DIKO Deputy Marios Matsakis has branded the training of British troops outside their specific Sovereign Base Areas as illegal, after a 15-year-old boy had his hand mutilated by what is thought to be discarded British army ammunition on Holy Saturday.
The boy’s parents and Matsakis claim the injury was caused by ammunition that the boy stumbled across while walking his dog in fields behind the village.
The Treaty of Establishment gives full authorisation to the Army to train in the fields next to Paramali, referred to by the British as part of a ‘Republic of Cyprus enclave’ within the SBA.
But Matsakis, a vociferous campaigner against the British bases, threatened yesterday that "any armed British soldiers, caught outside the SBA must be seized and disarmed immediately. They are the enemy."
Paramali is under the jurisdiction of the Cyprus Government and Matsakis therefore claims that British Army training in those areas is "illegal and disrespectful".
The accident happened on Saturday morning in the boy’s bedroom at his house in Paramali.
He was playing with the ammunition he had found when one piece exploded in his hand, ripping off three fingers. He was rushed to the New General Hospital in Limassol where he was treated by doctors in the Orthopaedic wing.
The police were informed at midday and searched the house immediately.
The found discarded military thunder flashes, one of which is thought to have caused the boy’s injury.
The British Bases at Episkopi issued a statement regretting the accident, but disclaiming responsibility.
"It is extremely sad that a young 15-year-old boy should be injured by a firework on Saturday 29 April in Paramali village. This awful accident shows how dangerous Easter fireworks can be."
They went on to urge parents to accept full responsibility for children when dealing with firecrackers.
A bases spokesman later conceded that he could not rule out discarded British ammunition having caused the injury.
On Thursday, Matsakis deposited two boxes of ammunition with Justice Minister Nicos Koshis to be analysed. He said they were British Army debris, collected from the Paramali area.
Eyewitness accounts, however, cast doubt on the provenance of the ammunition collected by Matsakis.
A Bases insider denounced the deputy’s handling of the issue. "It would have been sensible for him, or the boys parents to notify us immediately if they spotted any live ammunition lying around, but they have not contacted us at all," he said.
But a question mark hangs over why any live army debris should be found in training grounds – open to the public at all times except when live fire training is taking place.
The Bases spokesman confirmed that it was customary for the army to clean up after training was over.
Matsakis faxed a formal complaint to British High Commissioner Edward Clay yesterday morning, requesting that they take full responsibility for the boy’s injuries.
A spokesman for the High Commission said that they had received the fax and would look in to it.
The last complaint about British training exercises in Episkopi was filed last year when the army’s two-bladed Chinook helicopter landed too close to houses. Helicopters no longer operate in such close proximity to residential areas.
