On Saturday, 18 May 2013 at 13:45, opposition parties marched in Reyhanli saying “Raise your voice for Reyhanli”. Participants also took part in the march from various districts of Hatay and city center. The Syria policy of the government was criticized and they urged Syrian refugees to leave Reyhanli.
Almost half of those who were killed on May 11th are shop owners. The rest of them were there either out of curiosity or with business purposes.
In the first bombing that took place next to the Reyhanli Municipality building, barber Mustafa Kuday was severely injured, while his Syrian apprentice was killed and his customer Jamal Cunedioglu was injured. There was also a photographer's shop on the same route. The computer exploded as a result of the blast while working on a photo design on his computer, and he lost his eye. A shop owner next to the barber and his customer were killed and the shop was devastated. There is a grocery store 10 meters away from the building. The owner of the grocery Ahmet Kazan was injured. Everything in grocery store was destroyed. A three-floor building was completely destroyed. There was a restaurant next to the grocery store, and it was operated by Syrians. The shrapnel pieces hit the restaurant, and two people were severely injured. And a hairdresser right next to the restaurant, and he was also injured and he became permanently disabled. His employee was killed. The salon, on the other hand, was devastated. The employees of the women's wear shop next to the hairdresser were injured. Patisserie and cell phone shop are located in the neighborhood. The casualties received ambulatory treatment after being slightly injured. But their shops were all destroyed. There were also peddler Syrians on the same route. Two of them were killed, and a Syrian peddler was injured. Those who were in the park were and those in their shops 50 meters away from the blast were injured.
The dentist Nihat Dağ in his clinic, and his patient Azize Yumuşak while getting out of the clinic were killed from shrapnel pieces after the bombings. The brothers who owned a cell phone shop were killed in their work places. Owner of a transportation company Ceyhan and Uyan as well as his children were killed in their offices. A father Mehmet Ceyhan was severely injured. After the bombing, Tahir Yumuşak and Hüseyin Çolak came from the bazaar to the PTT building to see what happened in front of the municipality building on their motorcycles. While waiting on their motorcycles in front of the PTT building due to the traffic jam, the second bombing took place and both of them burned to death. A student left the tutoring center a few minutes before the blast, and when the first vehicle exploded, he walked towards the PTT building and waited in front of the tutoring center. While watching the traffic progressing through the street, he stopped and was killed after the second bombing.
On May 11th, parents looked for their children but mostly could not find them there. They found them found them either in a wreckage or in a morgue after hours of searching. The parents or friends of the victims go to identify them, but they cannot, they do not want to, they can't believe their eyes. Parents do not want to accept the fact that their children were killed. They know that death comes at the end, but they believe that their children's or friends' being killed is not fair.
We see injured people in Reyhanli everyday. Those who were permanently disabled are the witness of the bombing in Reyhanli. Their pain has left mark on the Reyhanli people to remind them everyday of the May 11th attack.
In Reyhanli, the cost of damage of shops and houses were assessed. Economic moral support was given to people. The cost of damages have been paid. The restoration and maintenance started in the city. The marks of the bombings have been erased.
The bazaars were set up, but the people had no courage to go there. Not many people went to crowded places. Right after meeting personal needs as soon as possible, people immediately go back to their homes or offices. Like every foreigner is regarded as a suspect, the local also started to look each other with suspicion. Because those events split the people into two or three. Because there was also considerable amount of abstainers.
Lake Yenişehir is found in Reyhanli. It used to be full of people during summer. Syrians and local people in Reyhanli used to live together before the attack. It used to be so crowded that you would think as if it was a touristic area. The bombing attack took place, and neither Syrians nor the local people are there now. The shops and tradesmen look one another, that's all. Life came to a standstill, there's neither joy nor income. It is also the same in city center. The people do not go to city center if they don't have to. Some people go to shop in the afternoon. Those who do not have a job, on the other hand, go to coffee houses. The city looks like a ghost town when compared to the scenes before the bombings.
Anti-Syria Demonstrations in Reyhanli, and Those Who Move Back
Although people who couldn't stand being subjected to bombardments, massacres of their own state officials in their own country and took shelter in Turkey knew that they would be killed back there, they fled from Reyhanli and went back to Syria again.
