Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-05-24

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Parliament-Turkish Prisons-'White Cells'

[02] Helexpo-Privatisation

[03] Cypriot delegation - Patriarch - Istanbul

[04] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

[05] Noise Pollution-Gov't-Local Authorities

[06] Pakistani Products-Exhibition

[07] Migrants intercepted - Yacht

[08] Migrants - Deaths - Minefield

[01] Parliament-Turkish Prisons-'White Cells'

A total of 182 Greek Parliament deputies have addressed letters to the Parliaments of European countries and the European Parliament, calling for the intervention of the European peoples' representatives for an end to torture and the release of all political prisoners from Turkish prisons.

The deputies include Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Secretary General Aleka Papariga, Coalition of the Left and Progress leader Nikos Constantopoulos, PASOK deputies Gerasimos Arsenis and Theodoros Pangalos and New Democracy deputies Ioannis Varvitsiotis and Anna Psarouda-Benaki.

"It is known that political prisoners who are on hunger strike are continuing to die and indeed at higher rates," the deputies say pointing out that the Turkish government is continuing its intransigent stance, ignoring deaths and insisting on torture and, from now, isolating political prisoners in top security "white cells."

The deputies further said "we should intervene immediately, clearly and decisively and pursue an end to crude treatment and torture of all kinds and ultimately the release of political prisoners in Turkey."

[02] Helexpo-Privatisation

A second tender to part-privatise 30 percent of Hellenic Trade Fairs-Helexpo SA, a state trade fair organiser, and hand over its management fell flat on Wednesday when the lone bidder withdrew interest in the sale.

The consortium comprised Marc-Brooks Exhibitions Ltd and Damco Energy SA, the only group to be shortlisted in the privatisation of the Thessaloniki-based company, said National Investment Bank for Industrial Development, the state's consultant in the sale.

[03] Cypriot delegation - Patriarch - Istanbul

ISTANBUL (ANA) Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos received a high-ranking Cypriot House of Representatives delegation on Wednesday, as its members arrived in Turkeys largest city to participate in the Council of Europes (CoE) parliamentary spring session.

[04] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

Buying rates for Thursday

U.S. dollar 393.748

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 559.919

Irish punt 429.202

Belgian franc 008.379

Luxembourg franc 008.379

Dutch guilder 153.389

Italian lira (100) 017.457

Austrian schilling 024.565

Danish kroner 45.315

Swedish kroner 37.344

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 324.988

Swiss franc 221.381

Norwegian kroner 42.550

Cyprus pound 585.732

Canadian dollar 254.747

Australian dollar 203.932

[05] Noise Pollution-Gov't-Local Authorities

Public Order Minister Mihalis Chrysohoidis on Wednesday chaired a meeting of local government officials from northeastern Attica to discuss noise pollution.

The new international airport for Athens opened in Spata, eastern Attica, at the end of March.

[06] Pakistani Products-Exhibition

Pakistan is to hold its first exhibition of domestic products in Greece, arranged by its embassy in Athens and the Asian country's exports promotion bureau.

The exhibition of goods for export, including hand-made carpets and textiles, will take place at the Hilton Hotel in Athens on June 5-7.

[07] Migrants intercepted - Yacht

A Greek-registered yacht carrying 88 illegal immigrants, mainly from Iran and Iraq, was intercepted on Wednesday off Attica prefecture, east of Athens.

According to a coast guard report, the migrants claimed they had each paid US$2,000 for the passage from a Turkish port to EU member-state Greece.

Authorities found 77 men, four women and seven children aboard the yacht "Spirit", along with two Greek nationals, the vessel's skipper and another seaman. The latter two are expected to be charged with migrant smuggling.

All of the individuals aboard the vessel were detained and taken to the nearby port of Rafina, east of greater Athens, pending trial.

[08] Migrants - Deaths - Minefield

The bodies of two men, believed to be illegal immigrants, were recovered from a minefield near the Greek-Turkish border on Tuesday, one day after another three migrants were killed when straying into a marked minefield.

Authorities said the two unidentified men were aged between 25 and 30, with initial estimates pointing to a time of death some 20 days ago after an apparent landmine explosion.

The two victims reportedly crossed into Greece from Turkey via the Evros River and are believed to have mistaken the barbed wire around the minefield as the border. The two bodies were recovered near the town of Ferres.

Three illegal immigrants were killed and another was injured in the early morning hours on Monday when they strayed into another fenced-off and marked minefield along the Greek-Turkish border.

More than a dozen illegal immigrants, mostly from Turkey and the Mideast, have been killed in minefields along the Greek-Turkish frontier since 1999. Greece maintains only clearly marked and fenced-off minefields on its side, whereas authorities have repeatedly stressed that migrant smugglers often steer illegals into such areas in order to ascertain whether the landmines have been activated.

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