;)Hi I'm Sue Tekin, both Turk and Brit with some 30 years of contact with the area. Have just skimmed through this topic and am surprised by the feeling that the Brits have no say in this country. But I guess you are not so likely to have seen the pride that both the Kaymakam (local area governor) and Vali (Provincial Governor) have in the peaceful and happy integration of their now large ex pat communities. At a recent reception held by the British Ambassador it was a source of mutual congratulation and satisfaction. If you start expressing organised concerns and anger, over proposed Cement factory and (we have just learned) lime kiln, concern will be felt. Ultimately the real challenge is likely to have to be legal and a lot of work by Turkish locals is being directed towards this and to get local businesses to foot the bills, but foreign national's complaints passed through the area governor's offices and through the embassy to ministers concerned will make those who ultimately make the decisions think hard about it.
Although the monsters concerned have been planning this for years it has only become apparent to locals who understand the damage it can do in recent weeks and they have taken immediate action. However from now on few estate agents and builders will be able to plead ignorance, so if you know one make sure they know about it and ask what they plan to do about it. You could also start asking who is going to compensate for lost or heavily reduced investments, but ultimately perhaps we should all just do our bit to try to save this beleaguered planet from yet more unnecessary pollution. I know Fi is working on what can be done so watch this space. Thanks if you bothered to read this
Sue
