Cyprus-Forum.com

[YeReVaN]

Even Arab nations don't like your two-faced country. No nation can trust you because, you will go to your ally's enemy side if they offer you something better.l You are puppets of Zionists and without them you are worth worthless. No wonder in so many counties being called a Turks is slur. As in two-faced, traitor, and a rat.

[bg_turk]

Here is an interesting article on the BBCWorld website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4735171.stm

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Armenian quest for lost orphans
By Dorian Jones
Producer, Masterpiece, BBC World Service



Ninety years ago, hundreds of thousands of Armenians died in mass killings that still resonate through Turkey's social and political life.

Armenians say that up to 1.5m of their people were deported and died at the hands of the then Ottoman rulers of Turkey.

But it is believed that thousands of orphaned Armenian children were saved secretly by Turkish families.

Until now, the very existence of the children has remained largely an untold story, buried along with those who died between 1915 and 1916.

But the stories of those Armenian orphans are slowly being uncovered by their descendants. Turkish documentary maker Berke Bas is one of those people.

Family member Nahide Kaptan was saved in 1915 when she was nine years old. But uncovering the truth still remains a difficult and contentious issue.

What happened in 1915 still remains a hotly disputed subject. Armenia, along with the Armenian Diaspora, accuses the then Ottoman rulers of carrying out a "genocide". But Turkey disputes the charge, saying that a few hundred thousand died and that the deaths occurred in a civil war in which many Turks were also killed.

Kitchen hideout

Selim Deringil, a historian of the late Ottoman period at Istanbul's Bosphorus University, says "what you have is people talking at cross purposes and not really interested in what happened."

Professor Deringil himself fell victim to the controversy, being forced to postpone a conference on the subject earlier this year after intense government pressure.

This is the biggest issue, Christians becoming Muslims. They don't see themselves as outsiders but they remain silent about their past, afraid

Newspaper editor

The ongoing controversy can pose problems for those delving into the past.

Berke Bas, on returning to her birthplace - the Black Sea city of Ordu - admitted she had concerns.

"I am sure there will be people who will approach this with disdain, saying 'Why am I digging up this history?' So many families deny the fact they had Armenian family members."

According to Professor Deringil, such stories are not unusual. He says thousands of Armenian children were saved by Turkish families.

"We do know that it was on such a scale that the then rulers of the Ottoman Empire issued secret orders to punish families who saved Armenian children."


Berke returned to her birthplace in her search for the past
The first memory of Nahide for Berke was being told how she was hidden under the kitchen sink, when she first came to the family.

After speaking with relatives, Berke discovered that at least five Armenian children were taken in by both sides of her family.

But acknowledging Armenian ancestors within Turkish families still remains a taboo for many, according to the editor of the local newspaper.

"These children were brought up in Muslim families. This is the biggest issue, Christians becoming Muslims," he said.

"They don't see themselves as outsiders but they remain silent about their past, afraid. Now, as a Turk, a Muslim you say that your ancestors were Armenian then you are called a Garvur, you are without belief, without a soul, and you are an outcast."

'Stunning stories'

But despite the reluctance of many to talk about their Armenian ancestry, Berke discovered that Nahide had a brother who survived 1915 and eventually ended up in Istanbul. Although he has since died, it is believed his daughter is still alive.


Berke returned to Istanbul to try to find her. She visited Agos, a weekly Armenian newspaper.

Printing both in Turkish and Armenian, the paper seeks to be a bridge between the 60,000 Istanbul Armenians living in the city and wider Turkish society.

Agos editor Hrant Dink says he is inundated by requests from both Turkey and abroad to find Armenian relatives.

"The mails I receive, the e-mails, the phone enquiries! The people who knock on my door, they contact me every day," he said.

"There are so many people from here and from abroad. They learn that they have a past. They're looking for information, wanting history and references, looking for relatives. I am involved in it personally everyday. There are stunning examples, so many stories reaching me."

*************************************************

[brother]

bg-turk that was a very interesting article, thanks for posting it.

