Turkish Cypriots in protest over delays at Pergamos

AROUND 1,000 Turkish Cypriots closed off the Pergamos checkpoint in the Larnaca district for hours yesterday morning over the north’s measures regarding the foot and mouth (FMD) outbreak in the south.

The protesters, who kept the checkpoint closed from 6.30am to around 10am, said the measures hindered their crossing to the Republic where they worked.

Speaking to reporters, British Bases assistant police chief Nikos Pandechis said the Turkish Cypriots were demanding the measures be lifted immediately. According to the demonstrators, the measures had been put in place around two weeks ago over the FMD outbreak.

But they complained that the measures delayed their crossing for hours, making them late for work. They also said they believed the measures were more to do with the regime’s efforts to dissuade Turkish Cypriots from shopping in the free areas than the virus.

At around 8am and after hundreds of cars had queued up at the checkpoint to cross over, the occupied areas’ police allowed the Turkish Cypriots to cross south.

Nevertheless the protesters refused to do so, demanding instead that they receive assurances that they would not have to go through the same ordeal today or over the coming days when they tried to get to work.

In the meantime, due to the congestion, those trying to cross north were unable to do so because the checkpoint remained closed off. A number of them reversed their cars and headed for the Strovilia crossing instead.

Pandechis said the situation was resolved after talks between the protestors and the north’s ‘Interior Minister’ Ozkan Murat who arrived and promised to solve the problem as soon as possible.
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