Our share of suffering should not be ignored, says camp leader

The rapturous reception given to returnees from northern Iraq was not a malicious act to anger those who have lost dear ones in a long-running conflict, but rather it was an embrace of peace, according to the manager of a refugee camp in northern Iraq.

The refugees also said they have experienced a lot of pain and loss, too, and it was vital for people in Turkey to see that.

There has been widespread criticism of the reception for a group of 34 people who surrendered in a symbolic move to back the government’s Kurdish initiative. The group consisted of Makhmour residents and eight members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, from its base on Kandil Mountain.

According to a camp leader, residents struggle to comprehend what Turkey was angry about. He said the residents did not understand why Turkey failed to see why they were happy. He said many residents believe Turks cannot read what is happening on the other side of the border because they do not remember why these people had to migrate 16 years ago.

Ramazan Bozan Muhammed, also known as Polat or Pola, the manager of the Makhmour Camp, is responsible for all the comings and goings in the camp, press relations and meetings with the local government, as well as the United Nations and foreign governments. He was born in 1966 and is a former employee of the Postal and Telecommunications General Directorate, or PTT, of Turkey.

“We hit the road as if we fell in love with the joy of the path to peace being cleared,” said Polat. “We did not feel thirst or hunger given our joy. We did not do anything with malicious intent. The Turkish people have common sense and are on the side of peace, they will understand us.”

Polat said camp residents use the Internet regularly to follow the weekly interviews Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the PKK, gives to his lawyers. They started choosing the group as soon as they read about Öcalan’s mention of the camp on Oct. 9, Polat said. According to Polat, 403 people volunteered to be included in the group and they chose 26 among them whose legal status was less likely to cause problems. “The ones chosen acted as if they had won the lottery,” said Polat, adding that everyone was jealous of them.

All 26 people in the group wore the military outfit of the PKK known as “şalşepik,” which also caused anger in Turkey. “That outfit has become symbolic because the PKK also wears it, but actually, the şalşepik is a traditional piece of clothing that we inherited from our ancestors. It’s our best outfit too,” Polat said.

He disagreed with the notion that the reception was provocative: “I do not believe people living in Turkey understand these people very well. I do not believe those in Istanbul understand those in Şırnak.”

Polat said Turks were unaware of the psychological stance of the Kurds. “These people have been murdered for 30 years. There is no one here who has not had at least one person killed in their family. There is no one here who has not been tortured,” Polat said, adding that people are hungry for peace and the people who went there acted in joy and it was not a demonstration of strength. “It was most certainly not a ‘Here we come, showing our strength, here you are on your knees,’ kind of thing,” he said.

On whether they could understand the Turks’ reaction, Polat said: “There is no way we can understand those who say, ‘Who are they anyway?’ or ‘Let’s hang them and cut off their heads,’ but I respect those who still do not understand the process, cannot comprehend the sentimentalism displayed but observe it critically, saying, ‘I wonder if this is a demonstration of strength?’ That may happen. Those people would be slowly convinced when it is proved not to be so.”

Polat said he did not agree that it would be better if the “peace group” had come silently like the first group did in 1999 in an effort to not inflame tensions. “Why should they have come silently? This is an act of peace, an emissary of peace. They are there for compromise. Why is Turkey afraid of this? What is it that’s so scary?” Polat said. “I believe that a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people gathering in such a short time caused worry.”

He said he believes, however, that the event was temporary and was something that happened in the spur of the moment. He said it would be forgotten and future arrivals would not cause such excitement.

Polat said he agrees that Öcalan himself might be angry with what happened because he does not want the peace process to be damaged, yet the camp coordinator said he would not admit that the events were excessive, even if he were to meet Öcalan.

“I went to the border gate from here. I observed the people’s feelings. Believe me, it was as if people were drunk,” he said.

Polat said after the group had passed the border, the crowd lost its way, it was so overtaken by joy. “This was because people were saying to themselves, ‘This grief is over, it looks like the blood shedding has stopped,’ and made themselves believe it. This is a very deep joy for us. We cannot understand why people are afraid of this joy,” he said.

Polat said he does not believe the conflict will develop into a clash between Kurds and Turks despite the fact that this is a fear among some, adding that he believes Turkish people have common sense. He did not believe everyone in Turkey listened to extremist voices.

“I believe 70 percent of Turkish people are on the side of the peace process. However, of course, I think a basis for the Kurdish initiative needs to be provided. Before all else, the government must say this to society: Kurds are people, too. They also have a culture. They also have a language and identity. They are not terrorists.”