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Greeks say allegations are unfair Local man says rebel is considered a hero By PAUL FATTIG Applegate Valley resident Platon Mantheakis is angry with the media, the Turkish government and Kenya. A native Tanzanian of Greek ancestry, Mantheakis says Greeks are being unfairly accused of giving up Kurdish leader and fugitive Abdullah Ocalan to the Turkish government. "He was not betrayed by the Greeks," Mantheakis said Tuesday. "He was not handed over by the Greeks, not betrayed by the embassy. It was against their wishes that he left the Greek Embassy in Nairobi." Ocalan had been seeking sanctuary in the Greek Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, before Turkey announced his arrest Tuesday. His arrest resulted in pro-Kurdish protests and seizing of Greek embassies and consulates throughout Europe, and even in Vancouver, B.C. Hostages have been taken but are unharmed. Mantheakis, 38, a Southern Oregon resident for 12 years, is worried that the whiplash may harm Greeks around the world. He has an uncle who is an officer at the Greek consulate in Dar Es Salaam, the Tanzanian capitol. "I talked to my uncle who says so far there have been no threats," Mantheakis said of telephone conversations Tuesday with family members in east Africa. "He doesn't feel any danger in Dar Es Salaam right now." Mantheakis, a naturalized U.S. citizen, and his wife, Janet, live near Ruch with their young children. Each March 26, he holds a Greek independence day dinner for Greek-Americans in the region. "There are a lot of Greek-Americans in this area," he said of Southern Oregon, noting that most would take objection to reports that the Greeks had ignored the sanctuary of the Kurdish leader. Mantheakis hails from a Greek enclave in Tanzania where his family has lived for more than a century. He is known locally for his efforts to help young Masai students on the Serengeti Plain in Tanzania, an effort that has enlisted the aid of Ruch Elementary School students and the Jacksonville Rotary Club. Greeks living in Tanzania understand the long fight for independence that Ocalan has waged for his people, Mantheakis said. "We know there are 10 million Kurdish people who want a nation," he said. "We know the Turks have been ruthless to the Kurds. To the Greeks, Ocalan is a hero, a freedom fighter." When Mantheakis heard media reports that the Greeks had turned Ocalan over to the Turks, he began calling his relatives in east Africa. "My information is coming from the Greek community in Nairobi," he said. "Everyone I talk to say it was against the advice of the ambassador he left." Kenyan authorities apparently seized Ocalan outside the Greek ambassador's residence, then handed him over to the Turkish government. "He left against the wishes of the Greek government and the Greek ambassador," Mantheakis said. "Kenyan authorities had staked him out, and were waiting to arrest him. The Greeks did not betray him. "They would never do that," he added. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA