The unhappiness of Turkish Cypriots…

The unhappiness of Turkish Cypriots…

Sevgul Uludag

caramel_cy@yahoo.com

Tel: 99 966518

One of my good friends, Mine Yucel who is the owner of Prologue Consultancy, has been doing research about the Turkish Cypriots living in the northern part of Cyprus and one of her reports recently made headlines where she pointed out that Turkish Cypriots are in fact very unhappy… I want to share excerpts from her recent report called `Policy Recommendations for North Cyprus`… I am sharing this so that our readers have a perspective about how Turkish Cypriots are feeling… Here are some highlights from her report:
"… there is a group who believe that Turkish Cypriot identity is under threat. Departing from the conceptual framework we used to define identity as 'a tent which includes all individuals living on a common land', we discovered holes on the Turkish Cypriot identity tent resulted from unrecognition, past and recent traumas and also from not having confidence either on themselves or the institutions to the extent of unhappiness and social depression. Seeing these holes, this common tent now is not adequately covering everyone insomuch that the presence of the tent is now being questioned. Additionally, individuals living inside the tent are suffering from 'unhappiness' in their daily lives for not feeling they 'belong' there.
It is necessary to investigate this finding further and to put forth the reasons why. In Identity report, we referred to mistrust in institutions existing widespread in the country while in Human Rights and Crime reports we emphasized the legal gaps and/or inefficiency of existing regulations resulting from the lack of inspection and insufficient implementation. It is possible to speak of 'hypocrisy' of authorities on this land and also of an increasing gap between legality and 'legitimacy'. This increasing gap also gradually fuels the confusion of Turkish Cypriots about their 'identity'.
If Turkish Cypriot identity is defined as 'people living in this country', it would be expectable to observe pride, happiness and satisfaction of individuals for having such an identity. Individuals want to be proud of the social groups they feel they belong to…
There is an increasing 'distance between legality and legitimacy' in our country. This gradual increase results with new traumas among citizens and excludes them from the democratic structure.
'Gambling is prohibited for Turkish Cypriots…' 'It is illegal to live off prostitution…' 'Human trafficking is a crime and nobody committed to this crime in this country until today…' Individuals are stuck in the difference between these 'facts' and their own 'facts' they face every day. In this sense, 'hypocrisy' became a reality in the governance of the country as a fundamental factor of the identity crisis of Turkish Cypriots.
Human beings are social creatures who seek to be proud of and satisfied from 'belonging' to an identity/group/community. For Turkish Cypriots, there are less and less reasons to be 'proud' and 'satisfied' for living in the northern part of the island and having Turkish Cypriot identity. It is necessary to form a social model in order for individuals to reembrace their identity. Otherwise, it will be highly possible to observe a rise in social activities which aim 'individual satisfaction', a rapid social mobility in the way defined by consumption, differentiated interests and short-term satisfaction…
Additionally, there is a common belief that the decisions taken by the authorities do not prioritise 'democracy and social interest'. In order to re-establish this belief, it is necessary for elected authorities to govern the country with the principles of accountability and transparency. It is a common belief among Turkish Cypriots that these two fundamental components of democracy are lacking in the northern part of Cyprus.
Though violence is increasingly becoming a way of life in this country, individuals cannot perceive the circumstances of this country as a form of violence which signals a lack of consciousness also on this subject…
There is an apparent lack of democratic culture in the country. Citizens believe that their 'impact' on political system could be made through 'partisanship' in an environment where accountability and transparency in implementation practices are lacking, independence of judiciary system from the government is questionable and trust in legislative system is very low. Within such a system, it is possible to argue that, there is a lack of democratic culture and therefore "individual interests" override "social interests"…
We observed that the victims of human rights violations do not demand their rights either from the (authorities) or organizations and even when they do, they cannot timely or fully benefit from these rights due to either the slow pace of the legal process or the legal gaps. Moreover, those who appeal to relevant authorities regarding such violations encounter 'degrading', 're-victimising' treatment of the officials as a result of lack of consciousness in such institutions. Institutions such as the police, medical services, judiciary, social services and the media which are central to complaints about discrimination, violence, human trafficking, drug addiction etc., often 're-victimise' the victims as a result of not knowing their problems, needs and how to communicate with them…
There is a belief that organized crime is on the rise in the country. It can be argued that inefficiency of relevant institutions in tackling such crimes negatively influences the trust in institutions and also increases the visibility and the role of criminals who are members of crime organizations within the society. If organized crime is not prevented, members of the society will gradually feel less secure, committing a crime will become a 'norm' and therefore individual crimes will drastically increase…
