Pros and cons protest outside Akamas hotel

By Martin Hellicar

THE GREEN party organised another protest yesterday outside their bête noire, the hotel built on the Akamas coast by Thanos Hotels Ltd, the family firm of former Foreign Minister Alecos Michaelides.

Local villagers turned out at the same time to stage a counter- demonstration in support of the controversial Anassa Hotel, which recently opened its doors to visitors.

About sixty environmentalists gathered outside the massive complex with banners and placards condemning the cabinet-approved relaxations granted for the hotel. The relaxations enabled Thanos Hotels to build the Anassa higher than local zoning regulations allow and to encroach on to a protected beach.

In a press release, the Green party said the hotel had been built “against the public interest, totally ignoring the irreversible environmental destruction brought with it”.

Green party leader George Perdikis vowed protests would continue until the government implements a World Bank proposal to protect the Akamas from development by turning it into a national park.

Yesterday’s counter-demonstration was staged by about 50 representatives of local communities.

They expressed support for the hotel development, saying it did not destroy the environment and was helping to stem the exodus of young people from surrounding villages to towns by providing local jobs.

“As communities in the area we support the operation of the complex because we believe it will provide a lifeline and prosperity for the area,” the mukhtar of Peristerona village, Andreas Kaponides, said.

The demonstrations lasted about an hour and were incident-free, police reported.

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