Yusuf Ali al Hadj Ahmet
He is from Sermada village of Idlib province, Syria. As a matter of fact, Sermada is a town, but they call it our “village”. He fled to Reyhanli six months ago. He sold hot beverages, pita with pepper, and various kind of wraps in bazaar during winter. He began to sell ice-cream, cold-beverages as from 2013. He walked all day long to sell those. He went to bazaars in the neighborhood. He worked even under rain, sun etc. But he has been earning his living by his own efforts. He's been paying his rent, electricity and water bills, and look after his children.
When anti-Syria demonstrations started in Reyhanli, people couldn't go out on Sundays anymore and when he could not sell anything, he could not pay his electricity and water bills anymore. He could not feed his children since he did not have any money.
“I fled from my country because of oppression, misery and bombardments. But we've witnessed bombing attacks here as well, also oppression, hunger and misery. I thought I would rather die at home,” he said and moved back to his country.
He was crying as he was leaving, also his wife and four children. Because there was death. They could be subjected to bombing attacks on the first or the second day of their arrival in Syria, and they might be killed by the attacks of cruel army.
Mecid al Abid abu Rahmi and His Wife Zehra
They fled from Al Gab district of Hama, Syria to Turkey with great difficulty.
Their house was destroyed, their relatives and friends were killed. They achieved to arrive in Turkish border zone by bribing and sleeping outdoors for 130 km. 7 months ago. Death has no fear or shame. Death is everywhere. However, dying in misery and torture scared them as well. Macid worked in Reyhanli. He had a decent life style. He had endeared himself to food wholesaler, and he worked there as a porter. He had 6 children. They went to work in fields along with his two daughters and wife in agricultural season. Daily wage of each of them was 23 TL. They bought furniture, TV, washing machine, refrigerator etc for their home. Even if they couldn't find what they lost in Syria, they were in good health, upheld their honor and dignity.
When the events started in Reyhanli, they locked themselves in the house, could not go out, and they could not even go to grocery store. Macid made friends with a couple of people, and knew their telephone numbers, and asked for help by calling them. “Help me buy bread, vegetable, my children are hungry,” he said on the phone. His friends bought bread and food for them, but he was scared and wanted to move back to his country. He also made friends with me. When he called, I went to his house and he told me by crying that:
“This is an unfortunate fate. I came here to save my wife and children from bombshells, but bombshells followed us. They lump us together with all Syrians, and some of the people in Reyhanli consider us enemy. We are pointed out as the reason of people being killed. We became the target. I cannot ask for bread and vegetable everyday on the phone. I cannot even open the windows at home. I cannot work anymore and earn my living here, so I have to move back.” He left the next day.
Rıdvan al Isa abu Vasel and His Wife Muna
He is from Binnec district of Idlib province, Syria. He is a father of 5 children. He is a religious, modest and considerate person. He had been in Reyhanli for more than 6 months. He worked as plasterer and painter. His children went to Koran courses provided by Syrians. He rented a very small house in the back of beyond in Reyhanli district. It is located more than 3 kilometers away since the rent was cheaper. Everyday, he took his children to Koran course and then pick them up from school. When the bombing took place in Reyhanli, he was working in a construction. He immediately left work and after picking up his children he locked themselves in the house. They stayed at home with doors and windows closed for a couple of days, and he called his friends to ask for vegetable and some food on the phone. Some people tried to intimidate him. Since his wife was veiled, it was obvious that she was Syrian. They scared her that they could be killed. Some people threw stones at their window. Some of them ran riot.
“The Binnec district, which is my hometown in Syria, is still under bombardment, but I will move to somewhere near my hometown. Death is everywhere. I am unemployed, children are hungry, and life is expensive here,” he said and moved back to Syria, country of death, in tears.
