Who is responsible? I was at a funeral this morning. A funeral that was late for 43 years.?

Question

On 11 May, 1964, six Turkish Cypriots were kidnapped from work, home etc., taken to a place called Protaras, near Famagusta in Cyprus. They were shot dead and buried in a well. Their families waited for decades. They had children, little babies, who do not remember their fathers. After 43 years their bones were found. After DNA tests, identified and given to their families. One of those daughters who was 7 months old at the time happens to be my best friend. I was at the funeral this morning.
I believe Tasos Papadopoulos knew all about this and was at least partly responsible for it. Does he feel any pain or guilt?
Similar events are taking place on both sides of Cyprus. Isn't it enough that people have suffered such pain? When are we going to learn to live together?

Tasos Papadopoulos was one of the designers and leaders of the infamous Akritas Plan in 1963-64 which aimed to annihilate all Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus. He is now the President.

Please read the last paragraph again. I did not insult nor accuse any nation or people. Someone said "6" Turkish Cypriots. This is just one incident of many. We all know so many similar tragic and vulgar events took place on both sides against both communities. If some of you still want to believe that I am a nationalist or a provocator, well I can't help that. I am just stating one example and expressing my sorrow.

Answer 1

First of all,to my Greek friends here,I don't think this question is meant to insult anyone.At the end of the question it stands there for everyone to read:"Similar events are taking place on both sides of Cyprus".The question isn't posted to provoke,or to insult,it's just a way of releasing the pain after such an event.I don't understand either why people must kill other people,regardless of their nationality.The death of human being should always shock and make us sad,it is not normal and we should never never see it as something normal.something that happens,or else we are losing our humanity.At the end of the day,it doesn't matter that Turks killed Cypriots and that Cypriots killed Turks,the only thing that should matter is that humans killed humans.And that after all these years it still goes on,not only in Cyprus but all over the world.And it is hard to believe how man,the smartest animal of this world,the one with the most possibilities is the only living being on this planet killing his kind,not for food but sometimes even for fun.It's sad,and the death of every human should make us sad and feel bad,no matter what happened.
P.S Leonarda,my friend,it is possible to check DNA through the children,they share their parents DNA,it's the same method as in paternity tests.Just saying this to clear your doubts.

Answer 2

It is really sad. Any human loss. For both sides.

But let me give you some more info on this (also for Leonarda):

It happens that I have participated in several DNA sequencing projects and tests during the past 15 years (also for the Greek army). Briefly the procedure is to isolate mitochondrial DNA from the bone samples, derive the genetic sequence and subsequently compare it to that found from the blood of the mothers and relatives. Unlike the genomic DNA, the mitochondrial DNA is only inherited from the mother and thus, it is transfered unaltered from generation to generation.

I don't want to describe further the details. The procedure is neither "easy" nor straightforward. Yet, my impression on this matter is that both sides (Greeks and Turks) attempt to "massage" the truth and occasionally get biased. In the great majority of the cases, the bone samples given to the families are "symbolic" and have nothing to do with the real victims which rarely get identified (especially for those very old samples you describe, this situation is almost the rule). Subsequently, the military files reports with statements such as : "the genomic profile "XD456" demonstrated ~57% sequence similarity to the blood sample "FG2321" suggesting a genetic association between the two independent samples. What do you call "identification" is actually a probability of 57% and is open to interpretations whether sometimes this is even 20%.... This is not always intentional but often arises from predictions we need to do as the DNA quality of a 40-year old sample is rarely intact. That is: WE -not the DNA samples- draw the line of what is called "similar", or "different".

When it comes to science, no reasonable person ever trusts the military reports. Because this is what these are. Ever remember the evidence for the weapons of mass destruction in IRAQ? hmm..

These people were lost. And that is a fact. For the rest of your statements, allow me the benefit of doubt...

Answer 3

And Turkish Cypriots were used by the British as a force against Greek Cypriots. Isn't this right too?
SO:
Go on, all of you, playing the roles that the Seven Sisters have imposed, making you scratch the wounds of the past , bring back the Constantinople/Istambul issue of 1453 once more, feel alive by living in the past, and ignore the ecological catastrophy which we are all already suffering.
IN TEN YEARS NEITHER GREECE NOR TURKIYE WILL STILL EXIST, the way you know them, and you'll be all looking for some drops of water and some shelter to give a short extention to your tortured existance.
If still living, I'd like to listen to you still arguing about 1453...Istambul/Constantinople will be already underwater, conquered by the fish....Smyrna, Limassol, Famagusta, Pireaus, Salonica too...
I guess now I am entitled to feel sorry for Venice, which is not still in conflict with Austria....

