The picture
says it all .... a single page website of the Company in all black with obvious
message of mourning .... sad to hear even !!
Even as the
whole country is mourning, this picture has sparked global outrage..... seen here is Yusuf Yerkel, one of
Recep Tayyip Erdogan's aides, kicking a protester who was being held on the
ground by Special Forces police officers. The incident, which has led to
widespread anger on social media, occurred as Erdogan visited Soma in the wake
of the coalmine tragedy. The photograph
of Yerkel was quickly circulated on Twitter, with user MarquardtA describing
the scene as 'insane'
Soma mine disaster is an underground mine fire at a coal mine in
Soma, Manisa ,Turkey which is the worst mine disaster in Turkey's history. The
fire reportedly began on 13 May 2014 at
a mine owned by coal producer Soma Kömür İşletmeleri A.Ş. The fire was started
by an explosion suspected to have been caused by electrical equipment, an
explanation doubted by some. It occurred
at a time of shift change and the numbers is being guessed with some fearing it
to be very high. Many reports put the
death toll at 282 – while many are still feared trapped inside.
Turkey is convulsed with grief and swelling anger after the explosion at Soma, in the western province of Manisa, north of Izmir, feared to be worser that the gas explosion in
1992 near the Black Sea port of Zonguldak that killed 263 workers. Rescue work is on amidst speculations of
scores dead in the galleries. Unions quickly
called for a national strike. The
prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, cancelled other engagements and went to
the scene of the disaster, pledging a full investigation of the causes of the
accident. But he was confronted by angry people who mobbed and kicked his car,
shouting "murderer!" and "thief!". As hopes for some 150
other miners trapped underground faded, the energy minister, Taner Yildiz, said
rescue efforts were focusing on two areas inside the mine but that the
operation was hampered by a fire. Carbon monoxide poisoning was blamed for the
deaths. The government said 363 people had been rescued, including scores of
injured.
This had made
the entire Nation weeping even in a Nation where mining accidents have occurred
frequently. Official statistics record
more than 3,000 coal miners having died in mining accidents since 1941. Video from that network, social media
messages and pictures posted to Twitter showed hundreds participating in
anti-government protests in Istanbul and Ankara, with police answering in some
cases with water cannons and tear gas. While not focused on mine safety, such
demonstrations railing against Erdogan and his government have been commonplace
in Turkey in recent months, as has the police responding with water cannons and
tear gas. In the nation's capital of Ankara, some called for silent
demonstration to "stand for humanity." Others left black coffins in
front of the Energy Ministry and the Labor and Social Security ministry
buildings. That grim symbol speaks to the sadness permeating Turkey, whatever
one's political bent.
In the photo-
2 seen at the start of the post, Daily
Mail reports that the protester was
being interrogated by two officers following the alleged incident when Yerkel,
who was about to be driven away, ran over to him and kicked him three or four
times, according to The Hurriyet Daily News. Yerkel, whose official title is
Deputy Chief of the Cabinet of the Turkish Prime Minister's office, has
admitted to the assault, even as opposition
party demanded an explanation for it. The prime minister's office on Thursday
quickly distanced itself from the
incident, with one official saying the issue was 'his own personnel matter'.
Recep Tayyip
Erdogan has made no secret of his desire to become Turkey's first popularly
elected president. His party swept local elections in March despite a corruption
scandal that forced him to dismiss four government ministers in December and
later also implicated him and family members. After a corruption scandal, Erdogan was quoted by Reuters at a rally in
March saying: 'I don't understand how people of good sense could defend this
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. There are all kinds of lies there.' Erdogan has
been in office since 2003 and is the chairman of the ruling Justice and
Development Party.
Turk-Is,
Turkey's largest trade union confederation representing some 800,000 workers,
joined a one-day strike by other unions to demand better conditions for
workers. Workers in the mining region of
Zonguldak, obeying the strike, gathering in front of a pit but did not enter
it. In Istanbul, a group chanted anti-government slogans and carried a large
banner that read: 'It's not an accident, it's murder.' Anger has swept a
country that has boasted a decade of rapid economic growth under Erdogan's
Islamist-rooted government, but which still suffers from one of the world's
worst workplace safety standards.
The Soma
disaster coincides with increased pressure on miners and utilities to
drastically improve safety and environmental standards in a profession that
often involves a risk to life. Coal mining is responsible for more fatalities
than the production of any other energy source due to poor working conditions
in producing countries such as China, Turkey, South Africa, Indonesia and
Colombia. Despite its poor record, coal accounts for over 40 percent of global
electricity generation as coal-fired power stations are relatively cheap to
build and operate.
Sad indeed
Feeling sad –
S. Sampathkumar
15th May 2014.
