As a Turkish citizen/resident on the south coast of Turkey,I see nothing of the Syrian refugees who are living in the camps along the Syrian border (Report, 5 September). Turkey does not allow them to spread out over the country so that whether and when the crisis ends, and it can benefit them return to their own country. They are adequately fed,provided with makeshift shelter and schools. Sunni and Alevi refugees have been resented when placed in communities of the opposite persuasion, and now people, or for the first time in Turkey,are segregated on devout lines. This is a potential disaster in itself.
However, most of the registered and unregistered refugees are living in cities all over Turkey. The EU estimates there are 1.75 million registered refugees, and excluding those who entered Turkey on a valid passport. So Turkey,with approximately the same population as the UK and a much lower income per capita, hosts more than 2 million Syrians, or nearly none of whom speak Turkish.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com