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Cyprus Mail: News Articles in English, 00-11-29
CONTENTS
[01] Teachers go on strike, parents threaten to retaliate
[02] Attorney-general chasing overdue rents
[03] Four die in a week of crashes
[04] Investors may need to go to court to get their money back
[05] `New place is jinxed'
[06] `Denktash decision has nothing to do with us'
[07] Students demand subsidies
[08] Journalists condemn petrol bomb attack on Avrupa offices
[09] Are you entitled to free health care?
[10] Who wants to mange Omonia?
[11] Rain keeps falling down
[01] Teachers go on strike, parents threaten to retaliate
By Martin Hellicar SCHOOL was out yesterday as the island's 4,500 primary
and nursery school teachers came out on strike to demand pay rises. About 1,
000 of the striking teachers braved the rain to march to the Presidential
Palace in Nicosia to urge President Clerides to intervene on their behalf.
The Cabinet is due to consider the teachers' demand when it meets today, a
ministerial committee chaired by Education Minister Ourannios Ioannides
having failed to decide on the matter on Monday. The teachers, represented
by the POED union, are threatening an indefinite strike if the government
does not give in to their demand that their salaries be brought into line
with those of their colleagues in secondary schools, who were recently
promised pay rises by the government. Disgruntled parents were yesterday
repeating their threats to take undisclosed "dynamic action" of their own
should the strike action continue. "We are not demanding anything, we are
only defending our children's right to learn and not to have their lessons
disrupted," said Heraclis Papandreou, chairman of the Pancyprian
Association of parents of primary school pupils. Putting pressure on the
Cabinet, Papandreou said parents would take action tomorrow if the dispute
between teachers and Ministry was not resolved today. Reports yesterday
suggested parents were planning to respond to the teachers' strike action
by blockading schools and keeping children at home. Papandreou did not
confirm or deny the reports yesterday, saying only that such possibilities
had been discussed. Minister Ioannides yesterday urged parents to "tone
things down". He also said the government would not negotiate with teachers
while they were on strike. Ioannides has condemned the teachers' strike
action, saying they should have awaited the conclusion of official
negotiations on the pay issue. Despite the reactions from state and parents,
the mood among the protesting teachers outside the Presidential Palace
yesterday was resolute. "We are determined to fight to the end, till
teachers are vindicated," one protester said. The chairman of the House
Education Committee, Sofoklis Hadjiyianis, yesterday stressed the need for
dialogue between all involved in the dispute. He suggested his committee
might provide the ideal forum for such discussions.
[02] Attorney-general chasing overdue rents
By George Psyllides THE ATTORNEY-general is investigating cases of tenants
who have not been paying rent for as long as 10 years on land leased from
the government in Ayia Napa, the Land and Surveys Department said
yesterday. In her report last week, Auditor-general Chrystalla Yiorkadji
said that by the end of 1999 there was £301,592 in outstanding rent owed to
the government by people leasing land in Ayia Napa. Some of the late rents
went back as far as 1990, the report said. The Auditor-general also noted
the specific case of a tenant whose contract had expired in 1993 with £34,
620 still outstanding, adding that no legal measures had been taken. The
same occupant had also used other state land illegally, with no contract
whatsoever, but again no measures were taken, the report said. The report
stressed that the Land and Surveys Department was not taking any measures
to collect the back-rents, resulting in loss of income for the state. But
yesterday the department's Director Andreas Christodoulou told the Cyprus
Mail that he had informed the Attorney-general of the various cases, adding
that the legal service was now handling the issue. Christodoulou said many
cases had already been to court, with some contracts being annulled, while
many debtors had paid up. "Some people unfortunately are inconsiderate.
They don't care, just as long as they do their job," Christodoulou said. He
said his department was going after these tenants through the Attorney-
general's office, but complained that the justice system was too slow.
