Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 03-04-03

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

Thursday, April 3, 2003

CONTENTS

[01] US denies issuing travel warning for Cyprus

[02] UK health care managers called in to help new hospital

[03] US rights report highlights police brutality

[04] Limassol hospital earmarks ward in SARS precaution

[05] Seat belts could halve road death rates

[06] CY cuts flights to Greece as traffic controllers strike against the war

[07] Asylum seeker torches Red Cross offices

[08] Boy hospitalised after fire game

[01] US denies issuing travel warning for Cyprus

The statement came after a report in Wednesday's Phileleftheros alleged that a US citizen had been advised by the embassy in Nicosia not to visit Cyprus due to the recent attack on the American Embassy in Engomi, in which a 25-year-old Cypriot man threw a petrol bomb at the embassy building.

The article was accompanied by an extract from a letter allegedly written by the US citizen, in which he reportedly claimed the American embassy had advised him to postpone his visit to Cyprus in view of the attack and other “anti-American demonstrations and violence” on the island.

However, in a statement released yesterday, Embassy Public Affairs Officer Craig Kuehl flatly denied the claims and said the only travel warnings issued by the US State Department regarding Cyprus were worldwide cautions “not specifically directed at Cyprus”.

Kuehl added there was no information to indicate a specific threat to US interests on the island, but stressed that travellers to Cyprus should exercise the same precautions as they would when travelling elsewhere “in times of conflict”.

Speaking to journalists yesterday, Government Spokesman Kypros Chrisostomides reiterated that there was “no diplomatic note from the US in the form of travel advice that considers Cyprus to be in a danger zone.”

The spokesman added that the report in Phileleftheros appeared to contain “marginal” information, to which the government paid “no attention whatsoever”.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Thursday, April 3, 2003

[02] UK health care managers called in to help new hospital

The decision was taken in an effort to help promote change in local hospital procedures, processes and culture, which would in the long-term benefit patients, said Giorgios Broundzos, the ministry's administration director.

“The UK health care management professional body gave us four or five names of hospital health care managers (or hospital consultants) that fit the criteria we are looking for,” he said.

An evaluation committee would be reviewing all the candidate health care management bodies in the near future and would select the most suitable one for the new hospital. Its decision would then be put before the tender board for approval, said Broundzos. All this had to be done before August 2004, when the new hospital was scheduled for completion.

At present, hospitals were managed by doctors, but this needed to change, he said.

“It will involve a team working together, including non-medical staff that are trained in hospital management. This will then change hospital culture and the culture of people working there,” said Broundzos. “This is a long term process and procedure, which will also change hospital procedures, processes and culture for the benefit of the patient,” he added.

The professionals would work in Cyprus on a contract basis. If the ministry felt the consultants were needed for a longer period of time, their contracts could be renewed.

Initially they would set up a programme, which would advise and guide the move from the old hospital to the new premises, said Broundzos.

“They will then stay on for a transitional period to ensure the smooth and efficient running of the new hospital,” he said. This would be done through staff training and the introduction of protocols and standards, which would ensure hospital leaders carried out their duties on the basis of modern management. Staff would also be taught to deal with the huge supply of new, highly expensive technological equipment and facilities that that had never been used in Cyprus before, he added.

The new hospital should be ready by the end of next summer. It was costing around £50 million to build, plus a further £25-£30 million to equip.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Thursday, April 3, 2003

[03] US rights report highlights police brutality

The annual report covers human rights practices in 196 countries.

Regarding Cyprus, the report concludes that the government generally respects the human rights of its citizens but that problems existed in some areas. The list of problems includes: instances of police brutality against detainees; reports of police surveillance of Turkish Cypriots; some restrictions on persons travelling to the occupied north; violence against women and trafficking in women for prostitution.

An assessment of human rights practices in the north was also made, which highlighted that Turkish Cypriot authorities generally respected human rights but that several problems existed. Part of the problem included police abuse of suspects and detainees. The report noted that civilians in the occupied north continued to be tried in military courts, while Greek Cypriots living in the north were also subjected to surveillance. Turkish Cypriot authorities violated human rights by harassing some members of the press and continuing restrictions on the freedom of movement.

The report specifically mentions: “Since 1997, the Turkish Cypriot authorities have banned most bi-communal contacts between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, including previously frequent meetings in Nicosia's buffer zone. At times they attempted to prevent Turkish Cypriots from travelling to bi-communal meetings off the island as well.”

The Turkish Cypriot authorities took some steps to improve the conditions of Greek Cypriots and Maronites living in the north, but still fell short of their obligations under the 1975 Vienna III Agreement. The report highlighted similar problems of violence against women and trafficking in women for prostitution in the north.

Under the heading of torture, there were reports of both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot police brutality against suspects and detainees during 2002, involving Cypriots and non-Cypriots.

