rich murphy
2009-02-10 02:11:51 UTC
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=166446
Outlawed PKK threatens TRT's Kurdish TV employees
10 February 2009, Tuesday
ERCAN YAVUZ ANKARA
The future of the state-owned Kurdish language station, TRT 6, which
began broadcasting on Jan. 1, is being threatened by the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has become increasingly vocal
about its objections to the new channel. It has recently been revealed
that the PKK has threatened Kurdish performers, intellectuals and
other individuals seeking employment with the station.
The PKK has been conducting propaganda efforts to discourage people
from watching TRT 6, which has already become the most popular
television station in the predominantly Kurdish Southeast; however,
every single employee at the channel has received threats from the
PKK, police intelligence has revealed. The same problem was
experienced in Europe, where the Kurdish channel is now available via
the Türksat 3A satellite. The PKK terrorist organization has released
a statement in European countries in which it said watching the
channel was an act of "betrayal." "No Kurd who sees himself as a Kurd
and takes pride in this should take part in this channel or serve it
in any way," the statement said.
According to various accounts, the PKK has been threatening Kurdish
performers who have made plans to host programs on the channel. It has
been successful in forcing some performers to back out of their plans,
but not everyone has submitted to their demands. Popular Kurdish
singer Rojin announced that she had received threats but that she had
decided to go ahead and host a show as planned after consulting with
her mother.
The PKK has been trying to intimidate Kurdish performers, threatening
to prevent them from putting on concerts in Europe if they appear on
TRT 6. The channel has been unable to find any performers other than
Rojin and Nilüfer Akbal to host programs due to these threats.
In addition to artists and performers, the PKK has declared Kurdish
intellectuals supporting TRT 6, including Servet Kocakaya, Muhsin
Kızılkaya, Mehmet Metiner and Ümit Fırat, "the Kurds of the state."
One of the leaders of the PKK, Cemil Bayık, threatened: "Now those
like Mehmet Metiner and Ümit Fırat are mumbling something. Just sit
where you are, know your place and immediately give up doing what you
are doing."
The PKK says in its statements that the Kurdish channel is a form of
"special warfare" being used by the government and calls on Turkey's
Kurds not to watch its shows. PKK chief operative Murat Karayılan, in
a similar call to the people of the Southeast, said Kurdish broadcasts
were "an obvious game of juggling."
In a recent statement, the PKK also said two planned Kurdish studies
departments for the University of Diyarbakır and Mardin Artuklu
University were also tools of psychological warfare.
TRT 6, which has not yet begun broadcasting any live programming, has
struggled to hire personnel. Station head Sinan İlhan told Today's
Zaman that this problem has now been "solved, for the most part." It
has mostly hired Kurdish-speaking employees from other TRT channels.
Heavy criticism from DTP
Despite its initial welcoming response to the launch of the station,
the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) has also begun to
express suspicion about the new channel following the PKK's reaction.
DTP Muş deputy Sırrı Sakık, highlighting the difficulties TRT 6 was
having finding employees, said: "They are looking for Kurds with no
criminal record to hire for Kurdish TV. A Kurd who does not have a
criminal record does not have anything to do with being a Kurd; he
doesn't have such a demand [for Kurdish-language television]." He
dismissed TRT 6 as a tool of state manipulation.
Hasip Kaplan, the DTP's Şırnak deputy, said the Kurdish channel was
only an investment for the upcoming municipal elections. Kaplan also
said the channel was a failure because it started its broadcasts
without consulting with any Kurdish organizations or institutions.
Outlawed PKK threatens TRT's Kurdish TV employees
10 February 2009, Tuesday
ERCAN YAVUZ ANKARA
The future of the state-owned Kurdish language station, TRT 6, which
began broadcasting on Jan. 1, is being threatened by the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has become increasingly vocal
about its objections to the new channel. It has recently been revealed
that the PKK has threatened Kurdish performers, intellectuals and
other individuals seeking employment with the station.
The PKK has been conducting propaganda efforts to discourage people
from watching TRT 6, which has already become the most popular
television station in the predominantly Kurdish Southeast; however,
every single employee at the channel has received threats from the
PKK, police intelligence has revealed. The same problem was
experienced in Europe, where the Kurdish channel is now available via
the Türksat 3A satellite. The PKK terrorist organization has released
a statement in European countries in which it said watching the
channel was an act of "betrayal." "No Kurd who sees himself as a Kurd
and takes pride in this should take part in this channel or serve it
in any way," the statement said.
According to various accounts, the PKK has been threatening Kurdish
performers who have made plans to host programs on the channel. It has
been successful in forcing some performers to back out of their plans,
but not everyone has submitted to their demands. Popular Kurdish
singer Rojin announced that she had received threats but that she had
decided to go ahead and host a show as planned after consulting with
her mother.
The PKK has been trying to intimidate Kurdish performers, threatening
to prevent them from putting on concerts in Europe if they appear on
TRT 6. The channel has been unable to find any performers other than
Rojin and Nilüfer Akbal to host programs due to these threats.
In addition to artists and performers, the PKK has declared Kurdish
intellectuals supporting TRT 6, including Servet Kocakaya, Muhsin
Kızılkaya, Mehmet Metiner and Ümit Fırat, "the Kurds of the state."
One of the leaders of the PKK, Cemil Bayık, threatened: "Now those
like Mehmet Metiner and Ümit Fırat are mumbling something. Just sit
where you are, know your place and immediately give up doing what you
are doing."
The PKK says in its statements that the Kurdish channel is a form of
"special warfare" being used by the government and calls on Turkey's
Kurds not to watch its shows. PKK chief operative Murat Karayılan, in
a similar call to the people of the Southeast, said Kurdish broadcasts
were "an obvious game of juggling."
In a recent statement, the PKK also said two planned Kurdish studies
departments for the University of Diyarbakır and Mardin Artuklu
University were also tools of psychological warfare.
TRT 6, which has not yet begun broadcasting any live programming, has
struggled to hire personnel. Station head Sinan İlhan told Today's
Zaman that this problem has now been "solved, for the most part." It
has mostly hired Kurdish-speaking employees from other TRT channels.
Heavy criticism from DTP
Despite its initial welcoming response to the launch of the station,
the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) has also begun to
express suspicion about the new channel following the PKK's reaction.
DTP Muş deputy Sırrı Sakık, highlighting the difficulties TRT 6 was
having finding employees, said: "They are looking for Kurds with no
criminal record to hire for Kurdish TV. A Kurd who does not have a
criminal record does not have anything to do with being a Kurd; he
doesn't have such a demand [for Kurdish-language television]." He
dismissed TRT 6 as a tool of state manipulation.
Hasip Kaplan, the DTP's Şırnak deputy, said the Kurdish channel was
only an investment for the upcoming municipal elections. Kaplan also
said the channel was a failure because it started its broadcasts
without consulting with any Kurdish organizations or institutions.