Fuat al Esvad abu Cemal and His Wife Ahmel al Jabir
They are from Jabariya district of Aleppo, Syria. They have 4 children. Fuat al Asvad is permanently disabled, and his wife Ahmel tells;
“My eldest son Jamal brought us to Reyhanli, and he went back to the armed group. He is fighting for freedom and our honor. Our house was in Aleppo destroyed. The events started in Reyhanli as well. Some people threaten and disturb us. We've witnessed demonstrations on the streets of Reyhanli twice. We escaped from trouble, death, bombardments, but we found it all here as well. We are neighbors. We are not enemy. We took shelter in Turkey, but people here do not trust us anymore. Negative actions of a few Syrians were attributed to all Syrians. Besides fear, I am also in misery. We're moving back to Aleppo, even if we die in the end.”
Impressions from Reyhanli III / 25-26-27 May 2013
25 May 2013. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is in Reyhanli. I am among Syrians in front of the municipality building, around it, and in or out of the meeting area. Syrians are excited and timid. They are wearing the caps distributed by the AK Party Youth Branch. Syrian men and women are all dressed like people from Reyhanli. They camouflaged their looks. They do not wear a Syrian-like clothing. You cannot distinguish them from a local people if you haven't talked to them or did not know them in person beforehand. They are freely in a meeting in an environment that they have never seen and they are not used to. They all have a flag in their hands and a cap on their heads.
Reyhanli has suffered a lot, and they are grieving now. But the day the Prime Minister visited the district, everybody left their grief at home. Those who came to the area seemed like they came to a wedding ceremony with joy, and by singing songs from their village. There are approximately 5 thousand people in the meeting. At least 500 of them are Syrian. The PM Erdoğan told Syrians that he continued his support for Syrians. And he asked the local people of Reyhanli to do their best to help Syrians. Those silent people were even more enthusiastic than members of AK Party Youth Branch. I look at the people. They applaud in tears, despite the fact that most of them do not understand the speech.
When the speech of the Prime Minister ended, and the crowd started to break up, I met a Syrian who was next to me. Sadiy al Tahir from Idlib. He started to tell right away;
“We missed such a democracy. You should be proud of the environment you are in. Our President opened fire on us, he has been killing his people. Here, on the other hand, your Prime Minister comes and gives you moral support. He heals your wounds. Our government destroyed our houses, work places. If we can go back to our country safe and sound, we will rebuild all of them. But, here the terrorism destroyed your houses, and the next, your government covered the loss in a few days. Everything was repaired as new. This is the difference between you and us.”
The Reyhanli meeting of the Prime Minister took place in Yenimahalle. On the same street, a Syrian family was sitting and drinking tea. They were afraid of sitting in the garden the previous day. However, when the Prime Minister came and expressed his support, their fears were gone. They are sitting in the garden in peace. I greet them and enter in after saying that “I would like to have a cup of tea with you”. They invite me in. I meet Mahmoud Nesim Abu Ala. He came from Al Kellese district of Aleppo. He was engaged in trade before the civil war in Aleppo. He calls me “brother”, and says;
“I saw those on TV who made Reyhanli went through this disaster. Those people will be imprisoned and suffer the consequences. In Syria, on the other hand, they are executed in the open right away. However, in Turkey, attorneys defend those people. Their families visit them. They can eat in prison, and take shower. In Syria, on the other hand, people who are put in prison without any legal grounds are tortured. They are not given any food, and not allowed to talk to anyone. Nobody knows where they are or hears anything from them for years. In Syria, the circumstances in prison are so terrible that, let alone terrorism or political crime, even those who commit petty crime suffer to a great extent. The families of those who commit an action in Syria similar to the one in Reyhanli would be killed. Even their children are regarded as criminal. They are not employed. However unlike Syria, in Turkey only the criminal suffers the consequences of his/her actions, not anyone else.”
26 May 2013. I started to visit families in my neighborhood. I conducted interviews with those families. Some of them came home. Or we met and talked to some of them at parks or on the street. One of them is Maced Hamdan Abu Talal and his wife Munise. I talked to them and asked their thoughts. “We've heard bad news from Binnec, Idlib,” Munise said. “Binnec is bombarded. Lots of people have been killed, and also many houses were destroyed. We have our friends, relatives there.” She started to cry. Her husband was moved to tears. I was also moved as well. We stopped talking about the civil war and massacres in Syria, and started to talk about Reyhanli.