"They have the luxury to raise various objections: they request re-
examination of the case or say they are ill, and so on," Christodoulou
said. They find various excuses to postpone hearings and every time that
happens the cases are delayed for several months, he added. "Some cases
take four to five years to clear from the moment the procedure begins," he
said. Christodoulou was adamant there was no foul play involved in the
cases. The land in question is leased out for agricultural, farming, or
industrial purposes. It is understood that no business interests are
involved in the matter. Christodoulou said no hotels had been built solely
on state-leased land.
[03] Four die in a week of crashes
By a Staff Reporter FOUR people were killed and 20 seriously injured in 136
traffic accidents during the week between November 12 and 19. A further 53
people were slightly injured. During the same period, police recorded 3,603
traffic violations, while 523 traffic-related cases were tried in court.
Fifty people lost their licence or the right to acquire one, and £29,768
was paid in fines. Police booked 1,801 drivers for speeding and a further
92 for driving without wearing seatbelts. Eighty-four motorcycle and moped
riders were booked for failing to wear a crash helmet, and 198 drivers for
using a mobile phone while driving. Five drivers were booked for excessive
emissions. Police breathalysed 486 drivers, of whom 10 were reported for
drink driving.
[04] Investors may need to go to court to get their money back
By Jean Christou HUNDREDS of investors entitled to have their money
returned from companies awaiting listing on the Cyprus Stock Exchange (CSE)
may have to resort to lengthy legal battles to recover their funds, the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said yesterday. Tomorrow is the
deadline for the return of investors' cash from the 150 companies awaiting
a CSE listing under a law passed last month, but many companies are either
stalling or refusing outright to give back the money. Others have tried to
get out of returning the money by issuing title deeds for shares since the
law was passed, but this will not absolve them, said Investors' Association
president Alkis Argyrides. Argyrides told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that
the new law was not clear on what would happen when tomorrow's deadline
passed or what investors who were still waiting would have to do. The law
passed by the House late last month said anyone who had invested money in
companies via irrevocable applications had until November 30 to claim their
money back, plus six per cent interest calculated from the day of
collection, if their shares had not been issued before October 18.
Companies who have not yet listed but did issue titles before this date are
exempted. The SEC has already called on the companies affected to comply
with the new law, but can do little if they do not, said chairman Andreas
Charalambous. "We are trying to pressure the companies to act according to
the spirit of the law," Charalambous told the Cyprus Mail. But he said that
if the companies did not, individual investors would be obliged to pursue
their cases through the courts. He said the SEC's job was only to secure a
means by which investors could get their money back. "It is an issue
between the investors and the companies," he said. Charalambous said it
would be impossible to gain a clear picture of the current situation, but
he could confirm that a lot of companies were reluctant to give the money
back. "I know a lot of cases of this, or of cases where companies have now
issued the shares," he said. Charalambous said there had been considerable
interest among investors in getting their money back, but he could not put
a figure on it. Agryrides said the number ran into the hundreds. "But the
law is not crystal clear and there are some gaps which the investment
companies are using to get out of it," he said. "But I must say that in
many cases the companies are paying." Argyrides said some companies were
interpreting the October 18 deadline as meaning they should either register
shareholders at the Companies Registration Office or issue the titles. "The
point is how the law is being interpreted," he said. "It's true the law has
opened the door for people to get their money, but it means a court case."
He said the police should intervene if the deadline was not met and that
the offending companies should not be allowed to enter the CSE when their
listing date finally came up. "But I'm afraid they don't always intervene
when they should," he said. "Nothing is clear right now so we will have to
wait a few days to see, or until a few cases are tested." Under the new
law, companies who refuse to return investors' cash plus interest will be
subject to up two years' imprisonment or a cash fine of up to £50,000 or
both.