In the government-controlled area, the Attorney-general was given authority to assign independent investigators to cases to deal with the issue. Four cases of police brutality were brought before the court and have hearings scheduled for June, 2003.

According to the report, in the north “there were credible reports of pervasive police abuse of power and routine harsh treatment of detainees in the Turkish Cypriot community”. It gives as an example, the alleged police beating of Turkish Cypriot Teachers' Trade Union members during a protest against the suspension of a history teacher who had published an article critical of Turkey and its military. Criminal charges were brought against the teacher and the trade union.

The report notes that in May 2001, the European Court of Human Rights found that Turkey had violated the right of Turkish Cypriots to a fair trial by authorizing civilians to be tried in military courts. Since March 2002, in accordance with the court decision, military courts no longer include military judges and instead consist of three civilian judges and a civilian prosecutor.

Regarding freedom of speech and the press, the report held that these rights were generally respected in practice throughout the island, but noted the reports of harassment of Turkish Cypriot newspaper, Afrika, formerly Avrupa. In October 2002, several journalists from Afrika were brought before Turkish Cypriot district and military courts on charges of libel and defamation of both civilian and military subjects. At the same time, Turkish Cypriot authorities expelled a group of Spanish journalists from the north for convening without permission. The expulsion came after the journalists met with the director of a popular Turkish Cypriot newspaper.

Government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said the government had received the State Department's 2002 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices yesterday. He added that the government would study the report and make any necessary statements.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Thursday, April 3, 2003

[04] Limassol hospital earmarks ward in SARS precaution

The flu-like disease, which has left nearly 70 dead in 15 countries and has sparked global fear and a World Health Organisation (WHO) warning, has not so far made an appearance in Cyprus. Therefore, the appointed ward has remained empty, said Dr. Olga Kalakouta.

Following WHO and US Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, local health officials are prepared to deal with any suspect cases that arrive on the island, she assured.

Airlines had already been reminded to adhere to general health declarations before landing, which was common practice with infectious diseases. If someone displayed SARS symptoms on board a flight, the incident had to be reported to the pilot and the airport informed, she said.

Primary symptoms are high fever, dry cough, shortness of breath or breathing difficulties. Changes in chest X-rays indicative of pneumonia also occur. It may also be associated with other symptoms, including headache, muscular stiffness, loss of appetite, malaise, confusion, rash and diarrhoea.

“Normally, however, the patient would have had to have travelled to one of the affected regions, (where there have been local chains of transmission) within the past 10 days (the virus' maximum incubation period),” said Kalakouta. Affected areas include Canada, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand. Although travel restrictions had not been imposed to any countries, passengers leaving from these areas had to fill in questionnaires on their state of health, she said.

Once the local airport had been alerted to the suspected SARS patient, he or she would be taken to its small medical clinic upon landing, said Kalakouta.

“At the clinic there is a full-time nurse and environmental health inspector on duty. They will notify Larnaca or Paphos general hospitals, depending on the airport of arrival, and a doctor from their outpatient clinics will be sent to the airport by ambulance to examine the patient,” she said.

If the doctor confirmed the SARS diagnosis, the patient would then be transported by ambulance to Limassol hospital, where the ministry had set up a private ward for such a purpose. The airline would then be notified and the seat where the passenger had sat, as well as the two before it and the two behind, would be sterilised. Spraying the entire plane was not necessary because SARS was not airborne, she said.

But if a passenger displayed symptoms following arrival to Cyprus after having been to the infected regions, the chief medical officer of a district hospital should be informed, said Kalakouta.

“The WHO recommends the use of one small place as the best possible area to contain the disease. The more places you use, the more additional precautions you need to take in order to manage a communicable disease. Limassol was chosen because it had an available ward with all necessary facilities,” she said. Another benefit, although not a criteria, was the town's geographical convenience and centrality in relation to both airports, she added.

Kalakouta said quarantining patients would not be necessary, although they would be kept separate from the rest of the hospital's patients. “No country in the world has quarantined SARS patients. Instead, doctors and medical staff have been told to take precautions for communicable diseases when dealing with them.” This included wearing gloves, eye goggles, masks and aprons to avoid contact with patients' secretions, something the WHO believed was cause for transmission. Meanwhile, patients' symptoms would be monitored and they would be given supportive care, such as ventilators, until the virus passed.

“The fatality rate for SARS is three to four per cent. This rate has remained steady and in some areas its transmission is being brought under control. As far as we are concerned, we are well prepared according to what the WHO and other international health organisations request from us, and are also working in collaboration with Greece's CDC,” she said.

