were helped by two Kamov-32 fire fighting helicopters.

The fire was put out in under two hours without major damage.

A forestry officer told the Cyprus Mail the department had taken all necessary measures before the rally.

Fire fighting units were stationed at strategic points around the area the cars went through.

That area, however, was closed to all traffic while the rally was on and there was some delay before the fire trucks could enter the area and put out the blaze.

The forestry officer conceded there had been a delay until the rally cars were stopped mid-way through the stage to avoid any accidents with fire fighting units moving in the area.

"Unfortunately the rally started a fire in the heart of the forest. But we got there on time.

"If we had not been alert the fire would have spread through a larger area, " the officer said.

Fire Service Spokesman Charalambos Chambi told the Cyprus Mail that Friday's incident had worried the forestry department.

"There are not many fires in the forests and because they had two in one day they are worried," Chambi said.

A second blaze was also started by a burning rally car in Mesa Potamos, between Moniatis and Platres in the Troodos forest, but fire fighters were able to bring it under control almost straight away.

A third rally car caught fire in the morning.

It was put out, but rekindled in the afternoon and destroyed the car.

A rally car can cost around £350,000.

Rally press officer Tony Christodoulou told the Cyprus Mail the rally had not seen a fire in 28 years and then had four in one day.

"They were freak fires," Christodoulou said.

"I've been a part of this rally for 28 years and we've never had a fire," he added.

He said all necessary measures had been taken in conjunction with the relevant authorities but repeated that the fires were unexpected.

There are fire engines at the beginning, end, and halfway point of every stage, he said.

Christodoulou suggested that the fire in the Paphos forest was probably started by a hot exhaust pipe or leaking fuel.

Chambi said the fires fell under the responsibility of the forestry department, but the two helicopters, which are under the fire service's orders, flew their first mission on Friday to help.

The government leased the two Kamov-32's for £1.2 million to reinforce fire- fighting units during the island's scorching summer.

The contract is for four months - until September 30 - and includes 200 hours of fire fighting flights.

After that, the government has to pay the company for every extra hour of flight.

The hourly rate has not been disclosed.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[03] Syrian man held after Ukrainian artiste found strangled to death

A SYRIAN man has been detained in connection with the murder of a Ukrainian cabaret artiste in Nicosia on Saturday.

The 45-year-old suspect was arrested on the same day after he went to the Nicosia hospital emergency room for treatment for lacerations to his arm and throat.

The doctor who treated the man asked about his injuries, but after receiving vague replies, he decided to notify the police.

Police questioned the man and found he was a permanent resident of Cyprus, living in a flat in the suburb of Pallouriotissa with another Syrian man.

Police escorted the man to his flat on Democritos Street, where they found 22-year-old Ilona Li dead on the bathroom floor.

The woman had wounds on her neck and other parts of her body.

A post mortem on Sunday showed the woman had been strangled to death.

The suspect told police he had been with the victim from Friday night until Saturday morning and that they had consumed large quantities of alcohol.

He claimed a Greek Cypriot man, who was going to marry the Ukrainian, came to his flat that morning, and erupted when he saw his future bride naked in the shower, starting to shout furiously.

The suspect alleged the man had smashed a bottle and injured him on the arm.

The suspect claimed he then left the flat to go to hospital where he was arrested. He says Li was alive when he left.

Police questioned the 22-year-old Cypriot, but released him after he presented a solid alibi.

Other residents of the apartment building were also questioned, but no one testified to hearing screams or any other fracas.

The suspect was on Sunday remanded in custody for eight days.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[04] Two held after Romanian woman claims she was raped

TWO Limassol men have been remanded in custody for eight days in connection with the alleged rape of a 23-year-old Romanian woman on Saturday.

One of the men was arrested for allegedly raping the woman, the other accused of failing to prevent a felony.

The men, aged 34 and 35 and both married with children, claim they are innocent and that everything happened with the woman's consent.

The Romanian woman, who is married to a Cypriot, told police that on Saturday she had received a phone call from the 35-year-old, who said he was going to drive her to his sister's house.

His sister is a nurse at Limassol hospital, and was supposed to help the Romanian arrange an appointment for a health problem she was having.

Instead, the woman alleged, she was taken to the second suspect's home where the 35-year-old raped her while he watched.

The alleged victim managed to fight her way out and flag down a motorist, who took her to hospital.

She was examined by a doctor, and state pathologist Eleni Antoniou took samples for further tests.

Reports said the woman had no visible marks of maltreatment on her body.

Police arrested the two men who were remanded in custody for eight days on Sunday.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[05] Testing the talent at the Acropole

THE LOBBY at the Acropole cinema in Strovolos yesterday filled with acting hopefuls, playing down their edginess as they waited their turn to audition for the upcoming film by Cypriot director Michael Papas, Slow Burn.

Slow burn is the first effort by Papas since his return from London in the early 1990s. The relative fame of Papas' Lifetaker (1989) and Tomorrow's Warrior (1981), among other efforts, has been drawing an impressive number of local prospects seeking recognition for their acting skills.

Papas and his wife Susan, a screenwriter and collaborator on his films, are the owners of the Acropole cinema, which has assumed a new daytime existence as screening grounds for home grown acting talent. Of late, men and women of varied age groups, slouched in the chairs of the waiting room against a backdrop of airy peach and beige pastels, competed with the Acropole's decidedly artsy offerings for current attractions.

Called back to plush darkness of the theatre, Papas, his wife Susan and two assistants will run each one by one through standard drills of reading lines, and performing specific actions to demonstrate movement and emotion.

Both said they had been impressed by the turnout they had received for people interested in the technical aspects of filmmaking.

"The response has already shown that there is a lot of promise here," said Susan, adding: "we are confident that we can cast the majority of our parts here in Cyprus."

