Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 00-08-15

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cyprus-mail.com/>

Tuesday, August 15, 2000

CONTENTS

[01] Ayia Napa streaker

[02] Market gains More strength

[03] 26 years on from Attila II

[04] Gore pledges US commitment to Cyprus talks

[05] Seven arrested after showing up for banned rave

[06] Cinema fighting to show banned movie

[07] Veterinary department to take cat woman to court

[01] Ayia Napa streaker

The incident comes at a time when the resort is earning itself an unwanted reputation as a ‘den of sin’.

Police told Famagusta District court that 20-year-old Londoner Danny Chapman paraded down Tefkrou Anthia Street with nothing on, "deliberately flaunting his genitals".

The court also heard that Chapman tried to bribe the policeman who stopped his display, asking him how much money he wanted to let him run free.

The streaker was arrested at around 4.15 am yesterday and was brought up before the court, which convenes in Larnaca, later the same morning.

He was charged with indecent exposure, disturbing the peace and resisting arrest.

The shame-faced culprit told the court he was sorry for what he had done, and had "learnt his lesson" and would not do the same again.

Judge George Stylianides reprimanded Chapman for his failure "to respect the hospitality of the Cypriot people" and lack of respect in general.

The Londoner was ordered to pay an £80 fine and released.

Ayia Napa has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons recently, with newspaper and television reports painting a picture of depraved young holidaymakers – mostly British – using the resort to indulge in drunken violence, drug taking and wild and public sex games. The government has been keen to dismiss incidents of this nature as isolated, but local residents are not convinced.

Every summer, the Famagusta District court deals with a steady stream of young Ayia Napa holidaymakers charged with drug abuse and public order offences.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 2000

Tuesday, August 15, 2000

[02] Market gains More strength

The stock market yesterday enjoyed its most buoyant day for a whole month, despite the holiday lull which kept transactions low.

The all-share index rose by 3.03 per cent to close at 393.09 points – 11.57 points higher than Friday’s close. The all-share index is still uncomfortably close to the year-low mark of 363.69 and out of sight of the year high of 699.07.

"It was the biggest jump this month," an analyst observed, noting that the market was now "coming out of a downward spiral and consolidating."

The volume of transactions reached a modest £14,045,367 yesterday. "The volume (of transactions) is still fairly low but that is because there aren’t many people about," the analyst said.

The market hit a record low volume of transactions last week, at just over £12 million. Yesterday’s fourteen million in transactions is still a far cry from the 80-odd million routinely changing hands when the market was on a massive high last year, but analysts see reasons to be confident.

"The market is a bit bullish now, it is on a buying streak," one analyst told the Cyprus Mail.

Though still well below the 400-point support level, observers now expect the burse to recover enough to reach that point soon, and to stick around there.

"We will see it go to 400 points and stay in that region," the analyst said.

Yesterday saw a bit of a run on ‘blue-chip’ stocks like bank shares and shares in Louis Cruise Lines.

Investor confidence has been hard hit by the market’s performance this year. The burse has lost more than 50 per cent of its value since January following a 688 per cent increase last year.

But government moves to boost the market and the rumoured intervention of the "big players" – institutional investors – have gone some way towards improving the climate in recent days.

Finance Minister Takis Klerides announced on Thursday that institutional investors would be prodded to support the market, the method of calculating the all-share index would be changed and moneys from the state social insurance fund would be sunk into the market.

All sectors were up yesterday, with the trading companies sector, which gained some 7.19 per cent, doing best of all.

Tourism companies also did very well, growing about 6.22 per cent.

Insurance companies were up 5.62 per cent.

Other companies were up by 4.07 per cent, approved investment companies gained 3.27 per cent, banks were up by 1.86 per cent and manufacturing companies by 1.53 per cent.

Most transactions were concentrated in the other companies sector, which attracted a massive £6,602,076.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail

Tuesday, August 15, 2000

[03] 26 years on from Attila II

IT WAS 26 years ago yesterday that Turkish troops began their second offensive, codenamed Attila II, to finish what had begun on July 20 with the invasion of the island.

From dawn, on August 14, Turkish fighters flew continuous sorties over Cyprus, attacking positions in Nicosia and Famagusta.

Tanks headed south from Kyrenia, captured Mia Milia, and Kythrea, north- east of Nicosia.

Under the cover of ceaseless air attacks, artillery shelling, and naval bombardment, the Turks moved their forces east and west in an attempt to cut off the northern third of the island.

By midday, National Guard forces were retreating towards the capital and eastwards to Famagusta.

Heavy fighting was reported around Nicosia airport where a handful of Greek troops fought against the Turkish tanks. As armoured units massed on the eastern side of the capital, ready to push on to Famagusta, the island’s main port, Turkish jets bombed Greek Cypriot strongholds in the city and blew up a series of industrial complexes on the road out of Nicosia, setting fire to homes and factories over a stretch of four to five miles.

In Famagusta there was fierce exchanges between the National Guard and advancing Turkish troops. Throughout the morning, bombing raids left buildings ablaze, and huge plums of black smoke billowed into the sky.

Cars packed with refugees and laden with mattresses and suitcases strapped to their roofs streamed out of the city. The safest direction to run was the British base in Dhekelia, but many took to the Nicosia road, unaware that Turkish tanks were heading towards them from Nicosia.

The offensive lasted just three days. By the evening of August 16, when Ankara declared a ceasefire, Turkish troops controlled all of northern Cyprus, from Morphou bay in the northwest, to Famagusta in the south-east.

The fighting uprooted 200,000 Greek Cypriots, who were forced to flee south of the Turkish lines.

Yesterday, political parties collectively condemned the "second phase" of the invasion.

Twenty-six years on, there is little optimism for a solution to the Cyprus issue, despite ongoing United Nations sponsored ‘proximity’ talks.

