JINHA

AMED - "We want to grow up in Sur. We cannot play and find friends in TOKİ buildings (the division for state housing)." said children, who don't want to leave their streets against the policies of displacement and housing.

As 24-hour curfew has been imposed on the Sur district of Diyarbakır since December 2, 2015, the people returned to their streets where curfew was lifted. After the decision of "urgent expropriation" declared for Sur, the Minister of Environment and Urbanisation Mehmet Haseki said, "We'll build buildings." The children those who had to leave their streets and lost their peers in the attacks, expressed that they will continue to play in Sur and they won't leave the district.

Büşra is one of these children. She stated that she likes her home in Sur. "Why should I go to TOKİ buildings?"asked 10-year-old Büşra who lives in the Alipaşa Neighborhood of Sur. She said, "I cannot find friends in TOKİ buildings. I have a lot of friends here, I cannot find any friend there. The children live in TOKİ buildings stay in home and play with phone in home. Our houses in Sur have yards. We cook, play and sleep in the yards. We cannot do anything in TOKİ buildings. That's why I don't want to go there.

"My family lives in Sur for 40 years. I want to live so many years here, too. If we wanted to leave here, we would during the curfew. I went out and played despite the sound of bombs and gunshots. I don't want to go other place."

Nurullah is another child in Sur. He doesn't want to leave Sur like Büşra. Nurullah said, "We don't want leave our homes. We don't want to move to TOKİ buildings or other places. I want to grow up in these streets. They have already demolished everywhere. Don't let them to touch our homes more. Sur is our homeland and we want to live here. People say that we have to leave here. I have dreams of leaving Sur. However, I don't leave here like my father and mother. I am 12-year-old. I have played in these streets until now. We don't want to move to TOKİ buildings. We just want to stay here. We like our life in Sur."

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