Some solidarity after a destructive earthquake, but the fighting continues

@ dog007

Why didn't your Kurdish brethren over the border in Northern Iraq didn't send more money and aid (than the just a mere $1 million) to the devastated region?

Why isn't the political branch (BDP) of the pkk who is good in organizing protests not organizing campaigns to raise money for those people there? I didn't see any BDP people going there as a volunteer?

Where the hell are the BDP mayors? Why aren't they helping coordinating and organizing help? Where are the surrounding BDP mayors?

dog0777 wrote: "TAK should teach them a lesson"

I hope everybody is reading this and especially the economist editor. This man is encouraging a terror group to make an attack in Turkey! Dog007 is hoping that civilians will die, like the last attack of TAK.

we have terror-supporter in our midst

this article is misinforming readers the situation in Turkey!

The truth is Turkish government during the first day, refused to receive rescue teams from greece, germany and other europeans countries who offered help. this help was most needed during the first 2 days when the chance of rescuing surviver been trapped under rubbles was great.

further more Turkish government's solidaity was only inform of visits by senior politicians which was more for popularity than help..because they have not donated any money or brought any rescuse team with them.

I have watched kurdish TV interviewing the families of the victms and those who became homless as a result of this tragedy..most said saying they received no helps ..the few who did got bags which contained a stick and turkish flag and a black flower..this is how turks showed their simpathy and solidarity with this tragedy.

@dog007

I do not know how Kurdish TV selected those they interviewed, though I am ready to believe some folks did get boxes with a stick, a flag, a flower, and other symbols of racist oppression instead of real help. There is no shortage of rabid Turkish nationalists who would not miss this opportunity to insult and enrage. Yet I am writing to tell you that the boxes Kurdish TV shows do not represent what has been going on. Instead, such selective reporting is probably designed to enrage, and is not different in spirit from the boxes with sticks and flags. One often gets the sense that if they did not try so hard to hate each other, nationalist Kurdish and Turkish thugs could get along famously.

I have spent four days in the earthquake zone in Ercis and Van. Lots of help and material did arrive here very soon after the quake. Emergency health care is available and good. You can get hot food with little effort. You can make free phone calls if you stand in line for it.

On the other hand organization of aid distribution is awful. The proper communication, planning and coordination (especially among state and municipal authorities) to send the arriving trucks to where they are needed is not there. The army and the police have been uncharacteristically benign in enforcing discipline. I guess they do not want to be seen beating up people (Kurds no less) after an earthquake. One downside of this restraint is occasional looting. Survivors do not want to leave their houses, making distribution of food and other aid cumbersome. Especially in Van city center there is a schizophrenic mix of good will and frustrated rage. People receive and give help with the deliberate gratitude of survivors; then a few minutes later some of the same people pelt news vans and police cars with debris and stones for no apparent reason; then stoning stops suddenly and people seek police attention to ask for help, reporter attention to tell their stories.

Still, all in all, this tragic mess is improving with lots of dedicated effort and a spirit of brotherhood. If you want a better sense of what is going on, watch more channels.

The earthquake in Turkey is a huge tragedy; however, it surprised me that they rejected aid from countries but eventually accepted it from Israel. Maybe this suggests that the estranged allies will once again reunite? Either way, this earthquake shows a the character of Turkey and the ability to respond to natural disasters. This tells us a lot about how a country is doing and Turkey's Prime Minister Erdogan demonstrated his leadership well with a quick and swift reaction.

dog

you Iraqi Kurdistan helped with 1 million dollars.

Wow!

dog007 is full of lies and one sided stories. Do not pay any attention whatsoever to this dude. He hates Turks and thats it. He cannot and will not see any positive thing whatsoever. And as he is full of dogmatic, one sided beliefs whatever you say here won't change his mind. What a pity...

Earthquakes can devastate an unsteady economy and state. However, turkey is neither of these. By rejecting the offers for help to recover from the earthquake, they are proving their stability. Does anyone help the US when disaster strikes? Rarely. Turkey doesn't need the rest of the world's help. Turkey is truly an up and rising world power.

It is very unfortunate what happened in Turkey, however, Turkey has handled the situation very well. The fact that they have not accepted aid from other power house countries says a lot about the current state of Turkey and where they are trying to be in the upcoming years. I believe that Turkey is an up and coming world powerhouse. They responded to this aid very well, and it was almost all internally. Countries such as the United States, China, or most of the EU would have responded the same way (as far as having mostly aid incoming from their own countries). I believe this says a lot about Turkey and I think that this is great for the world.

