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An alarming increase in Covid-19 cases in Famagusta district
An alarming 59 cases of Covid-19 were reported in the country yesterday, the majority of them from the Famagusta district. 26 cases were reported in Famagusta. A taxi driver and two municipal workers in Geçitkale (Lefkoniko) all of whom came into contact with a large number of people tested positive, raising the alarm.
People concerned with the surge in positive coronavirus cases in Famagusta
48 locally transmitted, 59 positive coronavirus cases identified in 6075 PCR tests carried out in the last 24 hours. 26 out of the 48 cases were identified in Famagusta, raising concerns among the people. 19 positive cases were identified in the Nicosia district and three in Kyrenia. 46 people were discharged from the hospital after recovering from coronavirus.
- President Ersin Tatar: “There would not have been a single Turkish Cypriot left if the TMT had not been established” – Tatar responded to Greek Cypriot Nicos Anastasiades, who accused the Turkish Resistance Fighters (TMT) of being a terrorist organisation.
N/A due to lockdown
N/A due to lockdown
Main News
Tatar grills Anastasiades over EOKA remarks
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Diyalog, Avrupa
Negotiations Process
OVERVIEW
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar has called on the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades to stop defending EOKA, arguing that his statements on the TMT (Turkish Cypriot Resistance Fighters’) were proof that the Greek Cypriot mindset had not changed.
In a written statement issued from his office, Tatar said that contrary to Anastasiades’ claims, the TMT was established to defend the Turkish Cypriots from militia attacks carried out by EOKA. “It is frightening to see Mr Anastasiades displaying respect and admiration to EOKA terrorists that had transformed the island into a blood bath with their attacks,” Tatar said.
He argued that as Anastasiades continues to promote EOKA, enmity towards Turkish Cypriots in the south escalates creating the pretext for fanatics to carry out attacks against mosques and other places of importance for Turkish Cypriots.
“In our viewpoint, EOKA is a terrorist organization, and we will continue to say so,” Tatar said, stressing that the Turkish Cypriots will never forget the atrocities carried out against them by members of EOKA.
Tatar also claimed that the Greek Cypriot side, with its demands for the withdrawal of Turkish troops and the annulment of Turkey’s guarantees, wants to leave the Turkish Cypriots unprotected. “We will never leave the Turkish Cypriots to the mercy of Greek Cypriot terrorist organisations,” Tatar said, adding that the Turkish Cypriots will not give up on their sovereignty, freedom and Turkey’s effective guarantees on the island.
Tatar gave the same messages in support of state and sovereignty earlier in the day during a ceremony held to remember the north’s first prime minister Mustafa Çağatay.
Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades who attended a service at the Cathedral of St John last week paid tribute to EOKA fighters and the struggle they waged. “April 1 is one of the most glorious pages – after March 25th, the uprising of the Greek nation – of Cypriot Hellenism. A landmark day against colonialism, but also in claiming the right to self-determination,” he said.
Doctors to strike against freezing of cost-of-living increment
Yenidüzen, Kıbrıs, Diyalog, Avrupa
Governance & Power Sharing
OVERVIEW
Trade unions in the north are up-in-arms over the coalition government’s latest decision to freeze the cost-of-living increment that is calculated monthly and paid to public servants every 6 months. The latest decision had made matters for the pandemic-stricken Turkish Cypriot economy as the value of the Turkish Lira against major foreign currencies continues to erode.
The government had already slashed the ten per cent increase the public sector was set to receive in January citing the lack of revenues due to the lockdown.
While the majority of trade unions are getting ready to stage a massive protest on Thursday, April 8, TIP-İŞ (Turkish Cypriot Doctors’ Union) announced they will launch an indefinite strike on Monday, April 5 until the government reverses its decision.
Not only are doctors demanding that the government annual its decision to suspend the cost-of-living increments until August, but they are also calling on the health ministry to speed up the process to hire new doctors. Other demands include the resumption of free meals for doctors at the frontline in the fight against Covid-19 and the payment of overdue overtime payments.
Meanwhile, the tourism professionals who have been anxiously waiting for the government to relax the measures on the tourism sector, announced they will be staging a hunger strike as of Monday. The tourism professionals, in a statement issued on Saturday, said they will launch their protest outside the Prime Ministry on Monday and called on every tourism sector worker to support them.