In exodus from Lebanon, the well-off find new home in Cyprus

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS
Associated Press

PARALIMNI, Cyprus (AP) — Many well-off Lebanese who escaped their country’s economic tailspin for a new life in Cyprus say the transition has been a roller coaster. They are grateful they didn’t have to turn to human smugglers and embark on risky Mediterranean crossings to reach European shores. But they also feel guilty for leaving family and friends behind to struggle with Lebanon’s unprecedented crises — a failing economy, political uncertainty and social upheaval. More than 12,000 Lebanese have left their homeland in the past two years for Cyprus — less than a 50-minute flight from Beirut — enrolling their kids in schools, setting up businesses and snapping up apartments on the island.