One of two options will follow:

Either the PKK will say that was not enough help, and accelerate their terrorism.

Or they will say Turks helped us because our terrorism has forced them. After which they will accelerate their terrorism to get more help.

The obvious fact, that the West of Turkey helped them as they help any other citizen and that this Western Turkey has the resources to help because they send their kids to school to become hard working people they will not see.

They could develop the same resources of they sent their kids to school instead of to the mountains to become terrorists.

Welcome to the Middle East.

dog007 Oct 27th 2011 11:44 GMT

there is no excuse for Turkish government's indifference ..TAK should teach them a lesson
----

A day after this message, someone blew himself/herself up in the Bingol province killing 4 and wounding 15.

It could have been just a coincidence, but with the help of the Economist editors, this "dog007" should be tracked down and questioned.

Incidentally, TAK is an arm of PKK responsible for attacks against civilian targets, providing a cover for PKK, which has always claimed that it only attacks military targets.

Turkish government shown no respect for Kurdish people life..they are using the aid money not to help needy people but to buy support for the ruling party in the region.

there will be a demonstration in London today to denounce this dirty attempt by Turkish government..Kurdish TVS are interviewing the victms and we get more and more shoocking news on how this so called Islamic party using the aid money to islamise the population and distribute the money through mosque imams who spy for the state and preach anti KURDISH slogans.

people said they were dasperate therefore had to goto get tents and helps from the AKP oficials (so called red cresent)..they checked their names if they are in their favorate list or not..i.e. only their supporters could get help.

the genius Turks on this forum will say that Human Rights Watch is making propaganda for PKK..I admire their intelectual capacity.

Perhaps not very exciting, but those individuals and organisations who say that they want to help the people of the region and improve their development should strongly encourage them to understand and apply the Turkey's demanding but unobserved building codes. I don't care what the PKK, BDP, or dog007 think of the Turks, the Turkish Republic, or Mr Erdogan's government but observing the building codes may have saved many lives, made far fewer people homeless, and probably allowed the infrastructure to better survive the earthquake. If you disagree with me, examine the casualty and destruction figures in places like the US or New Zealand when they have earthquakes. The casualties are fewer and buildings destroyed are usually those built before the later more stringent building codes came into force. In previous postings about Kurdish-Turkish relations Dog007 has complained about Turkey impeding Kurdish education and development. If the Kurds want set up a useful national carriculum, one of the core subjects should be ways of surviving in an earthquake zone. Some things that can form a part of this carriculum could be best building practices from around the world in earthquake prone areas, and planning for civil contingencies. This would be a far better and more positive expression Kurdish independence than murdering Turkish soldiers and policemen.

Kursato

I never suggested attacking ordinary civilians..but those who send rock, stick and Turkish flag in a bag to Kurdish childern who lost parents in this tragedy deserve an aproperate punishment..something Turkish government would never do..so someone has to do it.

@ dac2229@vt.edu

Turkey accepted because they needed a lot of temporary housing units and tents because of the risen demand for temporary shelter in the region. After the 7,2 magnitude earthquake in Van, there were 300 aftershocks. These aftershocks are making the locals afraid of going back to there homes. So they want tents near their homes until the aftershocks are gone.

Also a lot of field tents are being used to give shelter to 5,000 or more for the refugees from Syria. Besides that a lot of tents went abroad to Haiti and Somalia.

For those who want to donate for the victims of the earthquake can do it here

http://www.kizilay.org.tr/english/sayfa.php?t=-Donate

alainac

showing up as a powerful nation doesnot save life of those who trapped under the rubbles..puting up a show at the expense of life of Kurdish people wouldnot be appreciated. this has damaged AKP's reputation in Kurdistan greatly. it is not wise to show up as a strong man outside while weak and unpopular in your own country.

If the writer of this passage had done a little research about the number of arrested people, he/she would have seen that the real number is 605 as of 14.10.2011. It was the official announcement of the "Ministiry of Interior". It's a big mistake for the economist. there are two ways for the explanation;
1. the writer is inexperient,
2. the writer is malevolent.
It's obvious that the second option is true.

Turkish citizens of both Kurdish and non Kurdish heritage will coexist in the future just like they coexisted in the past, but why or how there can or should be any room for coexistence with a terrorist organization which only a fews back murdered dozens of Turkish soldiers is something this article does not explain.

Natural calamities in the past have not stopped the PKK from perpetuating its reign of violence, why should it be any different in the future ?