Generally, public institutions are surrounded with the problems caused by bribe, corruption, lack of transparency and accountability. Similarly, within the context of the 'right to access information' there exist complaints of citizens who cannot obtain information from public institutions…
Human trafficking is not recognised as a crime in this country. However, there is a strong grounding to prove that this crime is being committed. The lack of required legal regulations and legal gaps within existing laws which allow the government to be indirectly involved in human trafficking and legitimise such activities found to be the most important issues in this subject…
Based on the studies carried out for a hundred years, Gallup Company prepared a 'well-being' book for a good quality of life. This book provides a prescription for personal happiness under 5 complementary titles: Career, Social, Financial, Physical and Societal Happiness.
When applied to Turkish Cypriots, the results of Gallup study are remarkable. Based on the concerns they voiced for each title, it can be argued that Turkish Cypriots need to create an environment in which primarily they feel happy in their individual lives and then in a society they feel they 'belong' to…
According to the studies we carried out, it was observed that Turkish Cypriots are trying to hold on to an identity and a sense of belonging which is constructed upon unrecognition. Such an identity structure is too fragile to hold the society together. Common values should be re-established.
Turkish Cypriots deem increasing crime rates as the most important problem of the society. This view gradually reduces the sense of security of the society and the level of trust in related institutions.
Clearly current economic structure is dysfunctional and soon public and private sectors will also become utterly dysfunctional. At this stage there is a necessity to plan a comprehensive economical development model. The economy of the country is based on sectors like college education, gambling and tourism; however, the infrastructure is not sufficient enough for these sectors. Besides the economic structure, education and health sectors are also impaired, as well as internal and external transportation and road safety issues all of which indicate the necessity for serious investment on country's infrastructure.
Turkish Cypriots are facing a sense of uncertainty and 'being in-between' caused by the deadlock of Cyprus issue. Through being at the central focus of country's agenda, Cyprus issue distracts attention from and therefore prevents the solution of all other problems present in the country. For a society of which expectations for the future are beclouded with uncertainty and hopelessness, it is inevitable to have low self-confidence level as well…
Departing from the problems presented above, it is clear that Turkish Cypriots are in need to start a social awakening movement to find solutions to these problems. This movement would start with the search of individuals, sectors, organizations and institutions for an answer to the question 'what type of society you want to live in?' through which they would determine their visions and aims for the society.
Turkish Cypriots require such a movement to fulfil their need for living in a society they feel 'proud to be a part of' again.
It is Turkish Cypriots who can establish such a movement. It can be suggested in this regard to form a committee/advisory board consisting of experts, professionals and people who know about the world order and to take steps towards and make reforms on points listed below.
1) Woman's role in society
The lack of consciousness amongst women should be dealt with in order for them to reach to that point. Raising awareness could be possible through creating an 'education and awareness package' country-wide which would provide education on several subjects such as sexuality, child care, social values, citizenship and human rights. In this awareness raising and empowerment movement, primarily Civil Society Organizations, Psychologists and the Media have crucial responsibilities.
2) Treating Past Traumas
It is necessary to initiate 'social therapy' studies in order to wash away past traumas and to treat social identity and happiness issues. In light of a model suggested by social psychology experts and with active contributions of civil society, a 'social treatment' process should be started.
3) Improving Economic Structure
North Cyprus is in need of a vision for both the solution of the Cyprus issue and also for a development model. It is necessary to carefully analyse, evaluate and if needed, re-regulate the socio-economical effects of university and gambling tourism on which the country's economy is based.
Current infrastructure regarding services/transportation/communications/education/health is insufficient to meet the requirements of the current population structure and thus requires improvement.
4) Happiness
A small country nearby India called Bhutan, based its development model on happiness. As to this model, the level of individual happiness is positively correlated with the level of development of the country. It is possible to consider such examples to define a similar development model for the northern part of Cyprus which is based on improving the level of individual happiness and quality of life.
5) Civil Society Organizations
Civil society organizations should be empowered and 'independent'. They should get rid of the 'just a sign organization' image, free themselves from 'fund addiction' and political party affiliations, establish their autonomous structures with the aim of working for society's benefit."
The report goes further to make policy recommendations on different areas… I thank Mine Yucel for sharing her report with us…

