Cyprus-Forum.com

[-mikkie2-]

An article in the Cyprus Mail:

Digging in the wrong place?
By Simon Bahceli

Forensic team fails to find mass grave as doubts emerge on information

SERIOUS doubts were raised yesterday over the location given by the Turkish Cypriot authorities to the Committee for Missing Persons (CMP) regarding the remains of up to 200 Greek Cypriots missing since 1974.

The doubts emerged after a week-long dig by the Forensic Centre of Excellence for the Investigation of Genocide (INFORCE), a UK-based team commissioned by the CMP to carry out research on the whereabouts of mass graves on the island, failed to unearth any remains of those the Turkish Cypriot authorities say perished during the conflict.

According to information presented by the north’s authorities in 1998, around 300 Greek Cypriots were killed during fighting in 1974. They say that when offers to hand the bodies over to the Greek Cypriot authorities in 1974 were refused, they had no choice but to bury them in mass graves in the Trachonas district of north Nicosia.

Yesterday, both INFORCE spokesperson Margaret Cox and UN Representative to the CMP Pierre Guberand refused to comment on why the location they had been directed to by the Turkish Cypriot administration, failed to yield any human remains.

INFORCE’s failure to find remains has raised doubts over the quality of information being put forward by the Turkish Cypriot authorities.

Turkish Cypriot member of the CMP Rustem Tatar reacted yesterday telling the Cyprus Mail: “The information was given to us in 1998, but we never checked it because our agenda was not to find graves but to find out whether [missing] people were dead or alive.” He added that it was not until 1997 that efforts to locate graves became part of the CMP’s remit.

Tatar said, however, he was convinced graves would eventually be found in the vicinity.
“The episode is well recorded and I hope efforts to find them will continue.”

However, one Turkish Cypriot source, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the Cyprus Mail: “Many people say they know where the bodies of Greek Cypriots are buried. The CMP should ask the people, not the state, because the state will never tell them where they are”.

Tatar said the CMP had issued a call several months ago for people to come forward with information on missing persons, but that “very little information” had been forthcoming.

However, Sener Levent, editor of Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika, accused the CMP of being more interested in covering up the events of 1974 than disclosing them, saying: “We want to know how much local knowledge has been used. We want to know how much and what information has been given to the Committee.”

Levent believes the Turkish Cypriot authorities are “uncomfortable” with the subject of those missing since 1974 and warned that the authorities may have taken measures to “hide the dead”.

He added, however, that both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides were guilty of using the missing persons issue as a political tool.

Another Turkish Cypriot source, who also wished to remain anonymous, added weight to Levent’s claim saying: “It is well-known where the bodies are buried. It makes me laugh when I see where they are digging at Domuzcular Burnu [Trachonas].”

Greek Cypriot Committee for the Relatives of Missing Persons leader Nicos Theodosiou yesterday refrained from criticising the CMP, but admitted disappointment at the fact that since the CMP was established in 1981, “not a single body has been found”.

Theodosiou added that while large amounts of information on the missing was available, they were bound by agreements forged between the two sides at the CMP.

“The CMP decided with INFORCE to start on that site [Trachonas]. We know and they know this may not be the best place to start, but we have to go by what the CMP says. If it were up to us things would be different,” he told the Mail.

Although Theodosiou was careful not to pour cold water on what he described as “the first positive step in 30 years”, he said there was some doubt over the quality of information provided by the Turkish Cypriot authorities.

“The information they gave us was of very low quality, based on press cuttings and government documents mostly from our side. Information was not based on the testimony of citizens,” he said.

Yesterday INFORCE wound up excavations at Trachonas amid reports they will be leaving the island today. A report on the excavations is expected from the CMP today.



Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2004

[-mikkie2-]

It pains me to see how the TC's are not helping the relevant authorities to find the fate of the missing.

This is disgraceful behaviour on the part of the TC authorities that obviously don't want people to know what happened to these people. What are they trying to hide? Is it because for all these years they have been lying about what happened to these people and that they don't want anyone to know the scale of the killing that went on?

As far as I am aware, the government has given a complete list of missing or dead TC's and their likely whereabouts.

[insan]

I suspect about the quality of information provided by Turkish authorities.

He added, however, that both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides were guilty of using the missing persons issue as a political tool.

At this point I agree with Sener.


Perhaps, cmp could open an office in North in order to collect some information from who claim that they knew the place of the mass graves.

[-mikkie2-]

Insan,

It may have been true in the past, but I don't think it is the case now.

The original list of 1610 missing is now down to around 1400 because the government is now not using the issue as a political tool. It had information on some of the missing and it divulged them only a few years ago. My grandfathers son was one such person that has been removed from the list.

The government has given a list of all TC missing and their whereabouts. The TC's seem to be giving bad information deliberately in order to stall the process.

[insan]

Insan,

It may have been true in the past, but I don't think it is the case now.

The original list of 1610 missing is now down to around 1400 because the government is now not using the issue as a political tool. It had information on some of the missing and it divulged them only a few years ago. My grandfathers son was one such person that has been removed from the list.

The government has given a list of all TC missing and their whereabouts. The TC's seem to be giving bad information deliberately in order to stall the process.

True. I agree with you mikkie. TCs and GCs may rally to pressurize the TC authorities and create a public opinion in order to encourage the TCs who claimed they knew the places of the mass graves; go and tell what they know.

[mehmet]

Anthing that prevents the truth being established about missing people is bad, whoever is responsible.

[Othellos]

Anthing that prevents the truth being established about missing people is bad, whoever is responsible.

Well said.

O.

[brother]

If there is people out there who know where the missing are buried they should be writing letters to the relevant people not just saying it, words are cheap its actions that count.

[insan]

If there is people out there who know where the missing are buried they should be writing letters to the relevant people not just saying it, words are cheap its actions that count.

Even, Afrika newspaper can initiate a campaign and call all TCs who have any info about the GC missing persons.

[PEACE]

Yes they started.Yesterday they published some eye-witness' information!