POLITICIANS have spent the last couple of weeks pontificating on what to do about Greek Cypriots who resort to the property commission in the north, with talk of black lists, murmurings about legal action or even stripping them of their refugee status.Very little has been heard from the refugees themselves, no doubt fearful of being branded as traitors given that Sigma television gave the Attorney-general a list of 20 names from the 180 or so Greek Cypriots who have applied to the commission.
It’s easy for comfortably well-off politicians, like AKEL spokesman Andros Kyprianou to state that no amount of money is worth compromising the homeland. But whether politicians realise it or not, the biggest issue in most people’s lives today is how to educate and secure the future of their children, not a piece of land that they may never see again.
Yesterday, Alithia newspaper published an interview with a 33-year-old married female refugee with two children, who is one of the people who has resorted to the commission.
The interviewer described the woman as “tired and weary”, working long hours for only £500 a month while her family’s land in occupied Karmi – a favoured location for British expats – is worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
“I went to work at the age of 12 during my school holidays because my parents were refugees and we all had to work to get by,” the woman, who was not named, told the newspaper.
She said her father, who is now deceased, had lived with guilt because his daughters were forced to work while he had a huge property in the north, but they told him constantly to keep up hope and that there would be a solution to the Cyprus problem.
“Sadly, he died from a rare stress-related illness, and we believe he died from the guilt he carried around”.
She said her current situation was one of debt in trying to pay a mortgage. “It’s horrible when your children ask you for something and you have to tell them you can’t afford it,” the woman said. “Tomorrow my daughter is starting Gymnasium and she will need private lessons. How am I going to manage that on £500 a month? Once I was in the hospital ten days with the baby and I had no help from the government or anyone. I makes no difference whether you are a refugee or not.”
The woman said that one day while she and her sister discussed their financial situation, the issue of their father’s land in Karmi was raised. “Our mother said the land was now worth around £500,000 and we began thinking about how it would solve our problems,” said the woman.
“Everything has gone up, petrol and electricity, while wages have stayed the same and we thought to ask about this committee to get some information. That’s how it happened.”
The woman said her application had been submitted but she had not heard anything yet. She said it was being examined, but it seemed there was some interest in the property from a Turkish buyer.
“I know how people are judging, but I never judge people in this way. I don’t know their situation or what might lead them to do it. Who am I to judge? How to I know what situation they’re in? Maybe they have health problems and need money to go abroad for treatment. I don’t believe every Cypriot puts their country first. Sometimes you have no other choice,” she said.
She added that there were Cypriots going to the casinos in the north every week who have properties in the south, which have risen in price, and were going north with their money.
“Why are some of them not interested in finding a solution? Because with a solution, some of them will lose the value of their land in the free areas, will they not?” the woman said.
“Day by day hope for solution is fading. In my piece of land they have built houses. The first time I went, there were two houses, now there are 13 and they continue to build. Isn’t it time to get something back for something you can’t have?”
‘We understand why they do it’
THE Union of Greek Cypriot Refugees said yesterday it did not approve of people making applications to the Turkish Cypriot property commission but could understand why in some cases they would.
Panos Ioannides, President of the Union, one of some 70 refugee organisations around the island, said his association was also against any legal action being taken against those who resorted to the commission, “even if they are co-operating with the invaders”.
“We strongly believe all of this is going to contribute to dividing the refugees into two categories; patriots and non-patriots,” said Ioannides. “This would be a huge mistake.”
He, like others, suggested the government improve the lot of the refugees, many of whom currently face serious financial problems.
“People are frustrated. They have needs which should be met and they are not,” he said. “We appreciate their needs. We do not excuse their actions but we appreciate why they do it.”
Ioannides said the property commission was a trap and that so far the return of properties, the compensation and the exchanges were nothing that would not have happened under the Annan plan.
Evroko MP Rikkos Erotocritou said that his party is already drafting a legislative proposal to deprive any Greek Cypriot refugee who applies to the so-called commission from all of his rights as a refugee, including having to return any financial assistance he has received from the state.
