Turkish PM vows rigid reply to internal unrest

ANKARA

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he will continue to show zero tolerance to ongoing internal anti-government moves. DHA photo

While vowing to protect the country in the face of external threats, as in the recent case of the downing of a Syrian helicopter, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he will continue to show zero tolerance to ongoing internal anti-government moves, in the aftermath of this summer’s Gezi Park unrest.

“Like how we responded to actual attacks against Turkey, we cannot tolerate chaos and provocation plans that are being tried to be implemented inside Turkey,” Erdoğan said in a speech delivered at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Bilkent Integrated Heath Campus on Sept. 18. 

“Before all else, I want to remind something to those who are trying to deprive us of our serenity in this capital of serenity, peace, prosperity. Look, things you do are not only being disrespectful to my people, to my tradesmen, know that it is being disrespectful to yourself. We will respect you for whatever opinion you have, but respect requires respect for the opposing view,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the Police Department has launched investigations against 164 police officers for their disproportionate use of force against protesters during Gezi protests, Anadolu Agency reported on Sept. 18. 

Some of the suspects, 32 of which are chiefs of police, have been called to give testimonies by the Police Department’s chief inspectors, while others are expected to testify in the coming days. The majority of the officers under inquiry are stationed in Istanbul, Ankara and Hatay, three key cities during the protests. 

Erdoğan also pledged that a long-awaited democratization package will include many elements that will satisfy people’s expectations. He noted that he would announce the package, a set of reforms mainly aimed at facilitating resolution of the Kurdish issue, in late September. 

“Last night, we completed our work, it is being edited. By the end of the month, I will personally announce the package with a wide press conference,” he said.