URGENT CALL TO HELP QUAKE VICTIMS

Cem Bicer is a Turkish citizen, currently in his third year as a law student at Thompson Rivers University.

Bicer wants to bring awareness locally of the massive earthquake in his homeland of Turkey, as well as neighbouring Syria. More than 36,000 people have been killed by the 7.8-magnitude quake on Feb. 6 that was centred about 26 kilometres east of the Turkish city of Nurdagi, at a depth of about 18 kilometres on the East Anatolian Fault.

Bicer said he is encouraging Kamloopsians to go beyond making a financial donation to the Canadian Red Cross.

“I would urge Kamloopsians to donate first, but also call their MP to push for more professional or military personnel to be sent, and press the Turkish government to accept them, no matter what,” he said.

“Economic sanctions from Europe and America and Canada are putting a very big block against the people getting the money help that they need,” Bicer said. “This shouldn’t be a time to have economic sanctions while people are waiting under the rubble, Syria as well.”

Bicer said even though a smaller city like Kamloops cannot provide the in-kind help that larger centres with greater populations have been providing, such as sending boxes of supples to Turkish airlines who can deliver them, every little thing helps. Bicer and colleagues at TRU held a bake sale recently to raise funds and awareness.

Bicer said there is not the same level of trust between Turkish citizens and its government with respect to using funds for aid.

“There is another problem in the field, in that the government is lacking in its response, Bicer said. “They’re putting bureaucratic hurdles against opposition leaders, opposition parties and the municipalities controlled by the opposition who are trying to bring more humanitarian aid. That’s why Turkish people are donating to Turkish NGOs (non-governmental organizations), rather than to the Turkish government.”

Bicer is urging people to donate via the Canadian Red Cross or other reputable humanitarian missions.

“At least in Canada, you can more or less trust your government to use the money to actually provide relief, like the Red Cross does,” he said.

Bicer said the Turkish government’s attempt to decrease the bandwidth of Twitter on Feb. 8 “hurt our people.”