[YeReVaN]

Turkey: Armenian journalist faces three years jail for "insulting Turkish identity"


/noticias.info/ Reporters Without Borders today criticised the current trial of a Turkish-Armenian journalist, Hrant Dink, for "insulting Turkish identity" and said the government taboo against publicly discussing the 1915 genocide against Armenians was a "continuing barrier to freedom of expression" in Turkey.

It said that with only three months to go before negotiations were due to start about Turkey joining the European Union, Dink risked being jailed under article 301 of the criminal code for publishing an article (on 13 February 2004) called "Getting to know Armenia" in the Turkish-Armenian bilingual weekly, Agos, that he runs. His trial began on 7 July before a court in Sisli, Istanbul.

The world press freedom organisation said it was concerned about fuzzy language in the new criminal code that could "easily be used against journalists discussing sensitive topics," such as the Armenian genocide or withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus.

[Turkey (( *]

Duke student detained for three weeks in Armenia

Associated Press

DURHAM, N.C. - A Duke University doctoral student and historian from Turkey with a reputation for writing impartially about Armenia has been detained for more than three weeks in the country.

Yektan Turkyilmaz has the distinction of being the only Turk known to conduct research in Armenia's national archives, a privilege he earned despite the uneasy relations between the two countries.

Turkyilmaz has not been charged with anything, but he reportedly broke an Armenian law forbidding anyone from taking a book that is more than 50 years old out of the country without permission.

During his time in Armenia, Turkyilmaz bought some second-hand books from street vendors, said his adviser, Duke professor Orin Starn.

Turkyilmaz was departing June 17 from Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia, when he was pulled from the plane and held by Armenia's National Security Service.

Turkyilmaz's Duke associates, friends and family have asked for his release and are surprised he remains in custody. He is not allowed to contact his family, nor anyone at Duke. His lawyer says Turkyilmaz has not been mistreated.

Most of the books Turkyilmaz bought were from the 20th century, excepting one from the 17th century. If the 33-year-old student had declared the books, he would have been allowed to keep them and leave the country, Starn said.

"None of these books, according to the lawyer, are rare books, ancient manuscripts, national treasures or anything like that," Starn said. "I'm certain that Yektan didn't know of the existence of that law. Who would?"

Turk-Armenian relations are still rocky over what Armenians define as the Turkish attempts at genocide against them in the early 20th century. In Turkey, the number of Armenian civilian deaths is highly disputed.

Turkyilmaz appeared to overcome the barrier by speaking the Armenian language and for receiving credit from the head of the country's national archives as an impartial writer.

A student in Duke's department of cultural anthropology and a John Hope Franklin fellow, Turkyilmaz is due back in Durham this month.
Information from: The Herald-Sun, http://www.herald-sun.com


I think this is a typical case of Turkish-Armenia dispute don't you think??

[YeReVaN]

Exept he tried to take rare ancient books from 17th century that was prohibited to do without notifying the authorities.

[magikthrill]

i honestly dont think there was anything wrong with what the autohrities did. i mean im sure we could ifnd LOADS of articles on Turkey's laws regarding detainining and imprisioning tourists. In fact I think there was also a movie, no?

[YeReVaN]

i honestly dont think there was anything wrong with what the autohrities did. i mean im sure we could ifnd LOADS of articles on Turkey's laws regarding detainining and imprisioning tourists. In fact I think there was also a movie, no?

Thank You. If I'm not mistaken that moview was called Midnight Express.

[bg_turk]

Exept he tried to take rare ancient books from 17th century that was prohibited to do without notifying the authorities.

Really? Couldn't you think of something more original to sue him about?

magikthrill,

talking about tourist harrassment, I think your country holds the record. Just remember the infamous "plane-spotters" case where tourists were charged with espionage

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3242024.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2490185.stm

There were 12 Britons, from across the UK, and two Dutchmen arrested near a Greek airbase two years ago while on an organised plane-spotting trip.

Six of the Britons and the two Dutchmen were originally given three-year jail terms for spying, while the others received one-year suspended sentences for aiding and abetting.

[Main_Source]

Yeah, it's funny how the British government didnt really make much of an issue about it. Maybe there is something that has been agreed to have been kept secret.