RESIDENTS of Asgata village, in the Limassol district, were up in arms yesterday on seeing military trucks laden with munitions cut through their community in the early morning hours.
The ordnance was being transported to an army camp near Asgata. It consisted of an unknown quantity of Bofors 50 mm anti-aircraft shells.
The National Guard said later that the trucks had planned to bypass the village using byroads, but as these were closed the vehicles had to double back and cross the village’s main street on their way to the camp – ruining the military’s incognito operation.
Local residents quickly figured out what was happening; they rushed to the nearby army camp, blocking its entrance to stop the trucks from offloading their cargo there.
No disturbances occurred, although the standoff at the camp’s entrance lasted several hours. Residents finally agreed to step aside and let the trucks inside after a brigadier-general assured them no more munitions would be brought there.
The Defence Ministry said the ordnance was obsolete and inert, and posed no danger whatsoever. It said the munitions, previously stored at an army depot in Palodhia, were being transferred there for temporary storage.
The shells would stay in the area for about three months before being taken to various firing ranges to be destroyed.
The destruction of this ordnance cannot take place immediately as it has to follow a schedule.
Sources in the military said the munitions would not be kept inside the army camp at Asgata, but in pits dug into the mountainous terrain, at a safe distance from inhabited areas.
In late July, the National Guard destroyed thousands of Bofors 40mm rounds that were deemed dangerous and were being stored at an army depot in the village of Palodhia.
The shells transported to Asgata yesterday were of a 50mm caliber, “useless and inactive,” Defence Ministry spokesperson Aliki Stylianou said.
These munitions also came from the depot in Palodhia.
Asked why the military did not inform the local community of the transfer beforehand, Stylianou said there was no need for it in this case, which was a routine operation involving the transport of inert munitions for storage purposes only.
The scheduled transportation of a second consignment of munitions to the Asgata camp has been put on hold. It is not clear what the second cargo consists of.
A meeting between the Defence Minister and the municipal councillors of Asgata takes place today to clear up the air. MPs serving on the House Defence Committee have also been invited. The Defence Minister will be explaining that the munitions earmarked for storage in the area pose no danger.
DISY deputy Andreas Michaelides, who visited the site, said locals were justifiably on edge after the events of July 11.
Makis Christou, community leader of Asgata, said that residents fear for their safety as well as that of the soldiers serving in the nearby camp.
He said that five days ago the municipality – which had heard rumours the ordnance was on its way to Asgata – sent a letter to the Defence Minister asking to confirm this information.
There was no reply, Christou said.
Local residents had apparently been tipped off about the munitions transfer but did not know the exact date. Their misgivings were fuelled by the lack of a response from the military.
Sources in the military claimed that due to “red tape” Christou’s letter did not reach the Defence Minister until yesterday.
Had the Defence Minister received the letter in time, he would have explained to the community leaders that the munitions posed no risks and cleared up the matter before yesterday’s “muddle,” the same sources said.
