What happened to the rickshaw riders in Pafos? anyone know.
Have the bully boy tactics of the taxi drivers closed them down?
What happened to the rickshaw riders?
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What happened to the rickshaw riders?
by cyprusgeoff » Tue Jul 28, 2009 12:38 pm
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by fig head » Tue Jul 28, 2009 12:43 pm
is that the show someone was speakin about in radio rock FM!! if it is then i know what happen, they found out its full of shit and bollocks!!! come on who contact people about a show thro facebook !!! i heard about it and thought what the heck !! what is so special about motorcycle riders!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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by CBBB » Tue Jul 28, 2009 2:11 pm
emma ruby wrote:is that the show someone was speakin about in radio rock FM!! if it is then i know what happen, they found out its full of shit and bollocks!!! come on who contact people about a show thro facebook !!! i heard about it and thought what the heck !! what is so special about motorcycle riders!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Definitely not on this planet! Even the moon is a bit close!
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by Svetlana » Tue Jul 28, 2009 2:48 pm
Rickshaw workers quit in fear of taxi drivers
By Rebecca Bailey
(archive article - Saturday, July 25, 2009)
A 17-YEAR-OLD boy working for a rickshaw business in Paphos says that he has been assaulted by a taxi driver for the second time in less than a week.
Now the rickshaw company Cypshaw, says its other riders have reportedly left the business out of fear, and say they won’t come back. Now only Alki Michael his son Daniel Laidlaw remain.
Laidlaw said that he and two other riders were riding their rickshaws in the Paphos Harbour area on Thursday night. A taxi driver then reportedly approached them and told them to go away in an aggressive manner.
“We started cycling away in the other direction, not wanting to cause any trouble,” Laidlaw said. “Then he came up behind me and pushed me off my bike.”
His father Michael, 43, the owner of the rickshaw company, arrived on the scene after a phone-call from his son.
“The same taxi driver threatened to throw my bikes in the sea after he smashed them up,” an outraged Michael told the Cyprus Mail.
Andreas Zacharias, head of the Paphos Taxi Driver’s Union, said that he knew nothing about this specific incident. “I have already given my opinion on this issue,” he said. “Any argument should be taken to the police and not to the press.”
He added that he understood the anger surrounding the incident, but that he could not comment further due to his ignorance of the affair.
This is the second time Laidlaw, and the third time Cypshaw riders, have allegedly been the subject of intimidation and threats by taxi-drivers.
On Monday night Laidlaw said he was surrounded by 8 or 9 men who threatened him and refused to let him leave. He said he had identified the men by tracing their licence plate numbers.
On Saturday July 11, a crowd of around 50 taxi drivers reportedly surrounded Michael and two other riders and allegedly threatened them, promising “to smash the bikes up if he saw them on the road, and break our heads,” Michael said.
“He started shouting that he won’t let us put them out of business, take their money,” Michael added. Zacharias denied that threats had been made.
The Mayor of Paphos, Savvas Vergas, told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that Michael must get a licence for his rickshaws. “I am sure they are illegal,” he stated.
This is despite Michael’s assurances that the rickshaws are legal, which is also the opinion of several lawyers. “I have had lawyers on this project since January 2009 and have covered all angles of expediting this business legally before I brought the rickshaw to Cyprus,” Michael said.
The Mayor did concede that the fact the taxi-drivers had allegedly assaulted a 17-year old boy was “a bad situation” and bad for Paphos’ image as a tourist destination. He said that the Municipality “will speak to the taxi drivers.”
A meeting has been called in Nicosia next Thursday to discuss the subject of the rickshaws, between the Head of the Traffic Police, the Head of the Labour Inspection Department, the Head of the Road Transport Department, and a representative from the Paphos Municipality. Michael expressed concern that no one representing Cypshaw, the CTO or the Ecological Department has been invited.
“I’m worried they’re going to push through a piece of legislation between them that will make the company illegal, without anyone being able to protest.”
Both Michael and Laidlaw made statements to the police concerning the events of Thursday night, and provided them with the licence plate of the car of the man in question.
“Are we supposed to just take this and give up and proclaim the taxi drivers a force not to be reckoned with?” Michael appealed.
“We will continue to go out at nights because we have contracts with restaurants and bars to advertise them,” he said.
