Kurds in Romania on hunger strike

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Kurds in Romania on hunger strike for Ocalan 
09:42 a.m. Nov 17, 1998 Eastern 

By Roxana Dascalu 

BUCHAREST, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Thirty-nine Kurdish refugees refused
food for a third day on Tuesday and urged Italy to grant political
asylum to Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is wanted in
Turkey on charges of treason.

The protesters huddled inside a Kurdish community centre in central
Bucharest adorned with portraits of Ocalan, whose nom de guerre,
``Apo,'' they said means uncle in Kurdish.

Kurdish women sat nearby sewing banners with groups brewing tea for
the hunger strikers. A doctor checked the strikers and urged those
with low blood pressure to take more liquids.

In Rome, 4,000 Kurds come from all over Europe to campaign for
Ocalan's release.

Leaders of Romania's 5,000-strong Kurdish community said they wanted
to rally sympathy for Ocalan, the leader of Turkey's Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) guerrillas, who was arrested at Rome's Fiumicino airport
last week.

Aihan Dogan, 25, a member of the strike committee, described him as
``the symbol of liberty and hope for the Kurdish people. Ocalan should
be granted the status of political refugee.''

``Ocalan is everything for our movement,'' said Hanie, 30, one of
seven women on hunger strike.

The activists said they were members of the Kurdistan National
Liberation Front (ERNK) and described themselves as sympathisers of
the PKK.

Local Kurdish leaders vowed to stick to peaceful protests. Kurdish
shops closed on Monday in support of the PKK leader.

Romania has fostered ties with Turkey, the fifth-largest investor in
the ex-communist country. In recent years, reports issued by Romanian
intelligence services years cited various Kurdish liberation movements
among potential terrorist threats.

Ankara is pressing Italy to extradite Ocalan, Turkey's most wanted man
for the last 20 years. He is seeking political asylum in Italy and on
Monday he said he was ready to work to help stop terrorism.
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