Immigrants claim they were shot at by Turks

THE 17 illegal immigrants arrested on Tuesday trying to cross over from the north told police during questioning that they had been shot at by Turkish troops, according to media reports yesterday.

Thirteen of the immigrants were arrested by British bases police at Dhekelia while four others were found by Aradippou police sitting under a tree. According to the state broadcaster, the 17 had come from Syria by boat on Monday, paying $2,600 each to a human trafficker. Three men picked them up when they arrived in the north and took them to Achna village where one of the men, reportedly Turkish, stayed to help them across.

According to unconfirmed reports, Turkish troops at an Achna sentry post spotted them and started firing shots. The immigrants immediately scrambled, most entered the British bases, others the government-controlled areas from where they were subsequently arrested. No injuries were reported.

State broadcaster CyBC said the alleged trafficker from Turkey was remanded in custody for eight days yesterday by Famagusta District Court in connection with the illegal trafficking of migrants.

British bases spokesman Dennis Barnes said he had no information on the 13 arrests made by bases police or on shots reportedly fired near the British military bases.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.