The Guardian published today an article headlines "Turkey mine disaster: 24 people held on suspicion of negligence."
"The arrests seems to signal a shift in relations between the mining company and the government. After the accident, questions were asked about mine owner Alp Gürkan's political connections. His wife is said to be a local councillor for the governing party and his company leases several publicly owned coal mines," the article reads.
"Three weeks ago the ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) rejected calls by the main opposition Republican People's party's (CHP) for an investigation into safety deficiencies at the mine. The labour ministry said the mine was inspected in March and that no problems were found.
Unions and opposition parties asked why government officials had not criticised Soma Holding in the days after the explosion in the mine. At a press conference on Friday, CHP deputy chairman Faik Öztrak asked: 'Is there an organic link between the operating company and the AKP? Why do the prime minister and AKP MPs use such a tolerant language towards them?'"
"The deaths in the Soma coal mine have stirred up fresh antipathy towards the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been criticised for last summer's crackdown on protesters in Istanbul's Taksim Square and his increasingly intolerant stance towards any dissent. His comments that "this is what happens in coal mining" prompted a furious reaction in Soma, where he was confronted by angry protesters on Wednesday."