9.1.2016

Photo: Painting by Turkish Cypriot artist Nilgun Guney called "I love you…"

(*) Article published in POLITIS newspaper on the 31st of January 2016, Sunday.

The unhappiness of Turkish Cypriots…

Sevgul Uludag

caramel_cy@yahoo.com

Tel: 99 966518

One of my good friends, Mine Yucel who is the owner of Prologue Consultancy, has been doing research about the Turkish Cypriots living in the northern part of Cyprus and one of her reports recently made headlines where she pointed out that Turkish Cypriots are in fact very unhappy… I want to share excerpts from her recent report called `Policy Recommendations for North Cyprus`… I am sharing this so that our readers have a perspective about how Turkish Cypriots are feeling… Here are some highlights from her report:
"… there is a group who believe that Turkish Cypriot identity is under threat. Departing from the conceptual framework we used to define identity as 'a tent which includes all individuals living on a common land', we discovered holes on the Turkish Cypriot identity tent resulted from unrecognition, past and recent traumas and also from not having confidence either on themselves or the institutions to the extent of unhappiness and social depression. Seeing these holes, this common tent now is not adequately covering everyone insomuch that the presence of the tent is now being questioned. Additionally, individuals living inside the tent are suffering from 'unhappiness' in their daily lives for not feeling they 'belong' there.
It is necessary to investigate this finding further and to put forth the reasons why. In Identity report, we referred to mistrust in institutions existing widespread in the country while in Human Rights and Crime reports we emphasized the legal gaps and/or inefficiency of existing regulations resulting from the lack of inspection and insufficient implementation. It is possible to speak of 'hypocrisy' of authorities on this land and also of an increasing gap between legality and 'legitimacy'. This increasing gap also gradually fuels the confusion of Turkish Cypriots about their 'identity'.
If Turkish Cypriot identity is defined as 'people living in this country', it would be expectable to observe pride, happiness and satisfaction of individuals for having such an identity. Individuals want to be proud of the social groups they feel they belong to…
There is an increasing 'distance between legality and legitimacy' in our country. This gradual increase results with new traumas among citizens and excludes them from the democratic structure.
'Gambling is prohibited for Turkish Cypriots…' 'It is illegal to live off prostitution…' 'Human trafficking is a crime and nobody committed to this crime in this country until today…' Individuals are stuck in the difference between these 'facts' and their own 'facts' they face every day. In this sense, 'hypocrisy' became a reality in the governance of the country as a fundamental factor of the identity crisis of Turkish Cypriots.
Human beings are social creatures who seek to be proud of and satisfied from 'belonging' to an identity/group/community. For Turkish Cypriots, there are less and less reasons to be 'proud' and 'satisfied' for living in the northern part of the island and having Turkish Cypriot identity. It is necessary to form a social model in order for individuals to reembrace their identity. Otherwise, it will be highly possible to observe a rise in social activities which aim 'individual satisfaction', a rapid social mobility in the way defined by consumption, differentiated interests and short-term satisfaction…
Additionally, there is a common belief that the decisions taken by the authorities do not prioritise 'democracy and social interest'. In order to re-establish this belief, it is necessary for elected authorities to govern the country with the principles of accountability and transparency. It is a common belief among Turkish Cypriots that these two fundamental components of democracy are lacking in the northern part of Cyprus.
Though violence is increasingly becoming a way of life in this country, individuals cannot perceive the circumstances of this country as a form of violence which signals a lack of consciousness also on this subject…
There is an apparent lack of democratic culture in the country. Citizens believe that their 'impact' on political system could be made through 'partisanship' in an environment where accountability and transparency in implementation practices are lacking, independence of judiciary system from the government is questionable and trust in legislative system is very low. Within such a system, it is possible to argue that, there is a lack of democratic culture and therefore "individual interests" override "social interests"…
We observed that the victims of human rights violations do not demand their rights either from the (authorities) or organizations and even when they do, they cannot timely or fully benefit from these rights due to either the slow pace of the legal process or the legal gaps. Moreover, those who appeal to relevant authorities regarding such violations encounter 'degrading', 're-victimising' treatment of the officials as a result of lack of consciousness in such institutions. Institutions such as the police, medical services, judiciary, social services and the media which are central to complaints about discrimination, violence, human trafficking, drug addiction etc., often 're-victimise' the victims as a result of not knowing their problems, needs and how to communicate with them…
There is a belief that organized crime is on the rise in the country. It can be argued that inefficiency of relevant institutions in tackling such crimes negatively influences the trust in institutions and also increases the visibility and the role of criminals who are members of crime organizations within the society. If organized crime is not prevented, members of the society will gradually feel less secure, committing a crime will become a 'norm' and therefore individual crimes will drastically increase…
Generally, public institutions are surrounded with the problems caused by bribe, corruption, lack of transparency and accountability. Similarly, within the context of the 'right to access information' there exist complaints of citizens who cannot obtain information from public institutions…
Human trafficking is not recognised as a crime in this country. However, there is a strong grounding to prove that this crime is being committed. The lack of required legal regulations and legal gaps within existing laws which allow the government to be indirectly involved in human trafficking and legitimise such activities found to be the most important issues in this subject…
Based on the studies carried out for a hundred years, Gallup Company prepared a 'well-being' book for a good quality of life. This book provides a prescription for personal happiness under 5 complementary titles: Career, Social, Financial, Physical and Societal Happiness.
When applied to Turkish Cypriots, the results of Gallup study are remarkable. Based on the concerns they voiced for each title, it can be argued that Turkish Cypriots need to create an environment in which primarily they feel happy in their individual lives and then in a society they feel they 'belong' to…
According to the studies we carried out, it was observed that Turkish Cypriots are trying to hold on to an identity and a sense of belonging which is constructed upon unrecognition. Such an identity structure is too fragile to hold the society together. Common values should be re-established.
Turkish Cypriots deem increasing crime rates as the most important problem of the society. This view gradually reduces the sense of security of the society and the level of trust in related institutions.
Clearly current economic structure is dysfunctional and soon public and private sectors will also become utterly dysfunctional. At this stage there is a necessity to plan a comprehensive economical development model. The economy of the country is based on sectors like college education, gambling and tourism; however, the infrastructure is not sufficient enough for these sectors. Besides the economic structure, education and health sectors are also impaired, as well as internal and external transportation and road safety issues all of which indicate the necessity for serious investment on country's infrastructure.
Turkish Cypriots are facing a sense of uncertainty and 'being in-between' caused by the deadlock of Cyprus issue. Through being at the central focus of country's agenda, Cyprus issue distracts attention from and therefore prevents the solution of all other problems present in the country. For a society of which expectations for the future are beclouded with uncertainty and hopelessness, it is inevitable to have low self-confidence level as well…
Departing from the problems presented above, it is clear that Turkish Cypriots are in need to start a social awakening movement to find solutions to these problems. This movement would start with the search of individuals, sectors, organizations and institutions for an answer to the question 'what type of society you want to live in?' through which they would determine their visions and aims for the society.
Turkish Cypriots require such a movement to fulfil their need for living in a society they feel 'proud to be a part of' again.
It is Turkish Cypriots who can establish such a movement. It can be suggested in this regard to form a committee/advisory board consisting of experts, professionals and people who know about the world order and to take steps towards and make reforms on points listed below.
1) Woman's role in society
The lack of consciousness amongst women should be dealt with in order for them to reach to that point. Raising awareness could be possible through creating an 'education and awareness package' country-wide which would provide education on several subjects such as sexuality, child care, social values, citizenship and human rights. In this awareness raising and empowerment movement, primarily Civil Society Organizations, Psychologists and the Media have crucial responsibilities.
2) Treating Past Traumas
It is necessary to initiate 'social therapy' studies in order to wash away past traumas and to treat social identity and happiness issues. In light of a model suggested by social psychology experts and with active contributions of civil society, a 'social treatment' process should be started.
3) Improving Economic Structure
North Cyprus is in need of a vision for both the solution of the Cyprus issue and also for a development model. It is necessary to carefully analyse, evaluate and if needed, re-regulate the socio-economical effects of university and gambling tourism on which the country's economy is based.
Current infrastructure regarding services/transportation/communications/education/health is insufficient to meet the requirements of the current population structure and thus requires improvement.
4) Happiness
A small country nearby India called Bhutan, based its development model on happiness. As to this model, the level of individual happiness is positively correlated with the level of development of the country. It is possible to consider such examples to define a similar development model for the northern part of Cyprus which is based on improving the level of individual happiness and quality of life.
5) Civil Society Organizations
Civil society organizations should be empowered and 'independent'. They should get rid of the 'just a sign organization' image, free themselves from 'fund addiction' and political party affiliations, establish their autonomous structures with the aim of working for society's benefit."
The report goes further to make policy recommendations on different areas… I thank Mine Yucel for sharing her report with us…

