LENA wrote:bigOz wrote:LENA wrote:Thank you Big OZ...would you be kind enough to give me the link you found those please...I need more. A lot more...that doesnt say anything to me.
Halil what KARAPENCE is? Will be easy to find a history book that write all this stuff inside in English?
Lena there is no need for in depth explanation of what KATAK's purpose was for. It was an organisation set up to represent politically the ethnic Turkish Minority in those times. It was not a terrorist organization of any kind but a political. You can read further details about the events of the time and KATAK in this independent source:
http://www.emu.edu.tr/English/ingeneral ... rising.htm
Thanks Big Oz...well as I said that was not a political statement it was just from curiosity and because I want to learn more for the Turkish part in Cyprus. Since it was a political issue and most of the Turkish speaking members are checking this section first I post it here. But you are right from what I found out it was not a terrorist organization but a political one. But why separated organization for the Turkish speaking Cypriots. Did they had problems back then as well? Did they want to separate themselves? What were the reasons to establish that organization?
Lena, if you patiently read the following from the same quote, the answer to your question is in there - namely the problem was the desire for ENOSIS by GCs, provoked by and coupled with Greece's desire to annex Cyprus with Greece:
Enosis Campaign Resumed
Towards the end of the Second World War, enosis campaign had become once more the main topic of the Cypriot politics. On 31 March 1943 Lord Faringdon stated in the House of Lords that, Greece is not truly the mother of the Cypriots... and it is also a country from which they could obtain no possible advantage.
(Hansard, H/L Debate, ad 126 cols 1023-45)
While the Greeks protested Lord Faringdon's insults, the Turkish Cypriots sent telegrams to London protesting against any proposals for self-government or union with Greece.
(The Times, 17 April 1943)
Greek Refugees
Meanwhile Cyprus had become a safe place of Greek refugees from the Aegean islands invaded by Germany. It was estimated that during the last 3 years of the war around 12,000 Greek refugees arrived in Cyprus and were settled in special camps and lodgings provided by the government and Cyprus Mines Corporation. Many of them remained and settled in Cyprus after the war was over.
Prelude To Disorder and Violence
On 23 August 1946, the office of Bishop of Paphos -the Locum-tenens, had sent a cable to the British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin and the Greek Prime Minister Tsaldaris, asking that the question of Union with Greece should be raised at the Paris Peace Conference.
(The Times, 24 August 1946)
Following this cable, the Bishop of Paphos headed a Greek Cypriot delegation to London in November 1946. The Turkish Cypriot people, who formed in 1943 their political organization, KATAK, was closely following the Greek Cypriot political activities, concerning the future of Cyprus. But when the Colonial Office assured them that the interests of Turkish Cypriots would be safeguarded they declined from going to London to challenge the Bishop of Paphos and Instead, Fadil N. Korkut the chairman of KATAK sent a cable to the Colonial Office protesting Enosis demands. In an interview with Picture Post he also explained the Turkish Cypriot point of view.
Turkish Cypriots did not believe that the British would leave the island. But they stressed that if Britain decided to leave, Cyprus should go back to Turkey, its previous owner and nearest neighbour. Turkey was, after all, in a better position than any other neighbour to defend Cyprus.
(Hill, op. cit. p. 564)
Enosis Resolution Of The Greek Parliament
On 28 February 1947 the Greek parliament unanimously moved a resolution approving the call for union of Cyprus with Greece. This enosis resolution was as follows:
"The time has come for the settlement of the sacred national claim of the union of Cyprus to Greece. The Greek National Assembly appeals to the noble and gallant people of Great Britain, expressing the conviction that this claim will be fully satisfied."
(Times, 1 March 1947)
Efforts For a New Constitution
In early 1947 all was set for a fresh attempt to start new efforts to introduce a new constitution providing self-rule in Cyprus.
Lord Winster's Mission
The British Labour government appointed a Labour peer, Lord Winster, early in 1947, as the Governor of Cyprus with a special mission to form a consultative Assembly of leading Cypriot representatives to work for a new constitution based on self-rule. But the hope and opportunity for achieving self-rule was rejected by Ethnarchia, from the first day it was proposed and consequently a real chance to develop the preliminary stages leading to independence was lost.
Consultative Assembly and The Proposals
The left wing Greek Cypriot representatives and the Turkish Cypriots accepted to participate in the works of the Consultative Assembly formed to consider the new constitution. The opening ceremony of the Consultative Assembly took place on the first day of November 1947 under the chairmanship of Sir Edward Jackson, the Chief Justice. Rauf R. Denktas, who had just returned from London where he was called to the Bar and had started to practice as a lawyer in Cyprus was nominated to act as the spokesman and Secretary of the Turkish group. On 7 November the chairman explained the outlines of the proposed constitution.
Failure
The Greek Cypriot representatives who were under constant attack and severe criticism directed by the nationalists and the Church, had to reject the British proposals in order not to be branded as traitors yet again. The Archbishop and the Greek right wing organizations denounced the proposals and the leftists renewed their objections and withdrew from the Assembly on 20 May 1948. Lord Winster, first adjourned the Assembly sine die and later on 12 August he dissolved it stating that the offers would remain open for consideration if any reasonable and fully representative leaders come forward to re-examine the proposals for the purpose of their implementation. He also re-affirmed that no change in the status of Cyprus and its sovereignty was contemplated. Thus a step forward which would certainly lead, through evolution of self-rule, to independence was not taken.
Almost half a century later, some of the leading leftists who participated in the Consultative Assembly and particularly Andreas Phantis, a prominent leftist trade unionist admitted regretfully that by rejecting the British proposals in 1948, the Greek Cypriots had missed the first real opportunity to realize, in a gradual and smooth way, their ultimate goal.
