Hkgspotter1 From Hong Kong, joined Nov 2005, 0 posts, RR: 1 Posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 13 hours ago) and read 1881 times:
FROM THE BBC !!
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UK tourists detained in Greece
The arrests came after an air show
By Paul Wood in Athens
Twelve British citizens have been arrested in Greece and may face charges of spying.
The twelve, eleven men and one woman, are being held in a jail in Kalamata, in the southern Peloponnese.
They are due to appear in court on Monday.
British diplomats in Athens are puzzled and, in the words of one source, deeply baffled as to the exact circumstances behind their detention.
They were arrested on Thursday, near the air base at Kalamata, where there had just been an air show.
'Film seized'
The original charge was taking photographs in a restricted area, although British officials are concerned that this has now been hardened to a charge of spying.
The group have told diplomats they didn't have cameras, only binoculars.
But Greek sources say that film has been seized, showing pictures of aircraft.
The 12 are being held in the local jail attached to the police station in Kalamata, where conditions are said to be good.
Their lawyer has reportedly expressed confidence that the whole affair will turn out to be a misunderstanding - plane-spotting gone wrong, and not a major spying scandal.
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Thats crazy, what the hell would the British be doing spying in Greece ???
GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 12735 posts, RR: 79 Reply 1, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 1530 times:
It's well known in the UK that airports in Greece do not welcome people hanging around and taking photos, so these clowns were warned.
For all their rather paranoid 'anti-terrorism' measures, the Greek security services have never arrested ONE terrorist in over 25 years.
Being British won't help these spotters, despite being a NATO member, the organisation is unpopular there.
Bluewhite From Hong Kong, joined Jul 2001, 330 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 1497 times:
I was in Greece in Sep. Binos were ok (i used small 8x30's) in the terminal and I peered around like a tourist. However, at Rhodes, when I took out a camera to snap a Yak42, I got yelled at by some security guy.
There is some military stuff there too, so maybe thats why. Heraklion (Crete) was OK and my car got moved on for stopping on the roadside, rather than for my spotting.
Discretion is key and a good memory to remember the reg's until you can write them down, I guess...
Tsully From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 651 posts, RR: 5 Reply 3, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 1471 times:
What's in Greece that's worth spying on?
Sounds like a big misunderstanding to me, but you can't be too careful anymore.
I love America. I guess that makes me Bush's poodle, but I'd rather be a dog in New York City than a prince in Riyadh.
LJ From Netherlands, joined Nov 1999, 4169 posts, RR: 1 Reply 4, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 1449 times:
This is why all spotters should keep a low profile and take extreme caution while doing their hobby. Don't forget we're at war at this moment and it's not strange that the military doesn't like spotters at this moment.
YKA From Netherlands, joined Sep 2001, 766 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 10 hours ago) and read 1439 times:
Why is the security always thoughest in the least developed countries? They likely dont have anything useful to offer to the proposed spy in the first place.
Flyinghighboy From Australia, joined Aug 2001, 744 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 1397 times:
Happened to me, I was on a BA flight from LGW to Athens, landed, since we had to go down stairs and walk to the terminal, I took a chance to take a photo of the 757 i was on. Looked nice so I took a snap shot, up comes running a guard telling me not to do it again. I guess I got lucky that I didn't have my camera taken off me but no one said anything about taking photos.
Though I guess i probably didn't hear properly on the plane but I remember hearing the captain saying that we weren't allowed to take photos of the country while flying over Greek airspace. Hmm, either i was a bit tired or he did say that.
Ceilidh From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 11, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 1398 times:
Remember that Turkey and Greece are still officially at war over Cyprus - this is the reason why there's all this security. That said, the Greeks have a very active terrorist organisation who, amongst others, have assassinated the British Military Attache - yet none have been caught.
If I was a cynic, I'd say that they have their priorities the wrong way around!
Dvintiadis From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2001, 236 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 1378 times:
YKA i would strongly advice you not to use words that are difficult for you to understand.Greece, A least develloped country?????Give me a break and please,please try finding a few things about Greece before you open you stupid mouth!
BNE From Australia, joined Mar 2000, 3156 posts, RR: 13 Reply 15, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 1345 times:
What I want to know were these spotters members of airliners.net, hope they are ok, and won't they have a good holiday trip report to tell all there friends when they get back.
Voodoo From Niue, joined Mar 2001, 1964 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 1331 times:
There is a level of paranoia in Greece because there has been a fairly constant state of tension with Turkey since.... a long time ago. Even tho both Greece and Turkey are in NATO. I can understand it to a certain extent but they should be more leniant at bases which are also tourist destinations.
I was once (back in the `80s) told off by an Olympic Airways flight attendant (who had an Australian accent!) for trying to take a photo of an Interflug Tu-134, at Heraklion.
Gee, I hope the Interflug pilots were as consciencious at not photographing the details of that shared NATO base!
Hkgspotter1 From Hong Kong, joined Nov 2005, 0 posts, RR: 1 Reply 17, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 1305 times:
They seem to be in a bit of bother.
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Again from the BBC.
Twelve British citizens are due to appear in court in Greece on Monday on espionage charges, apparently after a plane spotting holiday went disastrously wrong.
The 11 men and one woman, all with an organisation called Touchdown Tours, are being held in a jail in Kalamata, in the southern Peloponnese.
Diplomats say they are being well treated. The Britons have been allowed to speak to relatives, and the British Consul will attend the court hearing.
Puzzled
Puzzled British diplomats have been talking to the detainees, to try to establish exactly what happened.
Officials say it looks as if they were a harmless group of respectable plane-spotters, but there is concern that the Greeks could take a more serious view.
They were arrested following an air show at the military base, near the southern town of Kalamata on Thursday.
The initial charge was taking photographs in a restricted area, but worryingly that was later changed to a more serious charge of spying.
British diplomats say they understand the group did have a written invitation to attend the air show, but one which would have included a strict no-photography clause.
The group have denied taking any photographs and say they were using only binoculars.
However, diplomats are worried about a report that they had already been cautioned in Athens for a similar offence and about a claim from Greek police sources that notebooks were seized containing details of several military airports.
A lawyer for the group has expressed confidence that it is all a misunderstanding, and that Greek British relations are not about to be troubled by a major spying scandal.
Bluewhite From Hong Kong, joined Jul 2001, 330 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 1262 times:
The "paranoia" in Greece IS due to its relations with Turkey. A good example - arrived in Rhodes, chatting to the taxi driver - I said "Isn't that Turkey over there?" and his response was "So what? We can take'em on."
I transitted thru Cyprus and was using the binos to read off the Eurocypria's etc (thru the rear door - not allowed to disembark naturally!!) when the crew warned me to stop, saying that if I was seen by the local officials, I'd be taken in for questioning. They really thought that I was inviting trouble for reading off reggies...........Amazing.
Olympiceagle From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 19, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 5 days 1 hour ago) and read 1255 times:
Yka you moron...please open a history book and go to the first page..tell me what you will see....of course the birthplace of civilization---Greece. Dunno where your from but you sound an uneducated being.
G-CIVP From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2001, 1209 posts, RR: 10 Reply 20, posted (11 years 7 months 1 week 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 1228 times:
Er the irony of this episode is that the tour organiser visited the same air-base this time last year, with a group of mil-spotters, and by judging from the firm's web-site, took numerous photographs with relative ease!! (no doubt, with permission!) To be realistic, its got nothing to do with a country named after a feathered bird.
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