JINHA

AMED - Urgent Expropriation has been declared in the Sur district of Diyarbakır by a cabinet decision. The AKP government has begun to determine the houses to be demolished pointblank. Sur people said that they will be unity against the expropriation. They said, "We will resist to the end even if we die. They try to buy our life in the Sur by giving money. However, we will stand against them as much as we can." And they said they will never leave their homes.

As 24-hour curfew has continued in the Sur district of Diyarbakır, many houses have been demolished and cultural heritages have been burned by state forces. Then they carried the debris to hide what they did in the town. The people forcibly displaced and their houses were looted during the curfew. The trucks of theDiyarbakir Water and Sewerage Administration General Directorate (DİSKİ) have thrown the debris, including the people's bodies' parts to the Tigris River for several weeks. The Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu made a statement when the clashes continued in the town. He said in the statement, "The devastated Sur district will be rebuilt "just like Toledo." And he said they would turn the town into "Paradise". The curfew has continued for four months despite the clashes were ended. Last days, upon request of Ministry of Environment and Urbanization in accordance with article 27 of the Expropriation Law No. 2942, the decision taken by the Cabinet requires the urgent expropriation of the Sur district of Diyarbakır and Silopi district of Şırnak. After the decision was published in the official gazette, state forces took the action to determine the houses to be demolished in the Sur district. However, the people in Sur say they will never leave their houses even if the state expropriates their houses.

Hacire Karadeniz, who lives in the İskenderpaşa neighborhood of Sur, said, "I have lived in Sur for 20 years. I love my district. We will never give our houses to the state. They must know that we will never leave our houses. We will never give our houses, stores and neighborhoods to them. I cannot live in another place. I will resist to the end."

Ali Altun is another citizen who lives in the town. He said that he is 90 years old and he will fight to the last drop of blood. "I will never give my home to them even if they kill me. If necessary, I will fight to the last drop of blood. I didn't give my home when I was opened fire. I am 90 years old. I will live and die here."

A child 11 years old said, "I don't want to leave the Sur. I play with my friends here. Why do they try to take our neighborhoods? I miss my friends who left our neighborhood. However, we won't go. Where can we go if they take Sur from us? I don't want to go another place."

Sevcan Erzan, a shopkeeper in Sur, said, "They came and demolished our houses and they used them as police station. Now, they want to take our houses. We will fight for our houses to the end. They demolished our houses by tanks and shells. They try to throw us out of the houses. However, we won't leave our houses even if they kill us. They try to buy our life in the Sur by giving money. However, we will stand against them as much as we can."

(mm/sy/gd)