“We cannot go to work or grocery store for three weeks. We send our 15-year old child to grocery for bread. He runs to grocery to buy bread and then immediately comes back. We do not have sufficient income. We ran out of money due to rent, electricity, water bills and gas. Prime Minister made our day. The people in Reyhanli give us moral support. Our neighbors try to comfort us. We are relieved, if a little. My husband Maced work as porter, while my two daughters and I work as agricultural laborer. Now we can go out without fear again. There is no fear or threat in Reyhanli anymore. We are poor people escaping from bombardment, hunger and misery. We fled from our country to survive. We are not to blame for the events, attacks here. May God punish those who are responsible for that.”
I left there and went to another house I already visited once. They have Turkish flag flying on their window. Asım Abu Abdo lives in that house. He is from Muarra district of Idlib. He lives in a four-room house with garden with his son, daughter-in-laws and his grandchildren. His sons work. He says;
“I cannot go to Idlib to draw my pension. I gave procuration to someone, so that he can draw my pension and bring it to me. But each time, I give him 2000 SYP from my pension. Our money has no value anymore. It is not sufficient even for the rent. But we can stand on our own feet for now.”
I ask them why they are flying Turkish flag on their window.
“When we saw Turkish people around us flying Turkish flag, we also wanted to do so. We asked and they gave us a flag. They did not reject and hurt us, gave us the flag. Turkey is our second hometown. Why wouldn't we fly the Turkish flag? The flag of a state which defends our life and honor is also our flag. We shared our food, talked to you about our problems, shared our secrets. You are more kinds to us than we would be. If you went through the same thing we've been going through, I am not sure if we would act the same way as you do now. I hope that nobody has to experience what we've been going through. We tormented Iraqi people in the past. We did not show such interest in Muslim Arab Iraqi people. Unlike what you did, we did not open our doors to them. You much better people than us. People are in a major grief in Reyhanli. I see your feelings. I respect those who show reaction to us. But we are not to blame. The main problem is to make the local people want to get rid of Syrian refugees and to point us as a target to Turkish people. They achieved their goals for a while. But you are merciful, smart, patient and mature people. Most of the people in Reyhanli were not agitated. But we also understand and respect those who were agitated. I reiterate; if it happened in Syria, the consequences would be completely different. The Prime Minister gave us moral support and confidence. Life is back to normal. We will continue to go out and work to make our living. But we will understand the reactions of people if they insulted. This is our fate.”
27 May 2013. We heard that barber Mustafa Kuday, who had been severely injured during the explosion that took place on May 11th and was hospitalized, passed away. According to official figures, he is our 53rd martyr. He had been injured by a shrapnel piece on his back and his internal organs had been smashed. He could not survive despite all the efforts. God rest his soul. We heard the bad news this morning. He will be buried after the autopsy. Reyhanli deplored again upon this bad news. We talked to a Syrian refugee in the crowd. Hashim abu Suleiman is from Idlib. “We share your pain. There are many Syrians around. Nevertheless, nobody shows us reaction,” he said.
“Many people were killed in Idlib. But we could not bury them as here. We couldn't set up a tent of condolence. The municipality did not provide us service. As a couple of people, we carried the bodies to bury in a cemetery in fear. When were were more than a few people, we could have been killed by jets. Not only people who were alive but also dead bodies were subjected to bombshells for several times in Idlib. Sometimes bombshells coming from far away fell on cemeteries. Bones of people were spread all across.”
I talked to another Syrian in the crowd. He came from Binnec district of Idlib. “We hear that bombs were dropped on our town yesterday, and tens of people were killed,” he said.
“Funeral ceremonies are held for your martyrs in Turkey. Also government officials pay visit to their families. They are provided with financial support. Municipalities provide all kind of service. Believe it or not, but even dying in such an environment is a big chance for us. Because you can see bodies thrown out in the open like a carcass in our country. Sometimes it is only realized after it starts to stink. I share your pain. Everyone is going to die one day. But I hope and pray that nobody dies like Syrians.