But, Michael clarifies that: "this is not a Cypriot production per se, it is intended for international production."

Nevertheless, these filmmakers see Cyprus as potentially fertile ground for launching future cinematic efforts.

"We're trying to get a pool of people we can use for future productions as well," Susan Papas explained.

Michael was amazed to discover the breadth of actors for all roles, from aristocrats to politicians and children, all in the immediate environs.

"From 14 to 60 we found everything we wanted, both male and female. This was really astonishing," he said.

"About a month ago, I wasn't sure whether to make the film here or not. What we wanted to do with these auditions was to find out whether we had talent here, how they photograph, how they look under light and how they respond to direction."

"To our pleasant surprise, we found that this is a high level of talent here and because of this we decided to make the film here," said Papas.

One pair of aspiring actresses, one in her mid-teens, the other in her mid- twenties, made a nice contrast for the abilities that have come to strut their stuff.

Although the two had travelled together from Paphos to audition, they highlighted some of the differences on show.

The razor thin teenage brunette told the director she had been honing her talents as an actress, singer and model and that she had to drop out of school to pursue her ambitions.

The other, a foreign woman in her mid-twenties with short hair dyed a dark blonde, told Papas she had no experience at all, to which he replied, "good, so you're not spoiled!"

He later explained that untrained actors were often free of the affected mannerisms that taint professionals.

The two, during their separate try-outs were ordered repeatedly to run the width of the theatre, then make a sharp turn to bound up a have dozen or so stairs and pounce on the stage where they fell to their knees.

They were also instructed to perform movements to test their eye movements and expressiveness.

In the end, one seemed to make the grade, while the other was passed over as the filmmaker sifted through the candidates for Slow Burn and other cinematic projects.

The Cypriot director predicts that a finished product should materialise within a year. However, he remains mum about its exact nature, hinting only that it's something "ambitious" and out-of-the ordinary.

"There are certain films that one can say a lot about and there are certain films that one shouldn't. this is one of those films."

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[06] Car hire firm hits back at tourist complaint

A BRITISH tourist has complained about a "10-year-old piece of junk", which he hired for £47 from a company in Ayia Napa for just one day, months after the government sought to bring much tighter regulation to the Z car business.

But, the company he hired it from, Rainbow Car Hire in Ayia Napa, says his complaint is unjustified and incorrect.

The man initially paid £142 to rent a car for five days during his holiday. He said the company repeatedly dodged his questions about the age of the car, merely assuring him that the vehicle was "OK".

He collected the car last Friday morning and was displeased with what he saw, but a lunch date in Limassol forced him to accept it.

He returned the car at 10.30am on Saturday to complain that the car was 10 years old and did 20 to the gallon instead of 31 like his car in England.

Given that he was unhappy, the manager offered him a refund. Rainbow's other 14 cars were all hired out, so there was no chance of a replacement.

Manager Marios Michail refunded him £95 - in effect charging him £47 for one day's hire - the daily rental fee, plus the cost of the petrol consumed from the tank.

But the aggrieved customer thought the sum outrageous for what was just "a piece of junk" and wrote to the Cyprus Mail to complain.

But Michail hit back, insisting that the car would be "six years old next month" when it would be replaced - the legal age limit for any rental car on the island, adding that the man's complaints amounted to nothing.

He said he could provide the registration details to prove the car's age.

"I could have charged him much more. The car costs £31 a day, the petrol tank was filled up at £22, insurance is £6 a day and he paid in VISA, so I lost four per cent transaction charges in the refund - another £3.80. Plus, because he brought it back at 10.30am the next day, I lost a second day's hire," he told the Cyprus Mail.

"I gave him the money and he just left. I'm surprised he complained about it afterwards as well," Michail finished.

In January DIKO deputy Marios Matsakis claimed half the island's hire cars were unlicensed. In the storm that followed the government issued new measures to tighten up on sideline businesses not staffed by professionals.

Rainbow Care Hire appears to be a reputable business on every count listed by the Ministry of Communications in April.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

[07] Housemaids enjoy the day off

THOSE housemaids lucky enough to get bank holidays off yesterday congregated in Nicosia Municipal Gardens enjoying their precious free time.

Singing and chatting, the women sat together in small groups in the shade. In the morning, some browsed the few market stalls that set up shop at the Paphos Gate car park.

"Because we're only off on Sundays, the shops aren't open, so we have to buy everything from the market. But it's really good," said Selldeen.

"Oh yes we're having a very nice holiday. My house is very big and I'm the only maid, so it's nice to be off this weekend. I've had three days' holiday," said Kusamalatha.

But her group were anxious to point out that as few as a quarter of housemaids had been given Kataklysmos Monday off.

None of those relaxing, who yesterday spoke to the Cyprus Mail, had been given Labour Day off on May 1 - the last bank holiday in Cyprus.

Yesterday, some only managed to escape at midday; others went without pay for the sake of a free day.

"I'm happy when I come to the park, whereas I'm crying sometimes in my house. I'm very sad," said Selldeen.

Most of the maids complained of working days that start as early as 5.30am and finish well after midnight when their employers entertain.

"Many don't get paid, don't get pocket money and don't get rest time. I know one girl who cleans two or three houses, all for just £150," said another.

One woman said her employer refused to let her eat in the house, forcing her to walk to her lodgings and back, carrying her dinner tray under an umbrella to protect it from the sun.

"Last summer I worked for three weeks in Protaras. I've been here and they've never paid me vacation money," said Lalani.

"The first year I asked for my bonus, Madam laughed at me and said 'what bonus?' The next year she gave me £15 and the year after that £80," said Kusamalatha.

With Kataklysmos also marking the Whit Monday, the feast of the Holy Spirit, practising Catholics went to morning service at the Church of the Holy Cross.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2001

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