Sevgul Uludag
caramel_cy@yahoo.com
Tel: 00 357 99 966518
00 90 542 853 8436
On the 30th of March 2012, three years ago, in my article in POLITIS, published on these pages I had written about our visit to Paralimni to meet a Greek Cypriot reader who was going to show us the possible burial site of some Turkish Cypriot `missing persons` from 1964… We had gone together with my dear friend, also a `relative` of `missing persons`, Christina Pavlou Solomi Patsia from Komikebir. Since my reader did not speak any English and I do not speak any Greek – only few words – Christina would act as my translator… We had asked the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot officials of the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee to come as well but stay elsewhere in Paralimni – my Greek Cypriot reader had only one condition: He would only show the well to me and not to the committee. I would show them after my reader would leave the area… I had written about this visit three years ago… Here is what I wrote back in March 2012:
`... Today, on the 16th of March 2012, Friday, that's what exactly we are up to: We are travelling with my dear friend Christina all the way to Paralimni to meet a Greek Cypriot reader of mine who had called me and wanted to show me a well where he says some Turkish Cypriots, `missing` since 1964 are buried.
We reach the randezvous and follow his car – I do not know his name, I didn't ask and will not ask him, unless he wants to tell me who he is. We sit in his workshop sipping our coffee while he tells his story and Christina translates for me. I do not speak Greek, I can understand a little, I know a lot of words but I cannot form sentences to speak properly – therefore Christina translates what he's saying...
He was barely a 13 year old boy, playing in this area when during a wedding ceremony, there was news that they brought some Turkish Cypriots, taken from Famagusta to this area to be killed and buried in a well... In the field where the well was were some young carob trees... He would sit on one of his favourite trees, watching the area, curious like a fox – we all remember what it means to be 13 years old and to hear such news! Any kid would be curious like a fox to find out more...
It must have been May 1964 when a lot of Turkish Cypriots were taken from NAAFI where they worked and also those travelling on the roads... It had been after the killing of a Greek Cypriot and two Greek officers who entered the walled city of Famagusta on the 11th of May 1964. There followed a series of kidnappings of civilian Turkish Cypriots travelling on the roads or being taken from their working places like the Barclays Bank or NAAFI in Famagusta... Around 30-40 Turkish Cypriot civilians went `missing` on the 11th of May and the following days, in `retaliation` and `revenge` for the one Greek Cypriot and two Greeks killed in Famagusta. We managed to find the remains of some of those Turkish Cypriots but still there are more `missing`.
With my Greek Cypriot reader, we go to see where the well might be...
`It's within this area` he points out. `This was a well with no water and people were throwing rubbish in the well. They killed and buried them but the one on top was not buried properly... Someone passing by had seen the hand of one of the Turkish Cypriots buried in that well sticking out, therefore maybe they took only one out but the rest must be in the well... When they killed and buried them, in the following days, they brought a tractor and saw the field and cultivate it quickly so the well would not be visible because the relatives of Turkish Cypriots were coming to Paralimni and searching for their `missing` relatives... The Turkish Cypriots were coming in this area together with the UN and for 10 days looking for them. Nobody spoke... This whole area was an empty place and you could see the sea from here... Some years later they built another well in this area – at that time you could only open another well 80 feet away from the well you
had. So you can find this well I think – and here's a map of the area...`
We stand next to a very old carob tree... No visible well here but we will find out...
`In those times, people were illiterate... They had a different life... Now, people are more educated and know more... Let's hope that this will never happen again in Cyprus... Both sides killed, both sides did terrible things... Now we have more educated generations, I think these things will not happen in the future...`
We thank this kind hearted man and leave to go and find the officials of the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee in order to take them here and show them the possible burial site. We meet Xenophon Kallis, Murat Soysal and Okan Oktay from the committee and show them the place that my reader has shown us...
I thank my reader for sharing with me what he knew; I thank Christina for helping us to communicate and coming with me all the way to Paralimni... I thank Kallis, Okan and Murat Sosyal from the Missing Persons Committee for coming with us to Paralimni so that we could show them the possible burial site of some Turkish Cypriots still `missing` from May 1964 from Famagusta area... If my reader's information is true, it will bring a little bit of relief to the relatives of those `missing` and will give them back something precious that they can hold on to as they would go into mourning for their loved ones...`
The good news comes at the ceremony where I was presented the European Citizen's Award given by the European Parliament – the ceremony took place at the Cyprus office of the European Parliament and after I was presented my award, Mr. Nestoras Nestoros comes to congratulate me and says, `They started finding remains in the well in Paralimni!`
`But that's the well we showed!` I tell him…
`Yes, I know!` he says…
`This is the most wonderful gift I could ever receive on this day!` I exclaim… I feel so happy that the exhumations have begun and already they started finding remains of the `missing persons` buried in that well that we had shown…
`They started finding remains at five meters` Mr. Nestoras explains to me – all that day, I would be smiling… I had been crying in the ceremony, thinking back of all that had happened in the past 14 years that I have been working on the untold stories of our land… I had been happy but sad at the same time thinking of all the attacks, all the hate campaigns, all the inhuman behaviour I had been exposed to in order to be able to reach where we are now… I had been happy that the European Parliament was recognizing our voluntary efforts and rewarding our struggle for the truth… But Mr. Nestoros made my day: I would be all smiles, thinking that more remains of Turkish Cypriot `missing` would be returned to their relatives so they can all finally rest…
My heartfelt thanks go to my Greek Cypriot reader who showed us this place, shared what he knew and gave us a map… Thanks so much to my dear friend Christina for helping out… By the time this article is written they have already found the remains of three "missing persons" in the well that my reader has shown to us… We will see if there are more people buried in that well as the exhumations continue…
Once again humanity wins on this island, in Paralimni: There were those who did evil things but there are those who have human hearts and who do not remain silent – they pave the way for healing this wounded soil with their kindness and humanity…
I call my Greek Cypriot reader to inform him that they started finding the remains of the `missing` in the well he had shown us and thank him and when he understands who I am he says `Efharisto para para poli!` (Thank you sooo much!). I ask Christina to call him to thank him because maybe he did not understand who I was but no, he understood perfectly well who I was and he knows that remains are being found… He says to Christina `It is my obligation to say thank you because I had a heaviness in my heart because I was young and I saw what happened… And I didn't have the courage to come forward and talk about it… Now that they found them, I feel light in my heart and I feel happy… Thank you for helping to find them…`
31.1.2015
Photo: Together with the officials of the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee at the burial site in Paralimni...
(*) Article published in POLITIS newspaper on the 8th of February 2015 Sunday.
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