Tensions rise in Turkey over influx of Syria refugees

Residents of Turkish border towns are becoming increasingly frustrated with their government for letting in so many refugees from the conflict in Syria.

“We want to show them mercy, but we don’t love them and we definitely don’t love having them here,” said an employee of the local governor’s office in the border town of Kilis.

Others were less diplomatic. “They are willing to work for less than us,” said kiosk owner Serif Mercimek. “Already factories are hiring Syrians over locals, and this will only get worse. We’re really angry at the government –if the Arabs don’t go home soon, there will be trouble.”

Turkey has complained it is not receiving enough international assistance for the refugees and has pushed for the creation of a foreign-protected “safe zone” inside Syria to help civilians on the other side of the border.

The number of refugees stands at about 80,000, but the UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, has warned that could increase to 200,000 if the conflict worsens.

As fighting across Syria intensified this week, the border checkpoint on the outskirts of Kilis was awash with new arrivals. Entire families crammed themselves and a few key possessions into vehicles – children rode in the boots of hatchbacks, their legs dangling precariously over the rear bumper. Once through immigration, they found themselves on the doorstep of the Kilis refugee camp.

But the 12,600 who arrived before them have already moved into the 2,000 prefab containers. Here, families share two small rooms equipped with electricity, running water and a small kitchenette. They receive free medicines, pre-paid debit cards for shopping, free meals and even training courses in handicrafts.

There have been wedding parties, babies born and even a pop concert inside the camp. All of which has fostered resentment in a town that is far from affluent and where the economy was largely dependent on exports to Syria before the war.

“Trade is down 100 per cent” said Kilis Chamber of Commerce president, Mehmet Ozgil.

Stimulated by this state of affairs, the rumour-mill has gone into overdrive. The local press has reported state-sponsored honeymoon trips for newlyweds in the camp, lavish gifts for newborns and Syrian women seeking IVF treatment from state hospitals. But the Kilis governor’s office insists that, while it was true some baby-grows and shoes were given to new mothers, “the rest is pure nonsense”.

For this week’s arrivals, a fleet of minibuses was on-hand to ferry them to other, less well-equipped sites, such as the camp in neighbouring Urfa, where residents have to make do with tents pitched in a sandy desert.

Thousands more have been left on the Syrian side, as Turkish authorities scramble to build new camps. Some of those have chosen to cross the border illegally by crossing the minefields that separate the two countries.

With some Turkish politicians alleging Damascus has retaliated against their open-arms policy towards the refugees by providing support for Kurdish separatist group the PKK, the people of Kilis fear their security is in jeopardy. A recent car bomb in provincial capital Gazantiep killed eight, leading to concerns Kilis could be next.