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thebrix
Mukhtar/is
Joined: 19 Aug 2005
Posts: 526
Location: London, United Kingdom
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| Kifeas wrote: |
Ok Erol, in principle I fully agree with you. Who do you suggest should pay out compensation to all those that lost loved ones?
During the period between 1963 –1968, it is estimated that about 700-750 Turkish Cypriots lost their lives and about 300-350 Greek Cypriots. During and after the invasion of 1974, about 600-650 Turkish Cypriots lost their lives and about 5,000 Greek Cypriots (including around 1,500 service men and around 1,500 on the missing list) lost their lives. I do not include in this figure those 300-350 Greek Cypriots who lost their lives during the coup and I also do no naturally count the around 2,000 Turkish troops that got killed during the invasion.
Who should pay the Turkish Cypriots and who should pay the Greek Cypriots?
PS: I also have two uncles and 3 cousins (2 first cousins and 1 second,) who got killed in Lapithos, Karavas and Kyrenia. |
Neither!
There are plenty of precedents for funds which are contributed to by that vague but useful entity "the international community" and overseen by a disinterested body. For example The International Fund for Ireland, which helps rebuild after (IMO) an utterly pointless 30 years of quasi-civil war.
There are also precedents for disinterested compensation for deaths and injuries in acts of war. For example, the UN Compensation Commission, although it is worrying it took 7 years to set up and is still going 15 years after the events it triggered.
As someone who was entirely ignorant of the issues discussed by this forum until a few years ago the sheer scale of death and destruction, and their legacy, still amazes me :(
Alastair |
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Alexandros Lordos
Site Admin
Joined: 19 Aug 2005
Posts: 324
Location: Cyprus/Greece
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| erolz wrote: |
So if we imagine a senario where monetary compensation is to be paid for use of property and by 'beneficiaries' of that use of property, this would mean a finaical burden on my Aunt. Yet I would argue that , her pain and suffering, her emotional distress and the hardships she and her children suffered from losing her husband in 64 far outweigh the emotional distress of those Greek Cypriot who lost use of the property she now lives in. Yet under such a system of compensation that you suggest, that includes compensation for 'emotional distress', she would end up will a bill to compensate others for their 'emotional distress', whislt herself recieve nothing for her longer standing (and I respectfully suggest greater) 'emotional dsitress'. This to me seems grossly unfair.
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Erol,
I do not believe that monetary compensation should be paid by individuals. The Turkish Cypriot component state should compensate the Greek Cypriot who owned the house your aunt lives in, not your aunt. I hope it sounds less unfair in this way?
Anyway, do not underestimate the hardship caused by losing one's property - both the "practical" hardship of poverty, and the "emotional" hardship of "becoming unrooted".
As for monetary compensation for people who lost first degree relatives, I guess the way it could be done is:
1. We have "compensation for loss of use of property", as described above.
2. We also have "compensation for emotional distress", as a one-off payment to each refugee, but the level of this compensation will be higher for those who lost loved ones. |
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erolz
Site Admin
Joined: 11 Aug 2005
Posts: 4195
Location: Kyrenia / Girne
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| Alexandros Lordos wrote: |
I do not believe that monetary compensation should be paid by individuals. The Turkish Cypriot component state should compensate the Greek Cypriot who owned the house your aunt lives in, not your aunt. I hope it sounds less unfair in this way? |
Certianly it is less unfair to her as an indivdual. To the Turkish Cypriot community I am not so sure?
| Alexandros Lordos wrote: |
Anyway, do not underestimate the hardship caused by losing one's property - both the "practical" hardship of poverty, and the "emotional" hardship of "becoming unrooted".
As for monetary compensation for people who lost first degree relatives, I guess the way it could be done is:
1. We have "compensation for loss of use of property", as described above.
2. We also have "compensation for emotional distress", as a one-off payment to each refugee, but the level of this compensation will be higher for those who lost loved ones. |
I do not underestimate the hardship of becomming 'uprooted'. My Aunt alos became 'uprooted'. In 74 and I believe for some time in the period 63-68. So she lost her husband and was uprooted (more than once) and yet would appear to be a net 'payer' of compensation rather than reciever (either indivdualy or via her community)? It still feels like we care more for 'loss of property' than what indivduals actually suffered to me. I would also point out that the loss of her husband was not just and emotional loss. He was the families 'breadwinner'. He had a good job. My Aunt and her children have suffered real material economic loss through his murder as well as great emotional loss. It still feels to me that we are suffering from 'the squeeky wheel gets the oil' syndrome here 
I have always beleived that we need some form of Truth and Reconcillation comission in Cyprus. Some offical recognition of what my aunt suffered and why is I believe the only 'compensation' my aunt really wants. To know where his remains lie and to have it recongised that he was a good man, a respected man a peacful man and an innocent man and those that killed him were nothing more than murdering thugs. |
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Dhavlos
Warnings : 1
Site Admin
Joined: 13 Aug 2005
Posts: 4697
Location: Birmingham
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i agree erol, a truth/reconciliation committee needs to be set up also. Im sorry to hear of what your aunti went through, and the continued suffering.
for people to be able ot put some emotional arguemtn aside, and to stop discussions getting stuck in a 'you did this' scenario, as it often does, a committee is needed, with accounts of people and then some kind of 'universal truth' will i hope emerge. A definitive history of what happened, rather than splintered accounts of what may be a mix of rumour and truth. It would need to be independant, an not sponsored by any party involved, Cyprus,Greece, Turkey, UK, USA etc... just the EU/UN etc...
Then im sure some kind of progress could be made on the cyprob, as people would know where they stand, what each community suffered/did and thus why they want what they want from a solution. |
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