“The key issue for each country when a case arrives is to be prepared and to stop it there. If it's managed correctly it will not be transmitted. At that point, however, it would no longer be a Cyprus case and we would directly collaborate with international scientists,” Kalakouta added.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Thursday, April 3, 2003

[05] Seat belts could halve road death rates

ROAD deaths could be halved if people war seatbelts and crash helmets, Communications Minister Kikis Kazamias said yesterday.

“Of the 94 deaths in 2002, half could have been saved if the drivers had worn seatbelts and motorcycle riders crash helmets,” Kazamias said.

He was speaking after a meeting with traffic police, which discussed various measures aimed at improving traffic safety.

Kazamias said most fatalities had been caused by speed, drink driving, and failure to use seatbelts and crash helmets.

The minister said fatalities would be cut by 50 per cent if drivers complied with the law concerning seatbelts and helmets.

Kazamias said his ministry, which was responsible for the road network, would in co-operation with police look into ways of pinpointing weaknesses in order to improve them.

Among the measures discussed was the improvement of the road network, raising fines for seatbelts, helmets and other traffic violations, car safety, driver training, education as well as policing.

The first aim is to cut down on road deaths, which are well above European averages, he said.

Police traffic department director Andreas Papas said he was optimistic there would soon be better days for road safety, adding the communications ministry had a lot to do.

“I am optimistic that we will finally overcome what we see on the roads daily,” Papas said.

There has been a 57 per cent increase in the number of road deaths so far this year compared to 2002.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Thursday, April 3, 2003

[06] CY cuts flights to Greece as traffic controllers strike against the war

Greek civil aviation authorities said controllers joined the strike by civil servants at midnight and will remain on strike for the duration of the day. Members of the federation of civil aviation services will also join the strike, engaging in a four-hour walkout starting at noon today.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail yesterday, Cyprus Airways Spokesman Tassos Angelis said the national carrier was being allowed to operate two flights instead of the usual four over the twenty-four hour period, adding that the airline had made alternative arrangements for affected passengers.

“As a result of the strike we will now operate one flight just after midnight on Thursday and a second flight later on in the day,” he said.

An airport spokeswoman in Athens confirmed that no flights would be permitted to take off or land between noon and midnight, while airlines would be limited to operating just one flight at other times.

Meanwhile, Greek national carrier Olympic Airways said it would reduce flights to one per country and one per domestic destination for the duration of the strike.

According to reports, public transport unions will not be joining the walkout in order to transport demonstrators to and from an anti-war rally outside the United States embassy in Athens.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Thursday, April 3, 2003

[07] Asylum seeker torches Red Cross offices

The incident happened at 9.20am, when the man, who has been living on the island since 2001, apparently unhappy with delays in processing his application for political asylum, went into a rage, smashed everything in sight and finally set an office on fire after dousing it with petrol.

Sophocles Angeli, who works for the Red Cross, said the man initially smashed a computer and an ashtray and after pushing him, took out a container filled with petrol from a plastic bag and doused the office.

He torched the room and then ran out and sat down waiting for police.

On his way out, the he smashed the windows and glass doors of the lobby.

Angeli said it was not the first time that the same man had caused trouble.

No one was injured in the incident though the Red Cross workers, in their majority female, were shocked by the assault.

The fire service scrambled to the scene and quickly put the fire out, though several staff and other people in the building were affected by the smoke.

The branch employs around six workers and relies heavily on volunteers, many of whom were in the building at the time.

Nicosia police director Nicos Theodorides said the man smashed up and set fire to the place, adding that the damage was quite extensive.

Red Cross director Kleanthis Filaniotis suggested that the man was not targeting the Red Cross but the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), which is housed in the same building.

Filaniotis said the UNHCR used the premises to carry out interviews with asylum seekers, adding that since January 1, 2002, the government has taken on the responsibility of processing political refugees.

He explained that the Iranian had filed his application before the law had changed and that was why it was still being handled by the UNHCR.

The man, who claims he is a doctor and lives in Larnaca, was apparently unhappy because there were problems in recognising him as a political refugee.

Filaniotis said the fire put the Red Cross workers at risk, adding he was sorry the Red Cross had been attacked when it was trying to provide assistance.

The building housing the Paphos branch of the international organisation was also torched recently.

Filaniotis said the Red Cross had little to do with examining such applications, adding that they were there to provide clothing and other aid to needy people.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

Thursday, April 3, 2003

[08] Boy hospitalised after fire game

A 13-YEAR-OLD boy from Limassol was taken to hospital last night with second-degree burns inflicted from jumping over a petrol fire.

According to a police report, the 13-year-old, together with two friends were setting fires using petrol and then jumping over the flames at Aegeou St, last night. The boy was injured when one of his friends poured more petrol into the fire while he attempted to jump over it, setting victim's clothes alight.

He was admitted to hospital where doctors diagnosed second and third-degree burns to his abdomen, thighs and left arm. His condition is not serious.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2003

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