9.1.2016

Photo: Painting by Turkish Cypriot artist Nilgun Guney called "I love you…"

(*) Article published in POLITIS newspaper on the 31st of January 2016, Sunday.

A traditional sideboard (“Seyfol”) waiting for peace…

A traditional sideboard ("Seyfol") waiting for peace…

Sevgul Uludag

caramel_cy@yahoo.com

Tel: 99 966518

It is elegant, the traditional sideboard called `Seyfol` in Turkish… It is in Trikomo, in a house, waiting for peace…
I read the story from the article of Canan Sumer who writes in Afrika newspaper… I speak with Semen Yonsel Saygun who is the leader of KTOS, the Turkish Cypriot Teachers' Trade Union… It is her parents who have this `seyfol` and I learn the details of the story…
Canan Sumer, in her article of 30th November 2015, writes:
`They used to live in a house that smelled of the sea before 1974 in Larnaka… They were a happy family with two children…
The father, Yuksel Dervish Ali had been an auxiliary police with the British for some time and then he had begun working at the Cyprus Petroleum Refinery… Throughout his life he would be a `demirci` (ironworks) as well as doing many other jobs… He would be one of the first workers at the `Industrial Holdings` (formed after 1974 in the northern part of Cyprus, consisting of various factories left behind by Greek Cypriots – S.U.) but due to his character of being in opposition, he would be the first to be thrown out of these holdings that had become a `farm` for the ruling National Unity Party UBP at that time… He would emigrate to England with his family, trying to make a living there for some time…
On the 21st of July 1974, he had been taken as a prisoner of war by Greek and Greek Cypriot soldiers.
`They would take the men at the Trabi gymnasium and the women and kids to the Cennet Cinema. We did not know what would happen to us. A day after they would send the women and children to their homes. After being held as prisoners for 65 days, we would cross to the northern part of the island under UN supervision…`
A little while later the whole family would be reunified in the northern part. They would go to the village they are told they would be settled. This would be Trikomo, the village of Grivas, the founder of EOKA.
Mr. Yuksel and his family would settle in an empty Greek Cypriot house.
I was a guest in that house over the weekend…
I was so much impressed from the warmth and sincerity of this family…
We ate kebabs made by Mr. Yuksel among the whispers of the olive trees and the smells of sardinias in the garden.
Among the smoke of the kebab, there was a sun brick house with old wooden door and windows that looked worn out – it looked like a secondary house in the garden and it was as though it was waiting for me to ask about it…
"We lived together for a long time here, with an old Greek Cypriot couple who had not left their house. We shared the same garden. Their names were Stavros and Maria… Stavros was a very quiet, nice gentleman. His wife Maria was afraid of Turks and would not come close. We would chatter in Greek with Stavros quite often. He would tell me of the old times of his village… I would tell him about our old days in Larnaka… The panayiris, the music concerts and even the sea had a different beauty in Larnaka. Our friendly chats must have attracted the attention of one of the Turkish officers that one day as we were chatting in the garden, he would approach me with some rage and said, `What the hell are you talking with him?!` reprising me… And I would say, `I am just poking around to see if he is hiding some guns, commander!` in order to send this Turkish officer away…` explains Mr. Yuksel and we all laugh!
The same officer would sometimes come to Stavros and said to him, `I might kill you and bury you here!`
The chicken that Mr. Stavros had would be often painted to white and red by some Turks around them.
`They were doing this in order to make them uncomfortable so that they would leave… They were not trying to harm them…` Mr. Yuksel explains.
His daughter Semen asks her father, `What about that Turk who had raped that old Greek Cypriot woman?`
Mr. Yuksel in a far and sad voice says, `She had been an old, nervous woman. She was alone who had no one around her… It was a sad affair… I wish such things never happened.`
Semen says, `This was perhaps one of my worst memories, the cries of that woman who had been raped, the policemen coming…`
One day Stavros and his wife would take a few pieces of clothing with them and would go under UN supervision to cross to the southern part of the island…
But something would go wrong so they would not be able to cross and would come back to their village… Until they would be back, those around their village would loot their house, taking all of their furniture…
When the old woman would come and see her house completely empty, she would feel very bad and would start crying… All those who took their furniture, seeing her like that, would bring back all that they had taken…
`Maybe they were ashamed of themselves` I say out loud and the wife of Mr. Yuksel, Ms. Ozgul says, `What shame? In those days there was no shame or anything! There was no humanity left!`
Since they had no peace of mind, Stavros and his wife would decide to go to the southern part. And while they were leaving, they would give to Ms. Ozgul a `Seyfol` (sideboard) as a safekeeping and saying `Let this stay with you, if there is an agreement and our daughter or our angoni come here, you may give it to them…`
And they would leave, never to return to their village…
We eat the `galobureki` made by Ms. Ozgul for us and I think about this sideboard…
And I feel that the motifs of bird over the `seyfol` are singing, waiting for the angoni of Stavros and Maria… Just as I am waiting for peace, without losing heart…`
I call Semen after I read this article and she tells me that in fact, after the checkpoints opened in 2003, the daughter and the angoni had gone to Trikomo to their house and had seen the sideboard. That they live in Larnaka… That Stavros and Maria have both passed away…
One of the angoni would ask Semen's father to sell them the sideboard…
Mr. Yuksel, the father of Semen would say, `What sale? It is yours! Take it please, it is yours already…`
They would promise to come back and take it after a solution in Cyprus and they would leave…
They would also say to Semen's family that both Stavros and Maria was speaking of them fondly…
The sideboard remains in the house in Trikomo, waiting for peace to come… Like so many of us…

26.12.2015

Photo: The sideboard (seyfol) that belonged to Maria and Stavros from Trikomo...

