While expressing discontent about official institutions assigning part of the city's budget to caring for the refugees, citizens are also complaining that the refugees, who are considered cheap labor, are threatening their livelihoods.
Asking the Interior Ministry to deal with the matter and send additional funding to the city, Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Burdur deputy Bayram Özçelik said, "An extra allowance should be assigned to cities where refugees have been sent, but until then we need to show hospitality."
There are refugees in more than 20 cities across Turkey. Many fled their own countries because of internal conflicts and migrated to Turkey where, hosted in accordance with international agreements, they are taken under protection until they are granted entrance to third countries. This established practice caused problems in Burdur, which is for the first time in a long period hosting more than 300 refugees and finds itself divided over what course to take. While some representatives of the towns civil society organizations, gathered together for a meeting by Governor Mustafa Rasih Özbek, defended the stance that refugees should be accepted as “the Lord’s guests,” some want them sent packing as soon as possible.
Explaining that the state has assigned locations for refugees’ accommodation in more than 20 cities in Turkey, Governor Özbek noted that they are doing their best trying to support this practice. Explaining that refugees stay in Burdur for long time and remain until they are granted entrance to third countries, Özbek said: “According to international agreements, Turkey has to take care of these people. Some of the refugees in our country are being hosted in Burdur. In the aim of looking after these people, who have come from various places in the world and who never confronted a bad situation or caused any trouble in Burdur, we will try our best to properly do our job given to us by our state.”
Anatolian Lions Association representative Ferit Eröz defended the view that these people, most of them Muslims, who escaped from war in their countries and found refuge in Turkey, should be helped. Noting that during disasters in Turkey many nations offered their help, Eröz said that the same attitude exists in the blood of the Turkish nation.
Burdur Retirees Association President Kemal Aslan opposed the refugees’ staying in the city. Saying that these persons, who don’t speak the language, who are unemployed and not supported financially by the state, could just add to the problems of already-poor Burdur, Aslan sent a letter to stand-in Interior Minister Osman Güneş (the current minister is now Beşir Atalay) requesting relocation of the refugees. Pointing out in his letter that the United Nations is obliged to take care of these people, Arslan expressed the following: “Until two to three years ago, these people used to get $100 per person monthly. The UN has stopped this payment. Approximately 300 refugees who came to Burdur are benefiting from Burdur’s budget. The ministry isn’t sending any money for this either. To put it another way, money to be spent on Burdur and its people is going to refugees.” Underlining that if Burdur was not supported by the state it would no longer be able to care for these refugees, and stressing that hungry person is capable of doing anything, Aslan said, “Public peace and law and order in Burdur, one of the most peaceful cities in Turkey, could be disturbed in the future.”
Disabled Association President Yavuz Kaya said it was wrong to spend money on foreigners in Burdur, which already has dozens of poor and handicapped people that need help. Noting that Burdur is one of the smallest cities in Turkey, Kaya said: “While there are many poor and needy people, state buildings are turned into housing and assigned to refugees. Providing meals and meeting the needs of 300 people every day is big burden for Burdur. In addition, these individuals work illegally for low fees in some places and this represents great danger to the future of our young people and to our labor rates.”
Burdur retiree Turan Acar stated that these people who have had to leave their homeland should be taken into care regardless of the circumstances. Saying that with a population of 60,000, Burdur should have little difficulty caring for 300 refugees, Acar remarked: “One person can fill their stomach with a loaf of bread and a few olives. If we continue with the campaign initiated by Governor Özbek we would be able to host these guests very easily. Anyway, what these persons want is just a little help during their temporary stay here. I am sure they will want to return to their homelands after the situation improves. Then they would leave with love for Turkey and Burdur in their hearts.”
While discussions continue, work on accommodation for the latest arrivals, 70 Somali refugees, continues. Since Burdur’s infrastructure isn’t sufficient to host this many migrants, Somali refugees were first accommodated in a hotel for some time. These refugees, who were later relocated to the university’s hostel, are waiting for the restoration of the old state buildings to be completed. Commu-nication with Somali refugees -- mostly women and children and a few single young Somalis -- doesn’t present a big problem since they are Muslim and some know some Turkish. Somali Helmled Alferet, 24, noted that in their country there is a conflict between two Muslim tribes and between Muslims and Christians. He expressed his contentment at the interest shown in the refugees by Turkey as a state and by Burdur as a city. Saying they are very lucky because they have been accepted and helped by warmhearted Turkish people, Alferet said all of his friends share the same feelings.
Saying that accommodation conditions and food at the university were good, Abdulkadir Hassan Adan said they had problems with health care. Noting they have requested a doctor to take care of them, he added: “We have one handicapped person here. We need medicines for this person but there is no doctor and we don’t have money to buy these medicines. We are helpless.”
The AK Party’s Özçelik explained he has spoken about the current disputes in the city with Şehabettin Harput, one of the Interior Ministry’s undersecretaries. “Extra allowances for refugees will be assigned to Burdur. However we need to do our best to host them until them. Undersecretary Harput said they would make another assessment regarding the issue of sending the refugees to Burdur. Whatever the outcome should be, we need to provide support for these people who, leaving everything behind, escaped from the war in their countries,” said Özçelik, who requested that the ministry revise its estimates of Burdur’s economic and social structure and reconsider its decision to send refugees there.
Without further financial support, such problems look set to continue in Turkey’s smaller refugee destinations such as Burdur, Isparta and Afyon.
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