STOLEN PROPERTY?

"HUMAN RIGHTS?" Exclaims the Greek Cypriot woman. "WHERE ARE MY HUMAN RIGHTS?" Her story is one of many recurring stories we have been hearing for many years now. Having owned land prior to the Turkish invasion, this woman now cannot accept that her land is being sold on to British/other foreign property buyers in the unrecognised North - ''Guney Kibris" in Turkish. And should she? Should she accept this? Is it not her land in the first place? What gives these property buyers the right to buy this land.

The Turkish military forces occupied the North in 1974- A fact that it is impossible NOT to know if you are even thinking of moving to Cyprus It is a fact that has framed the image of Cyprus to the foreign eye since it happened. Whenever a foreigner thinks of Cyprus they think, 'Which part?' 'The (so called) Turkish Part or Greek Part?' At least this is what I am always asked by English people whenever the subject of my origin comes up in conversation. It is so important for them to mention the fact that Cyprus is now divided, or to show that they know Cyprus is a divided island. So why then do these same people claim human rights to their land ownership when they buy land in Northern Cyprus which belongs to a Greek Cypriot.

Hey, British buyer, It is not like you went to Northern Cyprus oblivious to the fact that it is an area occupied by Turkish military forces and recognised solely by Turkey. For God's sake you've been raving on about the fact that we are divided.......flaunting your knowledge on the issue....so why now do you refuse to understand that this land belonged to somebody who fled due to military invasion. You claim it was given to a Turkish Cypriot after the invasion who subsequently sold it to you, and so now you feel it belongs to you? And you hope no one will bat an eye-lid.

Put it this way......if you were walking down the road one day and you happened to run into somebody offering to sell you a wallet with £ 1000 Stirling in it. You had earlier heard of somebody's wallet being stolen with exactly £1000 inside. This person offers to sell it to you for a fraction of the price, and you, knowing it is stolen, buy it anyway. Is it now yours? Did you not go into the situation knowing the whole history of the situation? If a police officer or the owner of the wallet now tracks you down and accuses you of wrong doing and demands the wallet back, or ownership of the wallet....who is in the wrong, you or them?