An inquiry into how members of the Greek Cypriot diaspora of Australia have coped with the issue of the missing persons of Cyprus: an auto-ethnographical case study of relatives of missing persons from the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus

This thesis investigates how the Greek Cypriot Diaspora in Australia has been affected by the Missing Persons of Cyprus from the 1974 Turkish invasion. This Cyprus humanitarian issue involves up to 1,464 Greek Cypriot and 502 cases of Turkish Cypriot Missing Persons — both military personnel and civilians, including women and children. The Greek and Turkish leaders have met over the past four decades regarding the Missing Persons and a solution to this issue would greatly contribute to reconciliation on the island. This is still a current and ongoing international humanitarian problem. Ethnographic interviewing is used to explore relatives’ personal experience concerning their missing relatives. The thesis also has an intensely personal dimension, reflecting upon my family member’s own experiences and following their personal journeys of wanting to find their loved ones. Historical research also gives input into people’s experiences and circumstances so as to serve as a basis for recommending practical applications to somehow make improvements in our community. The dissertation gives a voice to the relatives of Missing Persons and explores their personal experiences of the Missing Persons of Cyprus,with the hope that it will generate a problem solving model to assist community decision makers with taking a more responsible role in dealing with the issue of Missing Persons in warfare and conflict. It explores issues such as experiences with authorities, psychological impact, opinions on how decision makers should have / could have resolved the issue decades earlier, and how things could be improved in today’s society in the 21st Century. One question the thesis raises is whether the relatives of Greek Cypriot Missing Persons had adequate support to cope with being victims of warfare and conflict. How international conflicts may be handled better in future?