NORTH Cyprus is no longer an inn that anyone can simply wander into unregistered, Turkish Cypriot ‘interior minister’ Ozkan Murat claimed yesterday.
His comment came after he confirmed that the north now played host to around 30,000 workers from Turkey, nearly all of whom were registered with the authorities. The high number of registrations, Murat said, reflected the success of a clampdown on illegal immigration and unregistered employment that began with a change in the law at the beginning of the year.
“A tangible transformation has taken place in the country. It is not simply a change in the law that has occurred; we have seen the implementation of a major reform,” Murat said.
The actual clampdown began in April this year when the authorities began carrying out inspections on homes and workplaces to warn illegal immigrants that if they did not register with the authorities by July 1, they would face financial penalties and possible deportation.
As a result, thousands of workers were forced to leave the island at the beginning of July. Many, however, have now returned having carried out the necessary formalities.
Murat expressed satisfaction over the way his restructuring of immigration procedures was working out, but admitted there had been problems at the onset of the clampdown.
“Many of those working illegally simply did not believe we were serious about implementing the law. One can hardly blame them because for years they were told something would be done, but nothing ever was. This is the first time that a government has done what it said it would do,” he said.
Significantly, 25,000 of the Turkish workers registered are first time applications – a clear indication of the scale of the problem prior to the implementation of the law. The north says it has a local working population of around 90,000.
The change in the law, which included a protocol with the Turkish government, stipulates that those wishing to come to the island to work can only do so if they travel using their passports and have proof of employment before traveling to the island. Tourists from Turkey can travel using only their identity cards, but are allowed to remain on the island for no more than three months.
Turkish port officials now help “weed out” those they suspect would come to the island to work illegally.
Murat believes the new law is a having positive effect on Turkish Cypriot society, most notably by reducing crime and increasing wages in the local labour market. He believes it also brings to an end “inhuman” working conditions for labourers from Turkey.
“For 30 years we exploited these people in the most inhuman way,” he said.
With the majority of the Turkish workers employed in the north’s controversial construction industry, Murat’s clampdown on illegal workers had sparked speculation that the north was seeking ways to slow down a building boom that had skyrocketed following the Greek Cypriot rejection of the Annan plan.
But Murat played down the suggestions, saying construction on Greek Cypriot properties would continue as it provided important revenue for the struggling Turkish Cypriot economy.
“According to our statistics, the boom has triggered growth in 62 sectors of the economy, so there is no way we would call a halt to it,” he said. He also quoted figures that showed more foreigners bought homes in the north in 2004 than in the previous 30 years.
He countered fears among Cypriots both sides of the Green Line that a disproportionate number of properties were being sold off to non-Cypriots by saying, “Sales to foreigners are not at a rate that causes us worry. According to our statistics, foreigners own 0.3 per cent of private land in the north. In Kyrenia, the figure is 1.6 per cent”.
