riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle) (06/21/85)
[This discussion originated in net.general; let's move it to net.politics, shall we?] In article <600003@ur-univax.UUCP> stro@ur-univax.UUCP writes: >> What do other people out there think about the latest act of terrorism - >> the hijacking (and kidnapping of the passengers) of TWA 847? ... I >> believe Turkey is one of the countries that has adopted one of the best >> policies of anti-terrorism. They just refuse to even talk to terrorists. >> If such situation ever happened there they would ignore them. And if >> inocent people were killed, that's the price one has to pay -- but at >> least it would not happen again. Sorry, but I was under the distinct impression that Turkey was one of the hot spots for terrorism of all stripes and had been for some time. Not only does Turkey include minorities with leanings toward the various religious, separatist and leftist movements that spawn terrorism elsewhere in the Middle East these days, but it suffers from some rather spectacular right-wing terrorism, as well, both state-sponsored and private. Ever heard of the Grey Wolves, the Turkish fascist organization that operates both in Turkey and in West Germany? Or about the Kurdish separatists and the reprisals visited on them by government troops at every available opportunity? Turkey is not exactly a peaceful place these days, nor a very nice one with respect to democratic values. The government in power there takes a hard line without regard to the fate of innocent people on most anything you can name, not just terrorism. Simply to speak Kurdish or identify oneself as a Kurd is enough to land you in jail. In my opinion, repression of that kind is a policy that fosters terrorism rather than discouraging it. A good place to start learning more about conditions in Turkey is a prize-winning film that came out a couple of years back entitled "Yol". It opened my eyes a bit to a country most North Americans know little about. --- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.") --- {ihnp4,harvard,seismo,gatech,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle --- riddle@ut-sally.UUCP, riddle@ut-sally.ARPA, riddle%zotz@ut-sally