Answer 4

The fact is people will seldom understand what the pains those families go through. Still ur small friend who has just seen the world will be in a state of rude shock of her life, and it would be worse if the interp-retation given to her is wrong.

The press wants their share of publicity. The politicians theirs and the police and army their, and in their egos the people get crushed in their life.

If u time and a group of 10 to 20 people who can work it, just expose a couple of politicians or known corrupt people, then the rate of crime can come down.

I have done, we lost some money in the process, in communication,travelling and others but the satisfasction we have got is much more than the money that has been spent, and still the best past is the injustice has been reduced, to a small extent.

Answer 5

First you are asking a question and then you 'answer' it the way you believe is true.
You are trying very hard to start a dispute and then you pretend that you want peace (Quote: "When are we going to learn to live together?"). Make up your mind!

Basically you are just looking for an idiot who will repeat your biased views in order to get Best Answer.

PS: I am wondering who you will choose for best answer
My condolences to your friend.
Last week I was at the funeral of a relative who was missing since 1974.

Answer 6

I dont want to be mean, just honest here. I think as long as we are given the will to do as we please we will turn dark. Especially in Tasos's case. I am SO very sorry for her loss and my condolences to her!
This is a great ethics debate because on one hand you can argue that if we take away free will we will be at peace...but if you read Farenheit 451 free will is taken away and yet battles are waged.
On the other hand if we give to MUCH freedom we are to likely to commit unrational acts. Im not going to be lenghtly with this tho I could but I can only ask that the best thing you can do is be by her side as she needs you. This my friend is what TRUE life is about (frienship and unconditional love)

Answer 7

you can't just say about tassos papadopoulos, because you don't know the exact facts.. i don't say that i do, but you can't be sure about anything,, in school this year, we had a teacher who told us that in 1985(i think), there was a truck with greek identity numbers on it ,that was coming back from Iraq..in its way back the drivers were stopped in the middle of their journey by some turk road workers and were told that they should take another path to get on the subway, because they were repairing the road..they asked them for some water and when they went to bring some, the truck drivers heard some workers talking in greek..! they went there and asked them what was going on and the workers told them that they were cypriots that were taken from cyprus in 1974 (agnooumenoi tis katoxis tou 1974!!!!), and were hold in a prison in turkey..the drivers run away and they got to greece they went to the police and the ministry, and when they went at that prison, the prisoners were no longer there..that means that there are many things that not many people know about..they have done many horrible things to us and when i hear about ''greek-turkish friendship'', it makes me wanna puke..!!!

Answer 8

It should not have happened; sadly enough, it happened.
Amongst so many other atrocities; amongst them historically in Crete in Arcadia and Milatos where 5.000 children & woman were killed in monastry & caves, it should not have happened.
On Cyprus, Anastasios Isaac and Solomos Solomou should not have been slaughtered by Grey Wolves in August 1996 on what is called the demarcation line..
We can go on and on, and indeed, your final question 'how to learn to live together' is the biggest challenge; not bringing up athrocities out of the far or near history.

Answer 9

I am sure things like that have taken place on both sides. Thousands of Greek Cypriots are still "missing" (obviously murdered and unaccounted for in 1974), as are the Turkish Cypriots you mentioned. And of course the people who did the murders on both sides are still alive, but they won't speak. Isn't it certain that Denktas knows exactly what happened to the missing persons in 1974? But they won't tell, because this way they would have to admit their crimes.

Answer 10

What about Greeks?What about us?

My family used to live in Smyrni and they were all kicked out in 1922-1924 ( and I say 2 years cause that is the real fact) !
Our houses were burned, innocent people have been killed,
members of my family that we never heard again for them,
things like land, houses, personal things that we never found...
And people that we want to make a funeral and do not have their bones...Even pictures of them....At least they had the chance to honour their family...

Answer 11

I am sorry for your loss, Mustafa abi. I am also very sorry to see how many people that I tought who are intelligent enough to understand your point and your agony , preferred not to understand but to share their centuries long dispute.

I see people who think peace is not possible between our two nations. I get the feeling that they don't prefer it since I only witness efforts to tear down what ever is achieved but no efforts to maintain it.. Which is fine, not agreed but respected. We can't force anybody to like us now, can we?

Meanwhile, I want to ask who remember what happened in Turkey August 17, 1999 and September 1999 in Athens..

Let me refresh your memories: over 40.000 people died in Turkey and more than 100 lives are lost in Athens..

It will happen again, the scientists are predicting a very short period.

Does that remind you that none of us immortal?




NOTE TO ZIGGY:

I am one of Angelo's friends too. Just want to learn if you have any objections to it, or not.