Turkish Cypriots claim ‘policeman’ shot by Greek Cypriot hunters

By Jean Christou

A TURKISH Cypriot ‘police’ officer was shot and injured just inside the occupied areas yesterday, allegedly by Greek Cypriot hunters.

The incident comes at a crucial time for the Cyprus problem as the leaders of the two communities attend UN-backed proximity talks in New York.

A ‘police’ spokesman in the north said the shooting happened after officers went to investigate reports that a group of Greek Cypriot men had crossed into the north.

“A police team went to… near Lefka and it was noticed that three men in camouflage gear carrying rifles had crossed through the buffer zone. When they were confronted, they fled but one of them fired at police officer Huseyin Bahce,” he said.

A Greek Cypriot police spokesman said: “We are investigating the circumstances of an alleged shooting conveyed to us by the UN.”

According to reports from the north, Bahce was seriously wounded but in a stable condition. The UN said Bahce had sustained a flesh wound. “It is not critical or serious but it is painful,” said Unficyp spokesman Major Paul Kolken.

The alleged shooting took place in a hilly area cut through by a dried up riverbed and overlooked by watchtowers around 70 kilometres east of Nicosia.

Kolken told the Cyprus Mail the incident had occurred 200 metres north of the buffer zone south west of Lefka.

He said peacekeepers had not witnessed the shooting, which was reported to have taken place at 7.10am. The area is patrolled by Argentinean soldiers.

“Our observation sentry noticed Greek Cypriot hunters in the buffer zone in the same area at 7.45am,” Kolken said. “Whether there is a link between these two incidents has yet to be established.”

Kolken said the UN was investigating the case along with the authorities on both sides. “We have asked Cypol (Cyprus Police) to help make sure hunters don’t leave the area under investigation,” he said.

The area along the 180km-long buffer zone on both sides is popular with hunters, who have been warned on dozens of occasions not to enter the area. The latest report on Cyprus by UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan on Cyprus mentions the issue again in relation to violations by Greek Cypriot hunters.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.