BURIAL SPACES ‘RUNNING OUT’

SPACE at the International Cemetery in Girne is running out, a new report has warned, following a “substantial increase” in the number of funerals of foreign citizens in North Cyprus.

The warning was made by Tommy Rognmo in his last annual report as chairman of the Cemetery Sub-Committee of The Foreign Residents (TFR) before stepping down from the post.

According to the report, the committee’s members organised a total of 34 funerals during the period September 2021 to September 2022, compared to 24 in the previous 12 months and 16 in 2019/2020.

The majority of the burials in the latest reporting period – 22 – were at the Lapta International Cemetery while the other 12 took place at the International Cemetery in Girne. Only a few of the deceased had been members of the TFR, Mr Rognmo noted.

“It seems that many deaths occur during the first months of the year and this year was no exception with half of the funerals being arranged in February and March,” Mr Rognmo stated.

He said the deceased were “English, German, Nigerian, Russian, Swedish, Ukrainian” and also from Cyprus and the USA.

“In Girne, we are about to run out of places and the municipality in Girne must do something about this,” he stressed.

Mr Rognmo said he believes the increase in the number of annual deaths among foreign nationals will be an “ongoing trend” because an “increasing number of elderly foreigners are establishing themselves in the TRNC, often with underlying illnesses”.

He continued: “Many have no family to look after them and are completely dependent on voluntary help. I believe that the municipality should include the burial of foreigners in their municipal service.

“The municipalities should take greater responsibility for the funerals and burials of foreigners either by offering a public service or, more probably, through cooperation with the private sector.

“We cannot have a society where elderly pensioners have to volunteer and spend their time burying other foreigners.”

Mr Rognmo said that discussions should be held between the TFR Cemetery Sub-Committee and the British Cemetery Committee “about opening the Green Hill Cemetery to all foreigners”.

He added: “It is a relic from the British colonial era that there exists today a British cemetery where only British passport holders can be buried.”

Mr Rognmo also said the TRNC authorities should be “encouraged to consider building a crematorium, in line with the rest of Europe”, explaining that “cremation is now the most popular form of disposal for Europeans, and will also save a lot of space in cemeteries”.

In the meantime, he said that Girne Municipality “must provide new burial sites for foreigners and the expansion of the cemetery”.

The annual report highlighted how the TFR Cemetery Sub-Committee has also had to organise funerals for university students from overseas “because the next of kin/fellow students had nowhere else to turn to”.

“I believe that the universities must take greater responsibility for the burial of their students,” Mr Rognmo said.

“In the same way that pensioners should not be burdened with arranging funerals for fellow expats, students should not be left to organise the burial of a fellow student.”

‘24-HOUR SERVICE’

Providing more details about the work of the committee, Mr Rognmo described the work as “specialised” and involving “physical contact with the bodies of the deceased as well as contact with the next of kin”.

“There is, therefore, a need for knowledge regarding transmission of infection, how to lift/ move a body and empathetic communication,” he said.

“The committee offers its service 24 hours a day, all year round. In addition to organising the actual burials, the committee oversees the cemeteries in order to ensure they are kept tidy and looking good.

“This year. . . in Girne we have made repairs and put up crosses on the graves where there has been no family to take care of them.

“In Lapta and Karaman we have had a general clear-up. In general, there is still a need for more work that should be carried out on a more regular basis in all the cemeteries.

“In Lapta, the municipality owns the cemetery and the committee pays £500 to the municipality for each burial. The municipality should, therefore, keep the cemetery in good condition at all times.

“Likewise, I would recommend that Girne Municipality should maintain the International Cemetery and be encouraged to include the cemetery in the municipality’s cleanliness plan for parks, streets and public areas.”

Announcing that he is stepping down from the “demanding position” of chairman of the TFR Cemetery Sub-Committee after “15 years of voluntary service to the community”, Mr Rognmo added: “I would like to thank all who assist with burials. It is not always an easy task to undertake, it takes courage and strength.”

He also thanked Girne and Lapta municipalities “for all their support and help during 2021/22”.