[05] `New place is jinxed'
By Jean Christou SELLING WAS the order of the day on the CSE again
yesterday with the all-share index losing another 2.01 per cent on top of
Monday's disastrous 4.5 per cent drop. Trading opened at 236 points, eight
points down on the previous day's close, dropped as far as 234 before
rebounding to close at 238.6, a new year low. Volume remained low at £14.9
million as losers outpaced gainers by 119 to 30 with 57 companies remaining
unchanged. Sectoral losses ranged from 0.27 per cent in construction and
technology to 3.17 per cent for hotels. The banking sector was also hard
hit with losses of 2.56 per cent led by plunging Bank of Cyprus (BoC) and
Laiki stocks. BoC shed another 13 cents yesterday to close at £4.26 while
Laiki dropped 16 cents to end at £5.29. Trading in the two banking stocks
accounted for almost half the day's volume. In Athens BoC fared little
better losing 3.28 per cent to close at 2,650 drachmas (£4.43) after
hitting an intraday low of 2,515 drachmas (£4.20) with over 60,000 shares
changing hands. The Greek market fell 2.98 per cent yesterday and the
banking sector 2.28 per cent. The third most active share traded on the CSE
yesterday was GlobalSoft with a volume of £1.2 million. The share was one
of the day's few winners, adding ten cents to close at £5.30. "This is the
fourth trading session at the IMC and all four have been disastrous," said
the CSE web analyst yesterday. "Not to be superstitious but it seems that
the new place is jinxed. All that talk and excitement about finally moving
into a new place has backfired and the show goes on as usual." ENDS
[06] `Denktash decision has nothing to do with us'
By Jean Christou PRESIDENT Glafcos Clerides said yesterday that Turkish
Cypriot participation in the next round of UN peace talks was not a matter
of concern to him. He said the Cyprus government was working quietly to
achieve its goals and stressed that it has already been decided that the
Cyprus solution would take UN resolutions fully into consideration.
Clerides was responding to statements made by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf
Denktash that he would not attend the January proximity talks in Geneva
unless his breakaway regime in the north was recognised. Denktash said
last week the year-long UN sponsored talks had been a waste of time.
Clerides declined to comment on Denktash's remarks but when pressed further
on whether he believed Denktash would go to Geneva, Clerides said: "It is
no concern of mine if Mr Denktash goes to the talks or not, he is the one
who is dealing with the matter." "Our side is doing exactly what it has to
do, without any fanfare," he added. "It is high time everybody understands
that foreign policy is not carried out for local consumption but for a
successful outcome and has to be well organised and carried out quietly."
Clerides said he wished to make it clear that decisions already taken
stated that the solution to the Cyprus problem had to take UN resolutions
fully into consideration. "It appears that Mr Denktash does not wish to
take into full consideration the resolutions," Clerides said. Turkish
Cypriot papers yesterday quoted Denktash as saying that in order to get
back to the negotiating table, the Turkish Cypriot side would need to
discuss "principles" and that there was no point going to negotiations
"blindfolded". Denktash said decisions taken in Ankara last week included
talks on a `state to state' basis, talking confederation as opposed to
federation, protecting the Greco-Turkish balance and introducing a property
exchange mechanism and compensation. He said signing an agreement that
recognised the right of Greek Cypriots to return to their homes would
amount to making half of the Turkish Cypriot population homeless. He said
they had come face to face with an approach that only took the Greek
Cypriot position into consideration. `We have to discuss with those
concerned the principles which we are ready to accept in order to return to
the negotiating table," Denktash said. "There is no point sitting at the
negotiating table with our eyes closed," Denktash said. UN special envoy
for Cyprus Alvaro de Soto is expected to arrive on the island on Sunday for
a two-day visit, which will involve contacts with both sides.
[07] Students demand subsidies
By Melina Demetriou MORE than a hundred university and college students
protested outside the Presidential Palace yesterday morning, calling on the
government to respect a unanimous parliamentary decision to subsidise all
students. "Sponsor us, not the stockbrokers," students chanted,
demonstrating in the rain for more than an hour. Students' Union POFNE and
other student organisations submitted a memorandum to a Presidential
Palace's representative, warning they would step up their action if
President Glafcos Clerides did not stop challenging the House decision.
