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Fire … fell again in the hearts of nine mothers … a landmine planted by separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, terrorists on a road near the Acemoğlu bridge at the Kemah township in the eastern Anatolian city of Erzincan, claimed the life of nine soldiers, including two senior officers. Two soldiers were reported wounded, their condition is not yet known.
Terrorists, of course, cannot be expected to abide with conventions and international arrangements against land mines … They are terrorists … Their aim is to stage terrorist acts and terrorize the society. But these land mines are not produced by the terrorists … They are products of some “friendly” and even “allied” countries. These countries are all signatories of those conventions against the use of landmines. But, they either still produce or continue selling landmines from their stockpiles – which they must now be long destroyed ... If and when the Turkish government reveals the names of the countries where such landmines were manufactured as well as the manufacture year – from the embedded serial and production codes such information can be gathered by experts – perhaps we may have a better idea who our friends indeed are … Who killed our soldiers then? Terrorists? Or those who sell terrorists the machines of death? Hypocrisy For many years, Turkey's European “allies” were telling Ankara that terrorists escaping to European capitals could not be extradited because under their legislations no one can be returned to a country where there was still death penalty in its legal system … Turkey has, since 1983, applied a non-declared moratorium regarding death sentences and no one has been hanged in the country since that date. “That's not enough … Who guarantees that you will continue the moratorium? Lift the death penalty and then expect us extradite Turkish criminals or people on wanted list.” our European “friends” were telling Ankara. Turkey has long abolished death penalty clauses in its legislation … Besides, from procedures of trial to the legislation covering implementation of the penalties existing legislation were “harmonized” to meet the European standards… How many terrorists were captured by the European allies of this country over the past five to six years? How many of them were repatriated to Turkey to face Turkish courts? It is unfortunate, but our friends and allies even preferred to engage in an effective multilateral cooperation to fly a convicted terrorist to a safe haven in northern Iraq rather than handing him back to Turkey. Who killed our soldiers? The terrorists who planted the landmine or those who could not even hand back Turkey a convicted terrorist but instead flew him on a special jet and in collaboration with some other European friends and allies to a safe haven in northern Iraq? Wrong priorities Not only this writer, almost everyone concerned with the widespread use of landmines by separatist terrorists on non-asphalted secondary or minor roads in eastern and southeastern parts of the country have been appealing to the government for the past many years to reconsider its priorities, allocate some funds and asphalt all roads in that region. Right, distributing 500 kilograms of poor quality coal per family in the hot July or August months and even at holiday resort areas – shocking people enjoying their summer holiday in luxury seaside villas – might win some additional votes in the upcoming local elections. It is a matter of priority … buying votes, or protecting our sons? Indeed, driving to the holiday resorts of the country and people are expressing their appreciation for the amazing improvement in road standards, newly constructed double roads – unfortunately still under-equipped with traffic and direction signs – over the past one year. Yet, while we might be so happy having higher quality roads leading to summer resort areas, if the country's resources are limited and the government is required to make a preference, would it not be more appropriate to use such funds to asphalt roads, particularly those in areas terrorists have been very active and save our sons from landmines? Who killed our soldiers? The terrorists who planted the landmine or those, who despite all the appeals, did not allocate sufficient funds and order such secondary and minor stabilized roads all asphalted? |
