The “mayor” of occupied Kyrenia, Murat Sengul, announced that security measures have been stepped up and “municipal police” patrols increased, following public outcry in the occupied areas over an attempted sexual assault on a young girl at a public beach. Work has also begun on studying permanent security measures for the beaches next year, he said.
Turkish Cypriot websites yesterday published video of the moment a man attempted to sexually assault the girl during the day. Other people at the beach intervened immediately, detaining the man and handing him to “municipal police,” who passed him to “police.” He was then brought before a “court” and remanded in custody.
In a post today, carried by Turkish Cypriot media, Sengul said these measures are not a permanent solution. The real solution, he said, lies in a complete overhaul of “state authority.” He added that it is necessary to know where people coming to the occupied areas for work or holiday are, and what they are doing, throughout their stay.
No one should be allowed to remain illegally in the “pseudo-state,” he continued. He said around 10,000 people had benefited from a recent immigration amnesty, a figure he said indicates that at least 10,000 people were living in the country illegally during the amnesty period.
Sengul also noted that, due to the growing and changing population, the number of criminal incidents may be higher than in the past, and that politicians should not expect the current situation to resolve on its own, citing examples from other countries.
Cyprus is a small island, he added, and if the political leadership takes the necessary steps, it can once again become one of the safest and most peaceful places in the world.
“This is our home, we have to solve the problems here,” he said, adding that there is nowhere else to go.
(Information from Cyprus News Agency)
