Van cemetery proves to be villagers’ hoax
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Anatolian News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 04, 2009 00:00
VAN - Two villagers have admitted to fabricating claims that a school was planned on a former Armenian cemetery in a village in the eastern province of Van. They said they invented the story because they did not want to be bothered by noisy children.
In an April 22 story, it was reported that an inquiry was launched after locals complained that a school was being built on land formerly used as an Armenian cemetery in the village of Aydınocak in Van.
The area was officially assigned to the village as pastureland, but some villagers alleged that it contained an Armenian cemetery. Aydınocak’s muhtar, or administrative head, Bahri Altıntaş, told the Anatolia news agency that the village was upset about the stories that bones were dug up in a school construction site.
"Two people from the village made the claim to journalists who came to the village. We approached them and asked them to repeat their claims to us. Both said they didn’t want a school to be built near their homes and that was why they made the claims," Altıntaş said. In the past, Muslims and Armenians used to live side by side, said the muhtar. "We respect all religions. We would never build a school on top of a cemetery," he said.
He said some stones that had crosses on them were found elsewhere and brought to the village, only to be shown as if they were dug up during the construction. One villager, Fehim Yurdagül, said reports on school construction had portrayed the village as anti-Armenian. "We respect all beliefs of not only Armenians but everyone. Villagers would never have allowed building on a cemetery," he said.
Previously, the local administrator of the wider region of Gevaş, Tahsin Aksu, had dismissed claims, explaining that the villagers had told him the bones that were buried there belonged to animals that died of a disease 50 years ago.
The area was officially assigned to the village as pastureland, but some villagers alleged that it contained an Armenian cemetery. Aydınocak’s muhtar, or administrative head, Bahri Altıntaş, told the Anatolia news agency that the village was upset about the stories that bones were dug up in a school construction site.
"Two people from the village made the claim to journalists who came to the village. We approached them and asked them to repeat their claims to us. Both said they didn’t want a school to be built near their homes and that was why they made the claims," Altıntaş said. In the past, Muslims and Armenians used to live side by side, said the muhtar. "We respect all religions. We would never build a school on top of a cemetery," he said.
He said some stones that had crosses on them were found elsewhere and brought to the village, only to be shown as if they were dug up during the construction. One villager, Fehim Yurdagül, said reports on school construction had portrayed the village as anti-Armenian. "We respect all beliefs of not only Armenians but everyone. Villagers would never have allowed building on a cemetery," he said.
Previously, the local administrator of the wider region of Gevaş, Tahsin Aksu, had dismissed claims, explaining that the villagers had told him the bones that were buried there belonged to animals that died of a disease 50 years ago.