Turkish police clashed for a second day Sunday with thousands of Kurdish demonstrators protesting a visit by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the country's restive Kurdish-majority south-east.
Fighting erupted when the protestors-mostly supporters of the country's main Kurdish party, the Democratic Society Party (DTP) - attempted to stage a march in the town of Yuksekova, ignoring police orders to disperse.
Riot police fired shots in the air and used tear gas and water cannons against the demonstrators who pelted officers with stones, the report said. The unrest came as Erdogan pledged unity and promised fresh steps to develop the impoverished region during a ceremony to inaugurate a hospital in Yuksekova before moving on to the nearby city of Hakkari.
"Let us not stand against those who want to sow discord among us...Let us protect our peace and stand united. If we increase our solidarity, we will also increase our development," he said.
Erdogan also underlined that his government would carry on with a reform drive to earn European Union membership for Turkey, which has resulted in broader Kurdish cultural freedoms.