(*) Article published in POLITIS newspaper on the 24th January, 2016 – Sunday.

A young boy of 18 from Lythrodontas…

A young boy of 18 from Lythrodontas…

Sevgul Uludag

caramel_cy@yahoo.com

Tel: 99 966518

I had first written in 2007 about a young Greek Cypriot soldier who had gone to Kampilli and kept there for some days as a prisoner of war and then killed and buried somewhere in the village… My Turkish Cypriot readers would continue to share their information and I would publish more details about this young man in 2008 – that he had gone to the village not knowing that it was a Turkish Cypriot village and was taken as a prisoner of war and then killed and buried in a well… My readers had provided the name of the owner of the house where the well was and they were insistent that if there was digging by the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee, his remains would be found in the well…
My readers would continue to call and tell me about this young man so I would publish more details about this `missing` Greek Cypriot back in 2011… In April 2011, I would publish one of my reader's stories on the `missing` Greek Cypriot in Kampilli… He would share the following information:
`A `missing` Greek Cypriot is buried in Kampilli… This Greek Cypriot had come to the village during the bombing of the Turkish planes of Kontemenos and Asomatos… He was barely 18 or 19 years old… When he was asked why he had come to a Turkish Cypriot village, it would be clear that he did not know this area at all… They would put him in a house and would stay there for a day or so… Then the Greek Cypriots started bombing Kampilli from Myrtou and some of the leaders of the village got afraid and said, `What if the Greek Cypriots come to our village and see that we are keeping a Greek Cypriot as a prisoner of war` and they shot him. They buried him in a well… I can describe and also show you the exact location of this well… They would demolish the well over him…`
I was sharing this information with the officials of the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee since 2008 and in June 2011 I would go with them to show them the exact location of this well. We would go together with Xenophon Kallis, Murat Soysal and Okan Oktay from the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee to the village and thanks to the insistence and the information provided by my readers, we would find the well, as well as the house where he had been kept, this `missing` Greek Cypriot. One of my woman readers would offer us coffee and would assure us that `he is still there if you dig – no one has ever touched that well since he had been buried there…`
After about two years from the time I had shown the well to the CMP, exhumations would begin in 2013 and the remains of this `missing` Greek Cypriot young man would be found in the well, just as my readers had described to us… I would help the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee to get the necessary consent from the family from Kampilli who owned the well… From 2007 when we began searching for information about him, finally digging would begin after six years and his remains would be found in the well that we showed… I would stand next to the well watching the exhumations and feel relieved that finally he would reach his family, if you can call this a sort of `consolation`… Because they had sent him alive but now he would return to his loved ones in a small coffin to be buried which is a tragedy – a tragedy shared by both communities… Still I would have no idea about who he is and would wonder whether I would find out who he had been and whether I would ever be able to meet his family…
Two years would go by and then one day I would find out the identity of this `missing` Greek Cypriot… It was Panayiotis Karaolis from Lythrodontas and he had only been 18 years old… I would find out with the help of a relative of a Greek Cypriot `missing person` who would share with me the announcement of the funeral of Panayiotis Karaolis.
He would be buried at Lythrodontas on the 29th of November 2015 but because his family has no idea what sort of effort my readers has shown and how insistent they had been about opening up the well, I would not be able to go to his funeral. I would never go to the funeral of a `missing` Greek Cypriot if I am not invited by the family… But I would share the information about his funeral with my readers and would also print some photographs from his funeral that Katerina Antona had shared on her wonderful Facebook page on `missing` Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots from 1963 and 1974… And I would thank all my readers who had helped to find his remains and let them know who this young boy was… Some had thought he had been from Psimolofou village, some had thought he was from Lakatamia, some had thought he was from Paphos but finally we know he was from Lythrodontas…
Perhaps one day I would have the opportunity to go and visit his village and lay some flowers on his grave – that is if his relatives does not oppose such a visit… I would share the pain of their loss – such a young boy, another victim like all the victims of the bloody wars that have been waged on this island…
Another life cut so short – he did not have time to even finish his growing up and becoming an adult – he could not embrace life because death would embrace him and he would be killed in cold blood – an execution like so many others that took place on this island… May he rest in peace now…
I want to end this article with some wise words from Dalai Lama… Dalai Lama, recently wrote an article called `The Reality of War` and he said:
"Of course, war and the large military establishments are the greatest sources of violence in the world. Whether their purpose is defensive or offensive, these vast powerful organizations exist solely to kill human beings. We should think carefully about the reality of war. Most of us have been conditioned to regard military combat as exciting and glamorous – an opportunity for men to prove their competence and courage. Since armies are legal, we feel that war is acceptable; in general, nobody feels that war is criminal or that accepting it is criminal attitude. In fact, we have been brainwashed. War is neither glamorous nor attractive. It is monstrous. Its very nature is one of tragedy and suffering.
War is like a fire in the human community, one whose fuel is living beings. I find this analogy especially appropriate and useful. Modern warfare waged primarily with different forms of fire, but we are so conditioned to see it as thrilling that we talk about this or that marvellous weapon as a remarkable piece of technology without remembering that, if it is actually used, it will burn living people. War also strongly resembles a fire in the way it spreads. If one area gets weak, the commanding officer sends in reinforcements. This is throwing live people onto a fire. But because we have been brainwashed to think this way, we do not consider the suffering of individual soldiers. No soldiers want to be wounded or die. None of his loved ones wants any harm to come to him. If one soldier is killed, or maimed for life, at least another five or ten people – his relatives and friends – suffer as well. We should all be horrified by the extent of this tragedy, but we are too confused.
Frankly as a child, I too was attracted to the military. Their uniform looked so smart and beautiful. But that is exactly how the seduction begins. Children start playing games that will one day lead them in trouble. There are plenty of exciting games to play and costumes to wear other than those based on the killing of human beings. Again, if we as adults were not so fascinated by war, we would clearly see that to allow our children to become habituated to war games is extremely unfortunate. Some former soldiers have told me that when they shot their first person they felt uncomfortable but as they continued to kill it began to feel quite normal. In time, we can get used to anything.
It is not only during times of war that military establishments are destructive. By their very design, they were the single greatest violators of human rights, and it is the soldiers themselves who suffer most consistently from their abuse. After the officer in charge have given beautiful explanations about the importance of the army, its discipline and the need to conquer the enemy, the rights of the great mass of soldiers are most entirely taken away. They are then compelled to forfeit their individual will, and, in the end, to sacrifice their lives. Moreover, once an army has become a powerful force, there is every risk that it will destroy the happiness of its own country.
There are people with destructive intentions in every society, and the temptation to gain command over an organisation capable of fulfilling their desires can become overwhelming. But no matter how malevolent or evil are the many murderous dictators who can currently oppress their nations and cause international problems, it is obvious that they cannot harm others or destroy countless human lives if they don't have a military organisation accepted and condoned by society. As long as there are powerful armies there will always be danger of dictatorship. If we really believe dictatorship to be a despicable and destructive form of government, then we must recognize that the existence of a powerful military establishment is one of its main causes.
Militarism is also very expensive. Pursuing peace through military strength places a tremendously wasteful burden on society. Governments spend vast sums on increasingly intricate weapons when, in fact, nobody really wants to use them. Not only money but also valuable energy and human intelligence are squandered, while all that increases is fear.
I want to make it clear, however, that although I am deeply opposed to war, I am not advocating appeasement. It is often necessary to take a strong stand to counter unjust aggression. For instance, it is plain to all of us that the Second World War was entirely justified. It "saved civilization" from the tyranny of Nazi Germany, as Winston Churchill so aptly put it. War is violence and violence is unpredictable. Therefore, it is better to avoid it if possible, and never to presume that we know beforehand whether the outcome of a particular war will be beneficial or not.
For instance, in the case of the Cold War, through deterrence may have helped promote stability, it did not create genuine peace. The last forty years in Europe have seen merely the absence of war, which has not been real peace but a facsimile founded dear. At best, building arms to maintain peace serves only as a temporary measure. As long as adversaries do not trust each other, any number of factors can upset the balance of power. Lasting peace can assure secured only on the basis of genuine trust."