College students and those who are on a Foundation, a Master's or a prior
admission language course are not entitled to state subsidises, while
university students receive £1,500 each a year. Less than a month ago, the
House Plenum approved a bill, granting those students £700 a year. But the
President appealed last week to the Supreme Court to challenge the decision,
pledging it was not in line with the Constitution. Students argued the
President's move would split the student body in two. "The matter is not
constitutional, it is political, and it should be addressed as such. We
have submitted a memorandum to the Presidential Palace's representative
Nicos Panayiotou, calling on the President to table a new proposal before
the House, providing for all students to receive a state subsidise. We are
offering him this chance to sort out the problem once and for all. But if
he doesn't, we will take further action," POFNE President Chrysis
Pantelides told reporters. Christina Christofia, a law student at a
university in Athens, told the Cyprus Mail: "The President has stabbed us
in the back and he is being disrespectful to the legislature. Even students
who have to take extra years to finish their course because of health
problems are not eligible to a state subsidy." College students are
planning to rally outside the Presidential Palace tomorrow.
[08] Journalists condemn petrol bomb attack on Avrupa offices
By a Staff Reporter THE JOURNALISTS' Union yesterday condemned a suspected
arson attack on Turkish Cypriot opposition newspaper Avrupa, accusing the
regime in the north of attempting to eradicate the freedom of expression.
According to Turkish Cypriot papers, a fire started at the newspaper in the
early hours of Monday morning. The cause is reported to be "not officially
known". However, some newspapers said the fire was started by a petrol bomb
thrown into the premises, although they said `police' had refused to
confirm this. The fire caused damage to the main printing machines and to
stocks of paper. The attack was condemned in the north by the left-wing
Republican Turkish Party, which said it was aimed at targeting the
democratic struggle of the supporters of peace in Cyprus. Several Turkish
Cypriot trade unions also condemned the attack. On the Greek Cypriot side,
the Journalists' Union said the attack was part of an "extermination
campaign" against opposition circles in the north. "The union expresses its
anger and abhorrence at this fascist action, which is the work of forces
that do not hesitate to resort even to open violence and terrorism in order
to strangle Avrupa, stifle freedom of expression and silence those voices
in the Turkish Cypriot community which demand that an end be put to the
oppressive regime of Denktash and the Turkish occupation army, and that a
peaceful solution be found that will reunite Cyprus and its people and
safeguard the human rights of all Cypriots regardless of ethnic origin," a
written statement said. Avrupa has suffered a series of blows this year
for publishing articles critical of the Denktash regime. The newspaper's
owner Sener Levent and several of its journalists were arrested earlier
this year accused of sedition, but later were released. The paper has also
been fined after being convicted of libel against Rauf Denktash, and had
its equipment seized for failing to pay the fine.
[09] Are you entitled to free health care?
By a Staff Reporter THE GOVERNMENT yesterday announced details of the new
criteria for securing free or half-price state medical care. The new
criteria, which come into effect on January 1, classify people as either
class `A' or class `B' claimants. The former are entitled to almost
completely free medical care, the only charge being £1 for every visit to
hospital outpatient departments. Class `B' claimants are entitled to half-
price medical care. At the moment, claimants need to secure a "needy"
certificate from the local community leader to secure free care. As from
January 1, the system will change, with claimants having to secure a
"Health Care Certificate" from hospitals or rural medical centres.
Application forms for such certificates are already available from
hospitals, medical centres and village mukhtars. Retired civil servants,
regular government workers and war wounded do not need such certificates to
secure free health care. Only Cypriot citizens are entitled to such medical
aid. Class `A' claimants are: - Single persons earning up to £6,000 a year -
Couples without dependant children earning up to £10,000 a year - Couples
with one dependant child earning up to £10,600 a year - Couples with up to
two dependant children earning up to £11,200 a year - Couples with three
dependant children earning up to £11,800 a year - All members of families
with over three children - The enclaved and their families - The dependants
of missing persons. Class `B' claimants are: - Singles earning between £6,
001 and £9,000 - Couples without dependant children earning between £10,001
and £14,000 a year - Couples with one dependant child earning between £10,
601 and £14,600 year - Couples with up to two dependant children earning
between £11,201 and £15,200 a year, - Couples with three dependant children
earning between £11,801 and £15,800 a year.
