Police assist local Kurdish community with Turkish-language newspaper

Kudos to Kawaguchi cops.

"We believe it would be reassuring (for them) to see a familiar language in a foreign country," said Hideaki Konno, a senior officer at the Kawaguchi police station.

Konno added they also wanted to send a message that the city's foreign residents are welcomed and looked after.

The police station started distributing monthly free newspapers in English and Chinese in 2017 after a police officer proposed providing multilingual information for foreign residents. 

Good on Officer Konno. Also props to the officer in 2017 who started it all off. I hope he was suitably rewarded with a promotion, or a big bonus for thinking outside the (police) box.

Odd that people fleeing alleged persecution choose to come half way around the world to a completely alien culture and language instead of those countries nearby that share a religion, food and culture. I’m sure the relative wealth of Japan and financial rewards had nothing to do with it. # economic migrants.

Well done Kawaguchi. Really nice to see the word “welcomed” here.

Odd that people fleeing alleged persecution choose to come half way around the world to a completely alien culture and language instead of those countries nearby that share a religion, food and culture. I’m sure the relative wealth of Japan and financial rewards had nothing to do with it. # economic migrants.

I do hope no-one asks the same thing about you, Mr. Kipling.

@MATEJ

Good point and wondered the same. I’m guessing it’s because the Kurds from Syria/Iraq have semi-autonomy so there are less of them seeking refuge abroad.

Police officers fluent in foreign languages select the topics for the newspapers, 

And this matter's why? One would typically think that the people in the community have a better idea of what their needs are than some "police officers" "fluent" in some foreign language, not mentioned if the language is Kurdish or not!

This is more like the cops are dictating what they want the people to know!

@Jonathan Prin

All those people came to take advantage of the country, not flee persecution.

If you were to pick up a history book and read up on; the Sykes–Picot Agreement, the Halabja chemical attack, suppression of Kurds by the Turkish, Iraqi and Syrian states, the US encouarging the Kurds to rise up against Saddam at the end of the 1st Gulf War only for the US not to support them as promised resulting in them getting massacred. Read up on the Kurds being the only force from that part of the world being able to stand up to, and defeat ISIS, to which we all still owe them a debt of gratitude (!) for Trump to then pull the carpet out from under them much to the disbelief/opposition of senior US commanders. Read up on the torture the Turkish state inflicts upon the Kurds not to mention the suppression of their culture and (until recent years) their language. Hey, might as well read up Hasankeyf while you're at it.

After reading up on these things (and there's plenty more out there!) I'd be curious to know whether you still think 'All those people came to take advantage of the country, not flee persecution.'.

Japanoob,

Hear, hear. The saddest thing about immigré communities is some people's self-entitlement and nativism.