This past week, the southeastern region of Turkey experienced its worst civil unrest in decades. Clashes seem to have been triggered by the funerals of 14 PKK members killed by Turkish troops last weekend. On March 28, 2006 widespread rioting broke out when demonstrations escalated to violent attacks on police, banks and government offices . The government desperately tried to calm the uprising that they claimed was goaded by PKK guerrillas attempting to spread fear and instability to the region. As a result, security forces were omnipresent in the violence-burdened zones. However, clashes between protesters and troops escalated, likely as a result of the perceived heavy-handed security presence, and spread from the southeast to Istanbul leading to the death of at least 15 people by the end of the week. The US diplomatic missions in Turkey released Warden Messages on March 30 (Advisory) and on March 31 (Advisory), both warning of impending violence. Further, the PKK carried out deadly attacks on Turkish civilians and threatened storeowners in Diyarbakir, not to open their shops or face violence consequences. They also threatened tourists, warning that they would be targeted if they did not stay away. This threat against tourism is not a new phenomenon by the PKK, which aims at destabilizing the government by adversely impacting the largely tourism-focused economy. A Travel Warning is in place for Turkey (Advisory), and the US State Department has cautioned Americans to refrain from traveling to the southeastern areas of the country, adding that the violence is prone to spread to the main cities.
Many observers express sympathy for the pro-Kurdish protesters? outcry for political autonomy and cultural freedoms, both of which are issued the Kurds have called for for years. The Kurdish population has long felt the Turkish state is hostile to their people and their needs. For over two decades, the militant group has been fighting the central government, making terrorism as familiar to the Turks as the IRA and ETA have been for the UK and Spain , respectively. But, unlike the successes its neighbors to the West have accomplished with their domestic foes in recent times, the Turkish government seems unable to resolve the enduring battle with their Kurdish minority and its militant segment. As mentioned in these pages , Turkey is apparently eager to settle its issues with the Kurds in hopes that it may qualify for an acceptance into the European Union. The EU, on the other hand, has made it clear that Turkey must first work out its issues with its minority, including the disreputable record of human rights violations and its inability to compromise on many of the Kurd?s demands. In response to this latest violent spiraling, the EU was critical about Turkey?s demeanor to date, and this past week, the disapproval has been particularly clear-cut. EU Commission spokeswoman Krisztina Nagy said, ?We are aware of the serious terrorist problem in the region but it is a much wider problem than just a security issue; The region needs peace, economic development and real exercise of cultural rights for Kurds.? With one foot in the Muslim world and the other in the West, Turkey is trying to prove itself as a valuable moderator in the region. But, unless they manage to curb their homegrown terrorism and prove their democratic moral principles by ensuring standard civil liberties to all their constituents, they will gain little credit from the West.