[10] Who wants to mange Omonia?
By a Staff Reporter OMONIA's search for a manager is turning into a major
saga of repeated rejection for the Nicosia football club. In the latest
twist, Dutchman Ari Haan has jumped ship after less than a fortnight in
charge, reportedly accepting an offer to become general manager of Austria
Vienna instead. Last month, having sacked Bulgarian coach Dimitrov
Asprouhov early in a disappointing season, the Nicosia giants triumphantly
announced they had signed ex-Everton manager Howard Kendall as a top-notch
replacement. But the euphoria quickly turned to embarrassment for Omonia as
Kendall pulled out at the last minute, citing family problems. The story
repeated itself with Omonia's next choice, Dutchman Thys Libregts, the man
who coached the Dutch team that reached the 1990 World Cup. With the deal
again apparently sown up, Ligbrets pulled out at the last minute, citing
family problems. Omonia then turned to Hann, the former manager of Dutch
club Feyenoord. The deal was signed and Hann, who is best remembered as the
player whose long-range shooting lit up the 1978 World Cup, arrived in time
for the November 18 clash with big Nicosia rivals APOEL, a game which
Omonia lost 1-0. Hann's next match in charge was a 2-0 win over AEK on
Saturday. But, by yesterday, the Dutchman was on his way out. An offer
from Austria Vienna had reportedly proved too tempting to keep Haan on the
island. Omonia director Doros Seraphim had an emergency meeting with Hann
late on Monday night but failed to persuade him to stay. Rebuffed once
again, Omonia were yesterday threatening to seek compensation from Haan for
abandoning them. It was not clear yesterday who the Omonia board would be
turning to as a replacement for Haan.
[11] Rain keeps falling down
By George Psyllides THE RAIN continued to fall yesterday, but without the
flooding and destruction experienced the day before. On Monday, torrential
rains and strong wind wreaked havoc in Paphos. Yesterday, there were a few
reports of flooded houses and shops, while some roads were made dangerous
because of wet tarmac and falling rocks. The Meteorological Service said
that the rains were expected to continue through to tomorrow. The
temperatures were normal for the season although the overcast could push
them down a little, meteorologists said. Despite the storms in Paphos, it
was Nicosia that recorded the highest rainfall on Monday, with 96mm falling
in Athalassa, while Paphos accumulated just 40-43mm. The flow in the dams
was steady yesterday, despite the fact that Monday's rains had mostly been
absorbed by the dry earth. The Water Development Board said around 280,000
cubic metres had flowed in the dams since Monday morning, and more was
expected today. Total accumulation in all dams around the island was 17.4
million cubic metres yesterday morning, representing only 6.4 per cent of
capacity. At the same time last year, the volume stood at 30 million cubic
metres - 11 per cent of capacity. In Paphos, the rain continued, but
without the problems reported on Monday. People worked on repairing
damaged property, while the fire service was called twice to pump water
from flooded establishments. Electricity was restored after Monday's power
cuts and damaged pylons were replaced. Electricity Authority Spokesman
Tassos Roussos said most power cuts had been repaired on Monday night and
two minor cuts in Protaras and Polis Chrysohous were expected to be fixed
by yesterday afternoon. Roussos warned consumers to be extra careful with
their appliances during power cuts. He said they should make sure to
disconnect them in case electricity was restored while they were not at
home. Police Spokesman Stelios Neophytou warned that the tarmac was
slippery, but apart from a couple of flooded roads no serious problems have
been reported. No serious accidents had occurred, Neophytou said.
Cyprus Mail 2000
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