People in South-East Want Peace

Local journalists in the three south-eastern provinces which have been declared temporary security zones (Siirt, Sirnak and Hakkari) have said that daily life is not much changed, but that a general increase in violence worries people.

Hakkari

Cumhur Kiliccioglu, the owner and editor of the "Struggle in Siirt", Erkan Capraz of the "Yüksekova News" in Hakkari Province, and Suayip San of the "Sirnak News" all agree that the increase in battles has created tension among people.

They say that "nobody wants fighting, everyone wants peace". Although daily life has not been much affected, there are worries that the provinces will return to the state of emergency rule of the 1990s. People are optimistic about the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP)'s decision to join the general elections with independent candidates.

Siirt: People are fed up

Kiliccioglu says that everyone in Siirt is fed up with watching funerals on TV every night, and that the people of the province have become tired of 30 years under emergency rule. He adds that "now it has even become dangerous to demand peace".

Sirnak: Sad and worried

According to San, life in the province capital is calm, but that people are afraid to go to their gardens and mountain pastures in the countryside.

One of the soldiers killed in last week's PKK attack on a gendarmerie station in Tunceli was a young man from Sirnak, Burhan Yalcin. Condolence visits to his family continue.

In rural Sirnak, two villagers died and one was injured in two different incidents involving land mines. In another incident, a military vehicle was attacked with a remote control explosive device and six soldiers were wounded.

Hakkari: More searches

According to Capraz, the tight security controls that were already in place in Hakkari province have not changed. There has been an increase in searches at four to five entry points between districts of Hakkari. (TK/EÜ/AG/EÜ)