LEFKOSA - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Information Department Director Sermed Emin said on Tuesday that sixteen Spanish journalists who had proceeded from the Greek Cypriot side to the TRNC with ''tourist'' visa on Monday and later were sent back to the Greek Cypriot side on charges of ''giving wrong information and holding illegal meeting'', did not have good intention and their aim was to ''start a clamor''.
Answering the A.A correspondent's questions about the issue, Emin said that it was a rule to apply to relevant authorities 48 hours before entering and exiting the Greek Cypriot side.
''Although these Spanish journalists did not make such applications, we allowed them to enter the TRNC from the Ledra Palace Border Gate. While, they were filling the forms at the border gate, they did not state that they are journalists. Moreover, they kidded the border gate personnel and they introduced them as 'priest, worker, teacher, professor'. They gave wrong information. Later, they visited the Kibris newspaper. They violated the rule and regulations by introducing them as 'tourists'. But they did things which are not done by tourists. They did not have good will intention. They wanted to start a clamor,'' he said.
Stressing that those journalists' attitude completely lacked good intention, Emin added, ''if you are a journalist, then you have to say that you are a journalist and you have to abide by the regulations.''