The latest phase of talks ended in Geneva last month with no progress reported. They are scheduled to resume in New York in September, but few expect substantive progress in the short-term.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail

Tuesday, August 15, 2000

[04] Gore pledges US commitment to Cyprus talks

Replying to a questionnaire on Greco-Turkish relations out to him by the by the American Hellenic Institute on the eve of the Democratic National Convention due to endorse his nomination, Gore said the administration was working hard to "build on the hopeful developments between Greece and Turkey to make progress in the Aegean and on Cyprus."

Expressing support for the current UN brokered talks, Gore said he remained "deeply engaged," adding that, "as president, I will work to redouble our efforts to find a peaceful resolution to these and other territorial disputes in accordance with international law."

"I am fully committed to this process and to reaching a just and lasting solution to the Cyprus dispute which permits all Cypriots to live in security," Gore said.

Three rounds of proximity talks to find a solution to the Cyprus issue have already been held since last December.

A fourth round is expected to begin on September 12 in New York.

"Tensions on Cyprus, Greco-Turkish disagreement in the Aegean, and Turkey’s relationship with the European Union have serious implications for regional stability and the evolution of European political and security structures," Gore said.

"Our goal should be to stabilise the region by reducing long-standing Greek- Turkish tensions and pursuing a comprehensive settlement on Cyprus," he added.

Meanwhile, the Clinton administration believes the work towards a resolution of tensions between the two communities in Cyprus should continue, the Cyprus News Agency reported yesterday.

Quoting a paragraph in the Democratic Party platform, CNA said that Washington also worked hard to calm dangerous situations between Greece and Turkey.

"We have worked hard and successfully to calm dangerous tensions between our allies Greece and Turkey over issues of sovereignty in the Aegean and we have never ceased our efforts to facilitate a resolution of tensions between the Greek and Turkish communities on Cyprus," the paragraph said.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail

Tuesday, August 15, 2000

[05] Seven arrested after showing up for banned rave

SBA Police arrested seven rave trippers on Saturday night for possession of cannabis on Ladies Mile Beach.

The arrests came after SBA police had banned the Saturday-night rave organised by Face Zero because no permit had been applied for.

Police checked 100 vehicles parked at the beach between 8.30pm and 3am. Only 30 trippers are thought to have arrived for the illegal party. They were all turned away without incident. The other visitors were families enjoying evening barbecues on the beach.

The seven arrested had all journeyed down from Nicosia. They included three Cypriots, two Yugoslavs and two Bulgarians – one of whom was an illegal immigrant.

The illegal immigrant was handed over to Cyprus Police who passed him on to the Immigration Department. He was deported yesterday.

SBA Police met their objective in keeping the Ladies Mile Beach clean. The rave did not go ahead and there was no rubbish left by partygoers.

Deputy chief constable Bob Benseley said on Sunday he would stand firm against future drug use on the beach.

"I hope that no attempt will be made again to hold such an event. Ladies Mile is for the enjoyment of the families of Limassol and the surrounding area. We will not allow entrepreneurs and drug users to exploit this beautiful beach," he said.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail

Tuesday, August 15, 2000

[06] Cinema fighting to show banned movie

The Ratings Board refused to grant the film a certificate in June, unleashing a fresh tide of controversy about what some term the draconian powers of the Board to reject films, rather than just classing them in viewing categories.

Cinema critics have expressed consternation at the decision. Although porn star Rocco Siffredi does play a supporting role, the film’s explicit portrayal of a woman’s search for personal and sexual fulfillment is considered detached and overtly intellectual, with little to interest those looking out for porn.

Romance was initially due to start showing at the Acropole in June. The management was forced to reverse its plans in the wake of the Board’s decision, but stood by its reasons to screen the movie.

"We try to programme films that have something to say about human relationships and this film certainly meets that requirement," a spokesman for the cinema told the Cyprus Mail.

At the time, the spokesman added that an appeal to the Board’s decision was unlikely.

Nevertheless, the Acropole’s Michael Papas yesterday confirmed that they were in a "battle" to show the movie legally. No date is yet fixed for the film’s possible showing.

The Board’s decision has no authority over access to the film on video and DVD from Britain and the US. No one from the Board was yesterday available for comment.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail

Tuesday, August 15, 2000

[07] Veterinary department to take cat woman to court

THE VETERINARY Department has confirmed that the case of a woman keeping over 30 cats in Lakatamia is a violation of animal welfare rights and has referred the matter to the police, the services’ director Pavlos Economides said yesterday.

Neighbours have been complaining for years of the trouble caused by the horde of cats cooped up in the Sophocleous suburban family home.

They claim that Chloe Sophocleous keeps over 100 cats in her house, saying they have spread fleas across the neighbourhood, caused the entire street to stink and at night run into houses and climb on the roofs, making an unbearable racket.

The department’s findings, which have been referred to the police for further investigation, conflict with a statement issued by the Cyprus Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CSPCA) last month, saying there was nothing wrong with the cats.

Chloe Sophocleous has persistently refused police, vets and municipal hygiene workers access into her house, preventing them from adequately assessing the situation.

According to Toulla Poyadji of the CSPCA, Sophocleous is petrified for her cats’ safety and claims the neighbours try to exterminate them at every available opportunity.

But the Veterinary Services recently forced its way into the house. Their evidence is expected to be decisive in the upcoming court case after the municipality has charged her with cruelty to animals and public nuisance.

On May 31, local residents finally sent a letter of complaint to the municipality and police, urging them to take action.

"Legal proceedings have been initiated against Mrs Sophocleous for violation of the provisions of the Animal Welfare Law 46 (1) 94," affirmed Economides in a letter to the Cyprus Mail received yesterday.

The case is expected to appear before the courts next month.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail

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