In 2006, a rickshaw company set up in Ayia Napa by Polish students was run out of business in similar circumstances, with the alleged smashing of eight bikes and physical attacks on two employees by disgruntled taxi drivers.
A representative of the Paphos Police Department said that the current cases were being investigated.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2009
By Rebecca Bailey
(archive article - Saturday, July 25, 2009)
A 17-YEAR-OLD boy working for a rickshaw business in Paphos says that he has been assaulted by a taxi driver for the second time in less than a week.
Now the rickshaw company Cypshaw, says its other riders have reportedly left the business out of fear, and say they won’t come back. Now only Alki Michael his son Daniel Laidlaw remain.
Laidlaw said that he and two other riders were riding their rickshaws in the Paphos Harbour area on Thursday night. A taxi driver then reportedly approached them and told them to go away in an aggressive manner.
“We started cycling away in the other direction, not wanting to cause any trouble,” Laidlaw said. “Then he came up behind me and pushed me off my bike.”
His father Michael, 43, the owner of the rickshaw company, arrived on the scene after a phone-call from his son.
“The same taxi driver threatened to throw my bikes in the sea after he smashed them up,” an outraged Michael told the Cyprus Mail.
Andreas Zacharias, head of the Paphos Taxi Driver’s Union, said that he knew nothing about this specific incident. “I have already given my opinion on this issue,” he said. “Any argument should be taken to the police and not to the press.”
He added that he understood the anger surrounding the incident, but that he could not comment further due to his ignorance of the affair.
This is the second time Laidlaw, and the third time Cypshaw riders, have allegedly been the subject of intimidation and threats by taxi-drivers.
On Monday night Laidlaw said he was surrounded by 8 or 9 men who threatened him and refused to let him leave. He said he had identified the men by tracing their licence plate numbers.
On Saturday July 11, a crowd of around 50 taxi drivers reportedly surrounded Michael and two other riders and allegedly threatened them, promising “to smash the bikes up if he saw them on the road, and break our heads,” Michael said.
“He started shouting that he won’t let us put them out of business, take their money,” Michael added. Zacharias denied that threats had been made.
The Mayor of Paphos, Savvas Vergas, told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that Michael must get a licence for his rickshaws. “I am sure they are illegal,” he stated.
This is despite Michael’s assurances that the rickshaws are legal, which is also the opinion of several lawyers. “I have had lawyers on this project since January 2009 and have covered all angles of expediting this business legally before I brought the rickshaw to Cyprus,” Michael said.
The Mayor did concede that the fact the taxi-drivers had allegedly assaulted a 17-year old boy was “a bad situation” and bad for Paphos’ image as a tourist destination. He said that the Municipality “will speak to the taxi drivers.”
A meeting has been called in Nicosia next Thursday to discuss the subject of the rickshaws, between the Head of the Traffic Police, the Head of the Labour Inspection Department, the Head of the Road Transport Department, and a representative from the Paphos Municipality. Michael expressed concern that no one representing Cypshaw, the CTO or the Ecological Department has been invited.
“I’m worried they’re going to push through a piece of legislation between them that will make the company illegal, without anyone being able to protest.”
Both Michael and Laidlaw made statements to the police concerning the events of Thursday night, and provided them with the licence plate of the car of the man in question.
“Are we supposed to just take this and give up and proclaim the taxi drivers a force not to be reckoned with?” Michael appealed.
“We will continue to go out at nights because we have contracts with restaurants and bars to advertise them,” he said.
In 2006, a rickshaw company set up in Ayia Napa by Polish students was run out of business in similar circumstances, with the alleged smashing of eight bikes and physical attacks on two employees by disgruntled taxi drivers.
A representative of the Paphos Police Department said that the current cases were being investigated.
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2009
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by fig head » Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:53 pm
i`ll have to say after readind all of that.. i have no idea what you lot on about...!! you just open my eyes to the fact that there is some action going on in paphos.. where the heck im from now on im reading the news
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by fig head » Tue Jul 28, 2009 6:54 pm
i`ll have to say after reading all of that.. i have no idea what you lot on about...!! you just open my eyes to the fact that there is some action going on in paphos.. where the heck im then!!! now im goona start reading the news
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by Free Spirit » Tue Jul 28, 2009 8:25 pm
What happened to the rickshaw riders?
Rich Shaw has left the island.
Rich Shaw has left the island.
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