Cyprus-Forum.com

[Viewpoint]

Something interesting happened today while at the beach in Kyrenia. There was a crowded beach with local TCs, TCs living in the UK on holiday and foreigners also on holiday. In amongst all this fun in the sun I noticed a GC family also going into the sea speaking Greek, I watched them for a while and noticed they were feeling a little uncomfortable to be viewed as foreigners. It reminded me of a time when we felt the same but there was of course a big difference we were not made welcome and even told not to speak Turkish by our family so that the GCs would not know we were TCs. There were beaches we could not use or felt comfortable going to as to the threat we would be under. We lived in fear and were discriminated against for being TCs.

I just wanted to ask the moderate GCs how they feel in a situation where now the shoe is on the other foot and the TCs are in charge in the north and they come to the beaches where Im certain the majority do not feal threatened but are like foreigners, do they understand how we felt back in the 1960s where the situation was not as relaxed as it is today?

[Piratis]

Viewpoint, GCs knew very well what you are talking about long before 1974, since the Turks had the Greek Cypriots as a second category people for 3 centuries. So while the time you were "oppressed" by us is a fraction during our common history, the time we were oppressed by you (in MATCH worst and brutal ways) is almost all the rest of our common history, starting from 1570 until today.

So how we feel now is exactly how we felt during most part of our history since the day you decided to come to our island, not to live here as equal people, but instead to become our masters and oppress us.

All this oppression against us by you naturally creates anger and eventually hate, so don't be surprised when the day will come that it will be your turn to wear the "other shoe" again.

Of course this circle of blood (started by you) could end if you finally accepted our calls for peace and equality among all Cypriot citizens without racist discriminations. Unfortunately you are stuck in the middle ages were land-grab, ethnic cleansing and racist discriminations was the norm, and you insist on continuing your uncivilized tradition by giving lame excuses.

[MR-from-NG]

The TC's are not the type of people to make their guests feel uncomfortable, regardless of their race, religion or colour. This family should have made the most of the beautiful beach and enjoy their day.

On a different note. My elder brother told me a story which knocked be back six. From 1961 he started attending the English College in the South. He swears that every day he rode his bike to school he would be sworn at, spat at and stones thrown at him when passing through certain areas. This was happening to all the TC kids. In the end all the kids decided to meet somewhere on the Turkish quarters of Nicosia and ride in large groups. He swears there was not a day that passed without one or more of the kids having a bloody head because of flying stones thrown by Greek kids, adults man and women.

I found this really shocking. One would believe a kid of 13-14 would be immune to this kind of hostility. Obviously not from our Greek neighbours. Can we honestly say it would be different today? I doubt it. SAD BUT TRUE.

[Piratis]

SAD BUT TRUE.

sad lies. If we start the "I have a cousin who said" stories, then the limit to what we can say is only our imagination.

The facts that happen today and that happened in the past are well documented and undiniable, and they do not include the "my cousin told me" kind of lame propaganda of Turks trying to excuse their crimes that continue against us as we speak.

I don't really matter how much lame excuses you give. The fact is that the occupation is illegal, and the day that Turkey will no longer have the power to force this illegality the occupation will end and the criminals punished.

[miltiades]

From 1953 till 1955 , I mentioned earlier , that I along with my brother and sister were living in the Limassol Orphanage having been taken there after the earthquake in Paphos where our mother was killed. We lived there for about two years and shared dormitories with T/C orphan children .We interacted as children do and no animosity existed .During the struggle from 1955 to 1958 I made several contacts with some of my friends at the time , unfortunately I have since lost all touch.Im saying this in order to emphasise that during the many years that the T/Cs and G/Cs lived together there was a peaceful coexistense that only came to an end when the vicious ideologies on motherlands came to the forefront.
Viewpoint said the following , which is absolutely and indisputably true of all Cypriots , ask most visitors to our shores and they will tell you just that . I know the T/Cs are such , but also the G/Cs are just as hospitable. The extremists on both sides must not allowed to dictate:
This what he said :
""The TC's are not the type of people to make their guests feel uncomfortable, regardless of their race, religion or colour. This family should have made the most of the beautiful beach and enjoy their day. """

[MR-from-NG]

sad lies. If we start the "I have a cousin who said" stories, then the limit to what we can say is only our imagination.

The facts that happen today and that happened in the past are well documented and undiniable, and they do not include the "my cousin told me" kind of lame propaganda of Turks trying to excuse their crimes that continue against us as we speak.

I don't really matter how much lame excuses you give. The fact is that the occupation is illegal, and the day that Turkey will no longer have the power to force this illegality the occupation will end and the criminals punished.

Yes Piratis, I'm lying you caught me out. In fact my brother told me every day he rode to school the Greeks would line up in the streets to give them flowers and sweets. On some good days they would insist the kids take a break and be offered food, tea and coffee.

I am sorry for lying in mt first post. I guess being a Turk it is in our blood to lie. Its a great shame we don't possess the qualities you and the Israelis possess.

[Viewpoint]

There are many cases where such incidents were the norm back in the 1960s we were second class citiziens and unwanted thats why we TCs pscychologically do not want to return to those days and therefore feel we cannot trust GCs with our future and that we will be treated fairly in a GC dominated united Cyprus.

[Pyrpolizer]

From 1961 he started attending the English College in the South. He swears that every day he rode his bike to school he would be sworn at, spat at and stones thrown at him when passing through certain areas.

Your brother should know the exact name is/was "English School" not "English College". Could you please ask your brother to tell you what the TC students of English school were doing during the weekends, and what they were boasting about on Monday to their GC classmates?

In amongst all this fun in the sun I noticed a GC family also going into the sea speaking Greek, I watched them for a while and noticed they were feeling a little uncomfortable to be viewed as foreigners

Do you think they would feel unconfortable at a beach in Spain?

I know why they felt uncomfortable. Because they were stupid enough to go there without thinking how they would feel seeing their stolen lands/or swimming at their stolen beaches.

[Piratis]

Hey if you don't trust the GCs feel free to leave from Cyprus in the same way that you came, since you are oppressing us and violating our human rights every since.

[rolo]

Mr Piratis

Quite frankly i can respect and even sympathise with your ideology, that under the Makarios years the gcs exacted revenge on the tcs for the Otoman years. I respect your honesty on this matter, and can understand the gc viewpoint.

Thankfully it did not happen in South Africa, although it did in Zimbabwe.

Anyway if we are still to hold middle ages grievences and grudges i believe the whole world would be at war for ever more.

Your own ancestors, the ancient Greeks were no angels.

1960 saw a new dawn in Cyprus history, a time to join together and leave the past behin. Understandings were reached' but sadly within three years they were all broken.

The Gcs were the major force then in Cyprus, they alone had the power to guarantee freedom and equality for all its citizens, both Greek AND Turk. Had these human rights been equally distributed to both communities then no power on earth could have intervened in Cypriot affairs. There would have been no killings, no arsons, rapes, plunder, pillage, wars, refugees.

We must all at some stage recognise our past mistakes and leave them behind us, if we are ever to move on.