THE GOVERNMENT is likely to make representations to the UN in New York over a raid by plainclothes Turkish Cypriot police in the mixed village of Pyla on Friday afternoon, it said yesterday.
Turkish Cypriot officers entered the UN-controlled village in the Larnaca district and arrested Yusef Kisa and an unknown number of other people that reports put at up to 14.
Kisa was recently said to be planning to open a casino in the village with a Greek Cypriot, but was also wanted by police on both sides on a number of other unspecified charges.
Reports on Friday night said the Turkish Cypriot police, members of the intelligence agency MIT, had been accompanied by UN civilian police officers. Pyla is under UN control.
However, UNFICYP said it had not been informed of the raid until after Kisa’s arrest, despite reports on Greek Cypriot television channels to the contrary.
It is understood that police from both sides often enter Pyla without informing the UN.
Government Spokesman George Lillikas said the move by MIT was illegal and contrary to UN resolutions.
“In Pyla, an illegal intervention by MIT took place, resulting in the abduction of a number of persons,” Lillikas told his press briefing yesterday. He said the government was not aware of the reasons or of the number of people arrested.
“What happened was a blatant violation of the Security Council’s resolutions and an illegal action,” he said. Asked whether UNFICYP was aware of the Turkish Cypriot action, Lillikas said the UN “is insisting” that it had no knowledge of this operation and that it was informed afterwards.
“However, even this is a sign of the bad will being displayed by the Turkish side during this particular period,” Lillikas said.
The government may have claimed little knowledge of what it was all about, but reports from Pyla yesterday were illuminating.
According to Larnaca Press, Pyla’s Turkish Cypriot mukhtar Ahmet Sakkali said that as part of Kisa’s efforts to set up the casino, he and his partners had established a ‘bank’ in which both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots were rushing to deposit money in order to be able to take out a loan later when the proposed casino would be up and running.
Sakkali said that until now no one had received any loans and that people had started lodging complaints with his office. He said the Turkish Cypriot police had intervened to see what was going on.
Sakkali said that along with Kisa, his bodyguard and five Russians without visas were arrested. He said UNFICYP was there at the time of the raid.
In another twist on the story, Turkish Cypriot newspaper Afrika implicated Yusuf Kisa in an attempted bomb attack on the car of Ali Osman, the editor of the controversial newspaper.
Afrika said the explosive did not ignite because the fuse had gone out.
“As soon as he found the bomb, which was placed in a plastic bag under the left back tyre of his car, Mr Osman called the police which destroyed the bomb,” Afrika said.
The paper said that several days ago Kisa had issued death threats against Osman.
“Yesterday, after this bomb incident it was revealed the police made a surprise attack at the firm’s headquarters which are in Pyla,” said Afrika.
It said Kisa had been taken to Pergamos police station and is accused of dealing illegally in the business of banking in Pyla. A Smith and Wesson pistol was also found in his possession.
“But how did the Turkish Cypriot police enter Pyla which is under the UN administration?” Afrika asked.
