Survey: Support for autonomy only 5 pct in southeastern Turkey


A recent survey conducted by MAK Consultancy found that 91 percent of the residents of southeastern Turkey want to live in an integral Turkish state, and only 5 percent of them back the autonomy in the region sought by the PKK terrorist organization and the allied Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP).The survey was conducted between June 1 and June 10 by face-to-face interviews with 2,250 participants in 101 provinces and districts, including Hakkari, Siirt, Diyarbakır and Şırnak, and found that the PKK is perceived as most responsible for the catastrophe in the region, with 33 percent blaming the PKK first.Regarding discrimination, 82 percent responded that they had not experienced discrimination by Turks against Kurds, while only 7 percent said they had. Addressing what they saw as the most serious issue for the region, 43 percent responded terrorism, 17 percent said unemployment, 11 percent said the lack of investment and 9 percent said the lack of education.Those who carried out the research stated in the report that they were appalled to learn through the students that there were teachers at school who taught students how to become guerrillas and questioned why the children were at school attending classes while their friends are fighting in the mountains for them."