Eyes turn to DTP
Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 1:56 pmInteresting read
Amidst the week-long violent demonstrations that crippled Diyarbakir and neighboring cities, pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) leader Ahmet Turk on Sunday condemned the incidents and also emphasized the need for tolerance towards democratic protests.
Speaking in a televised interview Turk said that they worked to end the violent clashes and are determined to find permanent solutions to the problems people in the southeast have been facing for decades.
"I strongly condemn the destruction of banks and attacks on business premises," he said, underlining that dissatisfaction should be demonstrated within the limits of the law. He also added that he can't approve of police officers firing on children throwing stones, urging more tolerance.
He also said that they're ready for dialogue with the government authorities to resolve the problems but added that he has yet to hear from Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu despite having requested a meeting with him ten times. Turk requested a meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the interview.
He also criticized Erdogan for a comment he made related to the death of a six-year-old child during the demonstrations, accusing parents of not caring for their children. Turk said that the premier should have expressed his worry and asked whether the child is a Turkish citizen.
Turk reiterated his party's calls for state projects for economic and social improvements in the region and said Turks and Kurds should live together within the concept of a unitarian state.
He also recalled state policies of old towards the region, calling them oppressive, and said that it's impossible to reach a solution through repressive and violent means. "People in the region, who lived under emergency rule for years, think that the state regards them as 'so-called' citizens,'" said Turk, referring to a controversial comment from the General Staff last year that ignited a debate in the political arena and bothered the Kurds.
Arabaslik: DTP punishes provincial head who allegedly provoked public
Turk said his party has started disciplinary action against Murat Avci, the head of the DTP's Siirt office, for his remarks and insistence that tradesmen in the city keep their shops closed.
The DTP's Batman provincial chair was released from custody yesterday on his own recognizance.
He also backed Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir, who's facing a probe for allegedly supporting the demonstrations. "A couple of words were picked from a whole speech made by a mayor and he was charged with encouraging provocateurs," he said.
Turk also criticized the state's behavior towards DTP provincial heads, comparing it to the arrest of deputies of the now defunct pro-Kurdish Party for Democracy (DEP) in the '90s. He claimed that certain circles within the state are trying to have mayors in the region suspended.
Asked about controversial Danish-based pro-terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Roj TV, Turk replied the channel meets a need that hasn't been filled by state TV, despite all calls. "While we don't approve of Roj-TV, it satisfies the needs of Kurdish-speaking people," he said, adding that the state's rules for broadcasts in Kurdish have been interpreted as insult to the Kurds since they only permit 15-minute broadcasts with no up-to-date news coverage.
Source: TheNewAnatolian
Amidst the week-long violent demonstrations that crippled Diyarbakir and neighboring cities, pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) leader Ahmet Turk on Sunday condemned the incidents and also emphasized the need for tolerance towards democratic protests.
Speaking in a televised interview Turk said that they worked to end the violent clashes and are determined to find permanent solutions to the problems people in the southeast have been facing for decades.
"I strongly condemn the destruction of banks and attacks on business premises," he said, underlining that dissatisfaction should be demonstrated within the limits of the law. He also added that he can't approve of police officers firing on children throwing stones, urging more tolerance.
He also said that they're ready for dialogue with the government authorities to resolve the problems but added that he has yet to hear from Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu despite having requested a meeting with him ten times. Turk requested a meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the interview.
He also criticized Erdogan for a comment he made related to the death of a six-year-old child during the demonstrations, accusing parents of not caring for their children. Turk said that the premier should have expressed his worry and asked whether the child is a Turkish citizen.
Turk reiterated his party's calls for state projects for economic and social improvements in the region and said Turks and Kurds should live together within the concept of a unitarian state.
He also recalled state policies of old towards the region, calling them oppressive, and said that it's impossible to reach a solution through repressive and violent means. "People in the region, who lived under emergency rule for years, think that the state regards them as 'so-called' citizens,'" said Turk, referring to a controversial comment from the General Staff last year that ignited a debate in the political arena and bothered the Kurds.
Arabaslik: DTP punishes provincial head who allegedly provoked public
Turk said his party has started disciplinary action against Murat Avci, the head of the DTP's Siirt office, for his remarks and insistence that tradesmen in the city keep their shops closed.
The DTP's Batman provincial chair was released from custody yesterday on his own recognizance.
He also backed Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir, who's facing a probe for allegedly supporting the demonstrations. "A couple of words were picked from a whole speech made by a mayor and he was charged with encouraging provocateurs," he said.
Turk also criticized the state's behavior towards DTP provincial heads, comparing it to the arrest of deputies of the now defunct pro-Kurdish Party for Democracy (DEP) in the '90s. He claimed that certain circles within the state are trying to have mayors in the region suspended.
Asked about controversial Danish-based pro-terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Roj TV, Turk replied the channel meets a need that hasn't been filled by state TV, despite all calls. "While we don't approve of Roj-TV, it satisfies the needs of Kurdish-speaking people," he said, adding that the state's rules for broadcasts in Kurdish have been interpreted as insult to the Kurds since they only permit 15-minute broadcasts with no up-to-date news coverage.
Source: TheNewAnatolian
