FAMAGUSTA Police yesterday confirmed that five British tourists, staying at the Capo Maris Hotel in Protaras, had two warning shots fired over their heads while cruising in a speedboat.
The incident occurred late afternoon on Wednesday, when Ian Stanley 45, hired a speedboat and took his partner and their three children on a pleasure cruise. Pamela Strong, 30, was carrying her 18-month old baby Rose when the shots were fired. Fortunately, no one in the party, which also included two girls aged 11 and 6, was injured.
Police confirmed that the tourists had mistakenly crossed the UN security line and entered into Turkish occupied waters but had already turned the boat around and were heading back when the shots were fired. The frightened party immediately reported the incident to police and UN officials.
Phili Katsouris, Director of Tourism at the Cyprus Tourist Organisation (CTO) immediately carried out an investigation into the incident. He believed the incursion had occurred because “they were travelling too fast and couldn’t stop the boat in time.”
Glafcos Cariolou, Manager of Larnaca Marina, confirmed that the speedboat had been rented from Capo Maris Watersports and said he had been assured by the management that all boats were fitted with a prominent warning on the steering wheel clearly stating that they risked being shot at if they crossed into Turkish controlled waters.
Katsouris was clearly concerned by the incident, which comes so soon after three incidents of Legionnaires’ Disease were reported in Paphos last month. With tourist numbers currently lower than last year’s figures and fears expressed about late bookings boosting numbers by the end of the season, this incident is another untimely blow to Cypriot tourism.
“These shots were not just fired at the tourists but also at Cypriot tourism,” added Katsouris.
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.