19.12.2015

Photo: The funeral of Panagiotis Karaolis…

(*) Article published in the POLITIS newspaper on the 17th of January 2016, Sunday.

A `missing` cigarette distributor in Cyprus: George Bernard Gibbins…

A `missing` cigarette distributor in Cyprus: George Bernard Gibbins…

Sevgul Uludag

caramel_cy@yahoo.com

Tel: 99 966518

On October 18th, 2015, I receive an e-mail from a close relative of a British `missing` person which is like a `miracle` for me… George Bernard Gibbins had been taken from Knodhara village – a small village in Mesaoria – on the 22nd of April 1964 by some Turkish Cypriots and killed and has been `missing` since then… I had done a lot of research about George Bernard Gibbins back in 2006 and had published my findings… I had found information from my Turkish Cypriot readers, as well as a British reader David Carter (who passed away some years ago)…
Gibbins was a `missing` person who used to distribute cigarettes for the `Ardath` company who went `missing` in 1964… I had even found a possible burial site around Goufez-Knodhara road, a well in which one of my readers had claimed he had been buried and had shown this possible burial site to the officials of the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee in 2011. George Bernard Gibbins had been 32 years old when he had gone `missing` - he was married to Penelope and was distributing cigarettes. He had been going in and out of `ghettos` of Turkish Cypriots, distributing cigarettes and every fifteen days, he would go to Knodhara, where eventually he would go `missing`. Knodhara was a pure Turkish Cypriot village which is close to Chatoz. He was killed in Knodhara and the money on him, the cheques, as well as cigarettes worth 700 Cypriot pounds were taken by those who killed him. His car was found abandoned around Yenaghra village. Soon after he had gone `missing` the Ministry of Interior had asked for information about his whereabouts and had offered a thousand Cypriot pounds as reward money. His wife Penelope – they had only been married for 17 months – had gone on RIK radio and TV to publish a message asking for the release of her husband. According to David Carter (may he rest in peace), the brother of Gibbins, the 41 year old Edward would come to the island and do his own investigations. After some time, Major Macey who had been the liaison officer between the UN and the Turkish Cypriot leader Dr. Kuchuk would go `missing` and so would his driver Platt… They would go `missing` around Agios Theodoros when they were trying to come from Karpaz area to Nicosia…
According to my readers from Knodhara, after Gibbins was killed, his money and the cheques he had were taken by those who killed him and they even went to the Turkish Ish Bank in Nicosia to cash the checks! Major Macey would start searching for information about the `missing` Gibbins and he would check the cigarette boxes sold in the Turkish Cypriot enclaves with their serial numbers to see what he would find. Major Macey and his driver Platt would go `missing in June 1964…
In her e-mail of October 18, 2015, Amelia Gibbins-McBride says:
"Dear Sevgul,
I hope this is you, if not then I am sorry for bothering you.
I noticed you wrote an article, last year I think it was, about Major Macey and George Bernard Gibbins.
George was my Grandpas brother, and in your article one of the men said he was buried in the place you wrote about. I was just wondering if you could tell me where that was? It's a mystery to us all what happened to him and my Grandpa spent years trying to find out. Unfortunately, he passed away last November, so if there's anything you could tell me I would greatly appreciate it.
Regards,
Amelia Gibbins-McBride"
I immediately write back to her and say:
"Dear Amelia
Thanks so much for writing to me! This is like a miracle...
I have done so much investigation about your grandfather's brother but never had the chance to contact anyone from the family since I did not know how...
I did investigations about him years ago and wrote about him years ago...
We also went with the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee officials where a reader showed us an area where in a well, he claimed was buried your grandfather's brother... This well's exact place we do not know but we know the area...
Perhaps the problem is this - that he is not `officially` on the `missing persons' list` in Cyprus - currently the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee is only doing excavations and exhumations of those on the list - Turkish Cypriot, Greek Cypriot and Greek `missing persons`. As far as I know, there is no British `missing person` on this official list. (Neither Gibbins, nor Major Macey and his driver Platt have ever been put on the official "missing persons" list in Cyprus by the British officials as far as I know. S.U.)
What does this mean? It means that even if they would find his remains `accidentally`, he would not be identified through DNA since his family as far as I know, has not given DNA...
But if you are willing and ready to work on this, we can speak about it and see how we can go about it for at least the family members - those who are close family - can provide DNA and make an official application etc. I have some ideas if you would like to speak about it...
The essence of the story, that I have found out, has two aspects - he was killed and the money and the cheques he carried and the cigarettes were taken.
The more `political` implication of the killing I suspect and I heard rumours is that at that time, while Turkish Cypriots were gathering in `ghettos` due to the intercommunal fighting that began in December 1963, the distribution of cigarettes to these `ghettos` (`pure` Turkish Cypriot villages where no Greek Cypriot or foreigner could enter) was done by your grandfather's brother and the ruling elite at that time wanted to give this `distribution` to a Turkish Cypriot. I do not know if your grandfather's brother, Gibbins was the only distributor to these areas but I know for sure that he was one... So eventually the distribution job went to a Turkish Cypriot after Gibbins was killed.
He was killed as far as I could gather around Knodhara and buried in a well outside Khonadra-Goufez road... I have a reader who has shown us the area where the well might be, his possible burial site... There are a few wells in that area but we can work to narrow down to which well he might have been buried in...
Again I thank you so much for contacting me and I would appreciate if you have any photos of him or any details of his life - we know nothing of him - where he was born, how many brothers, why he was in Cyprus and so on... What did your grandfather do to find him and what happened to the wife of Gibbins, did they have any children - as far as I know they did not have any children - and so on...
Last but not least let me express my sorrow and share the pain of your family for his disappearance like that... He was an innocent person, like so many, who went `missing` and after half a century we are still looking for their remains...
Many regards from Cyprus,
Sevgul Uludag
Investigative Journalist"
Amelia Gibbins-McBride writes back to me and says:
"Dear Sevgul,
Thank you for your reply, I'm happy to have found someone who knows a little more about what happened to Bernard.
Unfortunately, I can't tell you what happened to his wife, after Bernard's disappearance she cut herself off from the family, nobody heard from her after. So we assume that she started a new life and remarried. Although I did hear that she may have been pregnant at the time of his disappearance, but I'm not completely sure this is true.
I think I would like to take things further with this, I feel that as a family we should know what happened to him. I just don't know where to start.
It's very strange to me that he isn't on the missing persons list, I don't understand why that would be. If you think you could be of help in this, I would appreciate it.
Regards,
Amelia."
Then I write back to her and say:
"Dear Amelia
What I recommend is this:
You can write a letter to the British High Commission in Cyprus and ask them to bring the case of your "missing" relative to the attention of the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee.
You may say in this letter that as an investigative journalist, I have investigated the disappearance of George Bernard Gibbins and even found some information about his POSSIBLE burial site and have shown this to the officials of the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee. I am available to help in any way I can to both the British Embassy in Cyprus and to the CMP, voluntarily, as a humanitarian task.
I will write something on my page about the whole thing so that we can put it on record that the family of Gibbins is searching for information and the burial site.
I know someone who works at the embassy (British High Commission in Cyprus) and her e-mail is:
……..
You can write to her and copy me as well and you may tell her that you got her mail from me - she can then send your letter to the appropriate person - whoever that might be - at the British Embassy in Cyprus.
I hope that we can get some results like that...
You would also need to give DNA - yourself or the close relatives who are alive - so that if there is digging and if the remains are found, they can be matched.
Again thanks so much and I look forward to hearing from you...
Regards,
Sevgul Uludag."
After some time, I receive an e-mail from one of the officials of the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee, asking me if I would go to an informal meeting with an official from the British High Commissioner about `missing` Gibbins. I tell him I would of course any time and that I am ready to help voluntarily…
This means that Amelia Gibbins-McBride has in fact written to the British High Commission in Cyprus and that they have contacted the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee about the case of `missing` George Bernard Gibbins…
Then the CMP official writes to me and informs me that the person whom we are supposed to meet is out of the country and when he gets back to Cyprus we would arrange this meeting.
I look forward to that meeting and see if we can in any way help Amelia in her search for her `missing` relative…

12.12.2015

Photo: The mandra where there are some wells...

