TRNC News Today 17th November 2015
Turkish Cypriots were attacked again
Followers of Greece’s Neo –Nazi Golden Dawn and members of far right party ELAM in South Cyprus attacked Turkish Cypriots who crossed to South Cyprus.
Hundreds of ELAM members including students threw stones and firecrackers towards the TRNC from the border gates, damaged four vehicles of the Turkish Cypriots and two Turkish Cypriots were injured during the attacks.
One of the drivers, Merkan Numansoy, told that those who attacked them seemed to be students and a stone hit his chest during the attack. He also added that although the Greek police station was 100 meters away from them, the police did not take any precautions against the activists and the other two Turkish Cypriot vehicles were attacked twice.
Numansoy also added that when they went to the Greek Cypriot police station, to make a complaint, the police warned them, “it could be dangerous to cross over to South Cyprus from November 15 until November 20.”
Who is ELAM ?
The extreme right wing and racist Greek National People’s Front (ELAM), which operates in the Greek Cypriot side was founded in 2008. The organization defends excessive Greek nationalist ideology and strictly refuses a federal solution in Cyprus. The organization is well known by its publications and organizations against the TRNC, the Turkish Cypriot people and the refugees.
The organization transforms these verbal attacks into physical force against the Turkish Cypriots and creates moral and material damage during these protests by attacking the cars of the TurkishCypriots. ELAM is the extension of Greece’s Neo–Nazi Golden Dawn party that was founded in 1993 and the members of the Golden Dawn party supported ELAM in many activities.
Akıncı:”Greek Cypriot Administration must take this issue seriously”
President Mustafa Akıncı criticized the attacks which were carried out by the members of ELAM and the Greek Cypriots students against Turkish Cypriots near the border gates in Lefkoşa yesterday and emphasized that this behaviour does not contribute to the negotiating process in any way. On the other hand, Akıncı wants the Greek Cypriot Administration to arrest the criminals immediately and bring them to trial.
Stating that it is not possible to understand the participation of Greek students in such an incident, Akıncı said that the Greek Cypriot Administration must take this issue seriously.
In his written statement, President Akıncı also expressed that some Greek Cypriot students and the members of ELAM conducted this incident to protest against the Anniversary of the Establishment of the TRNC. Stones and bottles were thrown through the Yiğitler Burcu in Lefkoşa.
Furthermore, expressing that such attitudes do not contribute to the negotiation process in any way, President Akıncı added “School Administration and teachers allowing the students to be involved in this incident is unacceptable”.
United States of America donates 60,000 dollars to CMP
United States of America donated 60.000 dollars to the Committee on Missing Persons.
According to the written statement of the Committee on Missing Persons, the Ambassador of the United States of America in Cyprus, H.E. Ms Kathleen A. Doherty visited the anthropological laboratory of the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) in Nicosia. On this occasion, the CMP expressed its sincere thanks to the United States of America for its latest donation of USD 60,000 in support of the work of the CMP. It was also expressed that this donation brings the United States financial assistance to the CMP to a total of EUR 501,750 over the past ten years.
So far, 614 missing persons from both communities have been identified and returned to their families for a dignified burial.
To read more news and information from the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, please click here
Pictures shown are courtesy of the TRNC Public Information Office Facebook page.