From: sera@zuma.UUCP (Serdar Argic) Subject: An eyewitness account of how a Turkish family was butchered by... Reply-To: sera@zuma.UUCP (Serdar Argic) Distribution: world Lines: 167 In article <30930@galaxy.ucr.edu> raffi@watnxt08.ucr.edu (Raffi R Kojian) writes: >Another thing I find interesting when Turks whine about Armenians >taking control of their land is that Turkey is still occupying N. >Cyrus. How can you have the gall to even open your mouths about >Karabakh, until Turkish troops are completely out of the independent >island of Cyprus. No wonder you 'wieneramus' are in such a mess. Following the Greek Cypriot attempt to annex the island to Greece with the aid of the Greek army, Turkiye intervened by using her legal right given by two international agreements. Turkiye did it for the frequently and conveniently forgotten people of the island, Turkish Cypriots. For those Turkish Cypriots whose grandparents have been living on the island since 1571. And the next is 'Karabag'. The people of Turkiye know quite well that Greece and the Greek Cypriots will never abandon the idea of hellenizing Cyprus and will remain eternally hopeful of uniting it with Greece, someday, whatever the cost to the parties involved. The history speaks for itself. Greece was the sole perpetrator of invasion on that island when it sent its troops on July 15, 1974 in an attempt to topple the legitimate government of Archibishop Makarios. The release of Nikos Sampson, a member of EOKA [National Organization of Cypriot Fighters] and a convicted terrorist, shows that the 'enosis' mentality continues to survive in Greece. One should not forget that Sampson dedicated his life to annihilating the Turks in Cyprus, committed murder to achieve this goal, and tried to destroy the island's independence by annexing it to Greece. Of course, the Greek governments will have to bear the consequences for this irresponsible conduct. THE MUSEUM OF BARBARISM 2 Irfan Bey Street, Kumsal Area, Nicosia, Cyprus It is the house of Dr. Nihat Ilhan, a major who was serving at the Cyprus Turkish Army Contingent. During the attacks launched against the Turks by the Greeks, on 20th December 1963, Dr. Nihat Ilhan's wife and three children were ruthlessly and brutally killed in the bathroom, where they had tried to hide, by savage Greeks. Dr. Nihat Ilhan happened to be on duty that night, the 24th December 1963. Pictures reflecting Greek atrocities committed during and after 1963 are exhibited in this house which has been converted into a museum. AN EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNT OF HOW A TURKISH FAMILY WAS BUTCHERED BY GREEK TERRORISTS The date is the 24th of December, 1963... The onslaught of the Greeks against the Turks, which started three days ago, has been going on with all its ferocity; and defenseless women, old men and children are being brutally killed by Greeks. And now Kumsal Area of Nicosia witnesses the worst example of the Greeks savage bloodshed... The wife and the three infant children of Dr. Nihat Ilhan, a major on duty at the camp of the Cyprus Turkish Army Contingent, are mercilessly and dastardly shot dead while hiding in the bathroom of their house, by maddened Greeks who broke into their home. A glaring example of Greek barbarism. Let us now listen to the relating of the said incident told by Mr. Hasan Yusuf Gudum, an eye witness, who himself was wounded during the same terrible event. "On the night of the 24th of December, 1963 my wife Feride Hasan and I were paying a visit to the family of Major Dr. Nihat Ilhan. Our neighbours Mrs. Ayshe of Mora, her daughter Ishin and Mrs. Ayshe's sister Novber were also with us. We were all sitting having supper. All of a sudden bullets from the Pedieos River direction started to riddle the house, sounding like heavy rain. Thinking that the dining-room where we were sitting was dangerous, we ran to the bathroom and toilet which we thought would be safer. Altogether we were nine persons. We all hid in the bathroom except my wife who took refuge in the toilet. We waited in fear. Mrs. Ilhan the wife of Major Doctor, was standing in the bath with her three children Murat, Kutsi and Hakan in her arms. Suddenly with a great noise we heard the front door open. Greeks had come in and were combing, every corner of the house with their machine gun bullets. During these moments I heard voices saying, in Greek, "You want Taksim eh!" and then bullets started flying in the bathroom. Mrs. Ilhan and her three children fell into the bath. They were shot. At this moment the Greeks, who broke into the bathroom, emptied their guns on us again. I heard one of the Major's children moan, then I fainted. When I came to myself 2 or 3 hours later, I saw Mrs. Ilhan and her three children lying dead in the bath. I and the rest of the neighbours in the bathroom were all seriously wounded. But what had happened to my wife? Then I remembered and immediately ran to the toilet, where, in the doorway, I saw her body. She was brutally murdered. In the street admist the sound of shots I heard voices crying "Help, help. Is there no one to save us?" I became terrified. I thought that if the Greeks came again and found that I was not dead they would kill me. So I ran to the bedroom and hid myself under the double-bed. An our passed by. In the distance I could still hear shots. My mouth was dry, so I came out from under the bed and drank some water. Then I put some sweets in my pocket and went back to the bathroom, which was exactly as I had left in an hour ago. There I offered sweets to Mrs. Ayshe, her daughter and Mrs. Novber who were all wounded. We waited in the bathroom until 5 o'clock in the morning. I thought morning would never come. We were all wounded and needed to be taken to hospital. Finally, as we could walk, Mrs. Novber and I, went out into the street hoping to find help, and walked as far as Koshklu Chiftlik. There, we met some people who took us to hospital where we were operated on. When I regained my consciousness I said that there were more wounded in the house and they went and brought Mrs. Ayshe and her daughter. After staying three days in the hospital I was sent by plane to Ankara for further treatment. There I have had four months treatment but still I cannot use my arm. On my return to Cyprus, Greeks arrested me at the Airport. All I have related to you above I told the Greeks during my detention. They then released me." ON FOOT INTO CYPRUS'S DEVASTATED TURKISH QUARTER We went tonight into the sealed-off Turkish quarter of Nicosia in which 200 to 300 people have been slaughtered in the last five days. We were the first Western reporters there, and we saw some terrible sights. In the Kumsal quarter at No. 2, Irfan Bey Sokagi, we made our way into a house whose floors were covered with broken glass. A child's bicycle lay in a corner. In the bathroom, looking like a group of waxworks, were three children piled on top of their murdered mother. In a room next to it we glimpsed the body of a woman shot in the head. This, we were told, was the home of a Turkish Army major whose family had been killed by the mob in the first violence. Today was five days later, and still they lay there. Rene MacCOLL and Daniel McGEACHIE, (From the "DAILY EXPRESS") "...I saw in a bathroom the bodies of a mother and three infant children murdered because their father was a Turkish Officer..." Max CLOS, LE FIGARO 25-26 January, 1964 Serdar Argic 'We closed the roads and mountain passes that might serve as ways of escape for the Turks and then proceeded in the work of extermination.' (Ohanus Appressian - 1919) 'In Soviet Armenia today there no longer exists a single Turkish soul.' (Sahak Melkonian - 1920)