(*) Article published in the POLITIS newspaper on the 10th of January 2016, Sunday.

From Parissinos to Mia Milia…

From Parissinos to Mia Milia…

Sevgul Uludag

caramel_cy@yahoo.com

Tel: 00 357 99 966518
00 90 542 853 8436

It is after the presentation I make about `missing persons` a few weeks ago at the Home for Cooperation that a young man comes to speak to me, as soon as my speech is over…
`We live in Parissinos` he explains to me… `The place where some Turkish Cypriot `missing persons` were found in two wells… My grandmother is very old now and she can't remember much but when she had been healthy, she used to tell us about the events of 1963-64 in this area… In those days some Greek Cypriots who took some Turkish Cypriots and killed and buried them there would be boasting about this. So much so that once, my grandmother would throw her coffee cup at one of them when they were drinking coffee in a neighbour's house and this guy was boasting how he had killed some Turkish Cypriots there…
According to my grandmother, Turkish Cypriots were not only buried in those two wells where remains were found but that there were also other places where they were buried and that a house was built over them… In the same area I mean… Maybe if you do some more research, you can find out more about other burial sites in Parissinos…`
I thank this young man for what he has shared with us… In fact, there has been many insistent calls from my readers that there must be more burial sites at Parissinos. Some of my readers pointed out a particular house where there had been burials of some `missing` Turkish Cypriots and that this house was built over them… Yet another reader had told us of the story of some executions that he witnessed by coincidence and he showed us the place – I had arranged for the officials of the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee to come and meet him on the spot and he showed them the area… He had gone to eat some oranges in an orange garden in this area with his friends from school – he had been a student and they had skipped school or left school to go to this orange grove when they all witnessed the killing of some Turkish Cypriots by some Greek Cypriots just outside the orange grove and they were all shocked. He believed that two Turkish Cypriots killed that day in 1964 might have been buried in a well at that point but he was not hundred per cent sure. Had they been buried in a well there or had they been carried to be buried in the two wells that later, CMP would find the remains of the `missing` Turkish Cypriots? In two wells, the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee had found the remains of a total of 11 `missing` Turkish Cypriots. There have been no excavations in the place we showed with this reader perhaps because there was no further information found whether there had been an actual burial or whether it was the place for execution… I call on my readers to help if they know anything further concerning the Parissinos area… You can call me with or without your name on my CYTA mobile: 99 966518 to share what you know…
Another reader calls me about Mia Milia, a Turkish Cypriot reader who met an old man recently…
`See, I met this old man` he explains to me, giving his name and the place where I can find him…
`If you can find someone to convince him to talk to you, it would be good because as I understand from the things he told me, he knows of a possible burial site in Mia Milia… As I understand they used to call this place `The garden with pears`… There had been fighting in 1974 in this area and this old man was there and he told me that they had buried the dead bodies at `The Garden with Pears`… As I understand, this garden of pears is now within the military zone in Mia Milia… If you manage to speak with him, perhaps he can give you more details…`
I thank this reader and start investigating… I find out that this place might be an area – gardens – that might have belonged to a Greek Cypriot called A. Theoharides but I am not hundred per cent sure if it is the same area that the old man is talking about… I will try to visit the old man and see if he will speak with me… Meanwhile, if you know of anything about `The Garden with Pears` please call me with or without your name on my CYTA mobile: 99 966518 to share what you know…
Another reader writes me a note about the Morphou area…
`Dear Sevgul, I wanted to tell you something for a long time… I was a teacher in 1985 in the village ….. and our headmaster was Mr. ……. He is alive now and lives in the village ……
One day as we were speaking this man started crying and telling me something about 1974 war… During the war, he had been a guide to the Turkish soldiers. At an orange grove in Morphou they had seen a Greek Cypriot child, around 12 years old and the child was so frightened… He was crying… As soon as the child turned his back, some soldiers had shot him from behind, killing him. I don't know how true this story is but the guy who told me was crying when he was telling me these… Since he is alive and living in the village ….., perhaps you can go and speak with him… And ask him…`
I thank this reader from my heart for sharing this and will start investigating to see if there is a Greek Cypriot boy `missing` during that time in 1974 from the Morphou area… If you know of such a tragic incident please call me on my CYTA mobile, with or without your name to tell me about it. My number is 99 966518.
And there is of course always more work to be done… As I sit at Alfamega for lunch with my husband, one of his very old friends comes and finds us… We finish lunch and sit down to speak with him…
`While they were building the Ercan Airport at Timbou` he says, `where there were the makeshift buildings in the beginning, I heard that there, they had found 5-6 Greek Cypriots buried and then removed the remains… One of my friends was working there and he was a witness to this…`
Perhaps we can convince him to convince his friend to speak to us…
I thank all my readers for the information they share with me – in this way we can continue our investigations to find out the truth and the fate of `missing persons`…
Information is everywhere – it all depends whether you want to find out, whether you go after it or not… And what my readers tell me is priceless – very valuable clues to follow… They relate what they know, they tell me what they heard – it comes from their hearts and they do it because they are human and they want to help in this humanitarian effort voluntarily that we are all involved in… There aren't enough words to thank them…

5.12.2015

Photo: At Parisinos where one of our readers had shown us the execution ground...

(*) Article published in POLITIS newspaper on the 3rd of January 2016, Sunday.