‘Armed Turks confiscate fishing nets’

UNFICYP said yesterday it had no information on the reported confiscation of fishing nets by armed Turkish troops on Friday in the sea off Paralimni.

According to reports yesterday five armed Turkish soldiers aboard a navy vessel approached a trawler belonging to fisherman Minas Xyllaras, 63, and dragged off three of his five fishing nets after threatening him with a gun.

Xyllaras told reporters he was at least 300 metres away from the Maritime Security Line (MSL) the seaward extension of the 180km-long buffer zone.

UNFICYP spokesman Brian Kelly said yesterday he had no information on the incident.

Press reports said it was the first such incident this year. The UN has continuously urged fishermen and tourists boats to steer clear of the MSL. Similar incidents occur regularly in the peak summer tourist period.

 

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