'We live in a ghetto'

VILLAGES within the British bases (SBA) jurisdiction yesterday accused the administration of violating their human rights by placing restrictions on how they could develop of their land.
The accusations were made during a House Commerce Committee visit to the villages inside SBA Dhekelia.

The local authorities of Ormidhia, Xylotymbou, Xylophagou and Dasaki Achnas conceded that in certain cases the SBA authorities responded to their demands and helped in the setting up of farming or cottage industry zones as well infrastructure projects.

But, they said, the authorities would not allow the partition of land to a satisfactory degree and banned the sale of plots for the building of houses as well as the sale of homes and flats to non-permanent residents, the authorities said.

They said the limitations deprived of their basic right to enjoy their property and restricted the area's development in general, making residents feel they lived in a ghetto.

The bases civil commander Kyriacos Demetriades agreed that there were some restrictions concerning housing development and industrial and tourist development were not allowed for security reasons and to keep the population within the SBA down.

Interior Ministry representative Solonas Savva noted that the Treaty of Establishment gave the SBA authorities the right to place restrictions on tourist and industrial development.

He hastened to add that after the island's accession to the European Union there should not be any restrictions to the residents' right to freely enjoy their property on an equal basis with other citizens of the island.

DISY deputy George Tassou listed a series of complaints, especially from Xylophagou, which, among others, concerned constant "annoying" police checks on residents and the insufficient compensation paid for damages done by British troops during exercises.

Committee chairman Lefteris Christophorou said the committee would continued discussion of the matter in 15 days with the participation of local authorities of villages inside SBA Episkopi.