The Committee started new exhumations at a site in Girne/Kyrenia with the aim of finding the remains of five missing persons.
After a break of two weeks, the Committee started a new program this year with the aim of unearthing and identifying the remains of missing persons.
The Turkish Cypriot member of the Committee on Missing Persons Gülden Plümer told the TAK news agency that the first exhumations of the New Year started at a site in Girne yesterday.
She said exhumations have been continuing for the last 3 months in Yerasa, South Cyprus, where the remains of Taskent martyrs are being searched.
But, Mrs Plumer added that physical features of the area are making exhumation works even more difficult.
She noted that the remains of 30 of the 42 martyrs have been unearthed until now, adding that exhumations will continue to find the remains of the rest.
Up to now, nearly 7-million dollars has been spent for the implementation of a project started in 2004; 1.5-million dollars was provided by the Turkish Cypriot Side and 2.5-million dollars by the Greek Cypriot Side.
The rest was covered through donations.
According to official estimates, there are 502 Turkish Cypriots and 1468 Greek Cypriots missing persons in Cyprus.
