TURKISH police fired tear gas and water cannon in Istanbul on Sunday to disperse hundreds of Kurdish protesters who were calling for an end to curfews in the south-east of the country.

 

Some of the protesters responded by hurling petrol bombs at officers and a water cannon raced up and down central Istiklal Street firing short bursts at the demonstrators.

 

Protesters and stunned tourists caught up in the police aggression used lemons and soft drinks to neutralise the effects of the tear gas as riot police chased protesters down side streets and made arrests as helicopters flew overhead.

 

Stone-throwing teenagers clashed with police in the adjacent neighbourhood of Tarlabasi, a hub for Kurdish migrants from south-eastern Turkey.

 

In Kurdish-majority Diyarbakir, residents reported violent clashes between the youth wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and police in the Sur district. 

 

Clashes were also reported in Cizre, Nusaybin and Silopi.

 

Turkey has stepped up “security operations” in the mainly Kurdish towns of Silope and Cizre, which have both been under curfew since December 14. 

 

About 10,000 troops backed by tanks have been deployed.

 

The Turkish military claimed that a soldier wounded on Saturday had died of his wounds and vowed to tighten its control. 

 

The military announced the killing of 11 activists in the south-east of the country, pushing the total number of Kurdish victims it described as “terrorists” to 80. The Turkish government insists that the PKK is a terrorist organisation.