Cyprus-Forum.com

[Lit]

More newspaper reports on a mass grave of Greek Cypriots in occupied Lapithos

Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (08.09.09) reports that the area near the sea of occupied Lapithos village, where it is alleged that the biggest mass grave from the period of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus exists, is fenced with wires on which there is a sign warning about the existence of mines.

The paper writes, inter alia, the following in its front page under the title “Is it a sign for mines for the mass grave?”: “There is a sign writing ‘Mines’ on the wire fence of the plot of land in Lapithos where it is alleged that 800 remains exist. However, everyone can walk around in that area as he wishes. No mines have been found until now! …”.

The paper wonders why a sign warning for mines was put in the area, “in spite of the fact that it is not a border” and points out that the plot of land was empty a short time ago, but now it is filled up with rocks.

“After the meeting between Talat and Christofias it will be known whether excavations will be carried out in the area which is a military zone”, notes Afrika.

The paper publishes two pictures of the same area on its front page. In the one picture the area is empty and in the second it is full of rocks.

In the “Letter from Afrika” column, the paper reports, inter alia, the following on the same issue: “One friend of ours, who called us after our publication yesterday, gave to us interesting information regarding this plot of land. Around the decade of 1980’s a place in this plot was allocated to a person very close to him in order to build a construction. However, right at the time when he was preparing to do this, the plot was taken away from him. As pretext he was told that ‘There is a grave there’. …”.

Meanwhile, writing in his daily column in Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper, Ali Osman refers to the interview he published recently with an eyewitness who told him that Turkish soldiers murdered Greek Cypriot prisoners of war at the shore of occupied Agios Georgios, where the Turkish army landed during the 1974 Turkish invasion of the island. Mr Osman, writes, inter alia, the following:

“After our newspaper published these, people called us or came here and told us what they knew. A former high ranking official, who was going to gather wild herbs in the area around the Mare Monte [Hotel] told us with the following expressions what he saw:

‘Many years ago I went to that area with the children. The wild herbs I liked were in that area. I started gathering. After moving around for a while, I saw something because of which I abandoned what I had gathered and since then I never went to that area. There were dead persons who had not been buried completely or they had come to the surface because of the rain or excavations by animals’.

Another person said that he had bought a plot of land in the northwest, or let us say in the west, of Celebrity Hotel. The person, who said he could not acquire a building permit, when he asked for the reason for this, he received the answer from the Town Planning Department that the army does not permit for excavations to be carried out because there was a graveyard underneath”.

[Oracle]

Let's hope the legal authorities manage to get to this site for collecting the remains before the Turks bury them under another concrete hotel or remove them elsewhere to hide their tracks ...

[Oracle]

Reports of new mass grave in Lapithos

By Stefanos Evripidou

THE GOVERNMENT is aware of the existence of testimonies referring to a mass grave of Greek Cypriot missing persons in occupied Lapithos, said government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou yesterday.

Asked to comment on press reports that a mass grave of hundreds of Greek Cypriots could be found in occupied Lapithos, Stefanou said: “We have also seen the press reports. They are not just reports, there are testimonies as well. The government is working with discretion on the issue of the missing persons as well as on the promotion of the procedure, which is underway, for exhumation and identification of remains.”

According to press reports, the existence of the mass grave was first raised in a testimony made in March, 1977, three years after the Turkish invasion. The same reports say Greek Cypriots were buried by Turkish soldiers in the area, and that requests by the government for exhumations to take place in the region have met with rejection by the regime in the north.

When asked whether President Demetris Christofias would raise the issue with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat on Thursday, Stefanou said the two leaders were discussing a number of similar issues apart from the negotiations on the Cyprus problem. He called for care and caution, noting: “There is a lot of pain on behalf of the relatives of the missing”.

Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou yesterday said the issue of missing persons was a humanitarian issue and should proceed as such, regardless of the course of the direct talks.

However, he underlined Turkey’s responsibilities and called on the Turkish army to allow access to its archives to help efforts to establish the fate of missing persons, especially those who were last seen in Turkey.



Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2009

[bill cobbett]

I am increasingly of the view that the "talks" should be suspended until this site is fully investigated.

I mean isn't it ludicrous that talks with Turkey's Puppet Regime continue whilst there is a possibility that this site contains the remains of CYs who haven't had a decent burial. It ain't fair on the relatives who must be in despair with new reports coming out.

[Oracle]

I am increasingly of the view that the "talks" should be suspended until this site is fully investigated.

I mean isn't it ludicrous that talks with Turkey's Puppet Regime continue whilst there is a possibility that this site contains the remains of CYs who haven't had a decent burial. It ain't fair on the relatives who must be in despair with new reports coming out.

I think the UN should get involved as fast as possible and section off the whole area before the Turks tamper with it ...

... requests by the government for exhumations to take place in the region have met with rejection by the regime in the north.

[insan]

When they find be sure we will talk abt it. We will talk abt it wheteher they were POWs or killed during the combat. Even there could be mass graves of GCs in North who were killed by Sampson and his gangs before Turkey intervened. I fully support that every report regarding missings must be investigated and revealed.

If they were killed as PoWs by a group of TCs or Turks; shame on those Turks and TCs committing such a cowardly and brutal crime! If they were killed during the combat, shame on those who brought them to combat and caused their death!


Ps: Hope this staisfy Oracle and alikes.

[Oracle]

They already have the testimonies which say it was the work of the Turks. So, your hopes for passing it off on someone else are futile.

They are not just reports, there are testimonies as well.

Besides, why would the Turks reject requests if they were innocent?

requests by the government for exhumations to take place in the region have met with rejection by the regime in the north.

[bill cobbett]

When they find be sure we will talk abt it. We will talk abt it wheteher they were POWs or killed during the combat. Even there could be mass graves of GCs in North who were killed by Sampson and his gangs before Turkey intervened. I fully support that every report regarding missings must be investigated and revealed.

If they were killed as PoWs by a group of TCs or Turks; shame on those Turks and TCs committing such a cowardly and brutal crime! If they were killed during the combat, shame on those who brought them to combat and caused their death!


Ps: Hope this staisfy Oracle and alikes.

No mate, whilst noting your comments above, I won't be happy until Turkey complies with court rulings to give an explanation of the fate of the remaining missing and when this Lapithos site is investigated. It could be investigated by lunch-time tomorrow by a handful of chaps with some shovels.

I'm not happy with the talks continuing whilst this is hanging over our heads as well as for humaniterean reasons.

[insan]

They already have the testimonies which say it was the work of the Turks. So, your hopes for passing it off on someone else are futile.

They are not just reports, there are testimonies as well.

Besides, why would the Turks reject requests if they were innocent?

requests by the government for exhumations to take place in the region have met with rejection by the regime in the north.

So u claim that no GCs were killed by Sampson and his gangs?

All the CMP Fact Sheets

http://www.cmp-cyprus.org/nqcontent.cfm ... ic&lang=l1

I believe in CMP.

he underlined Turkey’s responsibilities and called on the Turkish army to allow access to its archives to help efforts to establish the fate of missing persons, especially those who were last seen in Turkey.

Where in the articles it mentions "requests by the government for exhumations to take place in the region have met with rejection by the regime in the north." ?

[Oracle]

They already have the testimonies which say it was the work of the Turks. So, your hopes for passing it off on someone else are futile.

They are not just reports, there are testimonies as well.

Besides, why would the Turks reject requests if they were innocent?

requests by the government for exhumations to take place in the region have met with rejection by the regime in the north.

So u claim that no GCs were killed by Sampson and his gangs?

All the CMP Fact Sheets

http://www.cmp-cyprus.org/nqcontent.cfm ... ic&lang=l1

I believe in CMP.

he underlined Turkey’s responsibilities and called on the Turkish army to allow access to its archives to help efforts to establish the fate of missing persons, especially those who were last seen in Turkey.

Where in the articles it mentions "requests by the government for exhumations to take place in the region have met with rejection by the regime in the north." ?

You haven't got a clue what I said.... read the posts again

Don't change the subject of this thread.