Tillyria has not forgotten what happened on that dark morning of August 8, 1964.
A day when the Turkish Air Force sowed havoc and destruction, leaving behind 55 dead, dozens of wounded, and burning homes—people who watched as napalm bombs set an entire area ablaze.
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Today is a day of remembrance and tribute to those who have passed away, and a day that brings back memories for those who lived through it as young children during that turbulent period.
READ ALSO: “The Beginning of the Ordeal”: 62 Years Since the Deadly Turkish Bombings in Tillyria
For the residents of Tillyria, beyond the painful memories of the past, the present is just as harsh, with the region under blockade.
“After 62 years, the problems are many. The abandonment is evident; four villages in the area have already been virtually wiped out.”
Festive Celebrations
Today is a day of celebration, and as happens every year, dozens of buses carrying 1,250 Turkish Cypriots passed through the Limnitis roadblock this morning, escorted by the United Nations, and headed for the Kokkina enclave.
There, in the presence of Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, the annual events commemorating the so-called “Kokkina Resistance” took place.
SEE ALSO: Bombings of Tillyria: “Celebrations” with 1,250 Turkish Cypriots in Kokkina
“First and foremost, I commemorate with respect, gratitude, and deep emotion the heroic fallen who lost their lives during the Resistance in Kokkina, as well as all those who lost their lives in the Turkish Cypriot people’s struggle for existence and survival.”
He added that “It is our duty to build the future without forgetting the hardships of the past.”
The ceremony was also attended by former Turkish Cypriot leaders, Ersin Tatar and Mehmet Ali Talat, and a reenactment was held of the illegal smuggling of ammunition into Tillyria prior to the occupation of the Kokkina Enclave.
Watch Giorgos Chrysanthos’s report:
