Financial woe leads to jump in suicides
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hurriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 25, 2008 00:00
ANKARA - Despite Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s efforts to water down the scale of the financial crisis in the country, Turkey has been witnessing not only rising unemployment and poverty but also an increase in instances of depression and suicides as a result of financial embarrassment.
While experts say the crisis hits those with lower incomes and the working class the hardest, it can also facilitate the tragic end of businesspeople.
The owner of Ankara’s famous private Yüce schools, Yücel Kalınyazgan, committed suicide in his office, leaving a letter: "I lived with my honor and will die with my honor."
Kalınyazgan held a meeting Monday with the administrative board of his schools and explained his financial difficulties, claiming that he was in search of a solution. However, after the meeting ended, he shot himself. Kalınyazgan’s dead body was found at 5 a.m. by his son.
Exchange rates
Kalınyazgan founded Yüce Schools in 1988, and later, became a project partner of the U.S. based Aptech Training Limited. When foreign exchange rates abruptly increased due to the financial crisis, Kalınyazgan fell into debt. Having been rejected by banks when he applied to raise credits, Kalınyazgan fell into depression.
Another businessman, who committed suicide due to his debt of YTL 5 million, was 46-year-old Levent Yener. Yener, who was the owner of Yener Technics Factory, ended his life at the shooting range in the Florya district of Istanbul on Tuesday.
"I have been his friend for 20 years, but I did not know that he went to a shooting range to shoot. He went there to commit suicide," Yener’s friend said, pointing out that Yener had recently mortgaged his mother’s house in return for a bank credit.
Yener had attempted to commit suicide before, however, his daughter had dissuaded him, it was learned.
The owner of Ankara’s famous private Yüce schools, Yücel Kalınyazgan, committed suicide in his office, leaving a letter: "I lived with my honor and will die with my honor."
Kalınyazgan held a meeting Monday with the administrative board of his schools and explained his financial difficulties, claiming that he was in search of a solution. However, after the meeting ended, he shot himself. Kalınyazgan’s dead body was found at 5 a.m. by his son.
Exchange rates
Kalınyazgan founded Yüce Schools in 1988, and later, became a project partner of the U.S. based Aptech Training Limited. When foreign exchange rates abruptly increased due to the financial crisis, Kalınyazgan fell into debt. Having been rejected by banks when he applied to raise credits, Kalınyazgan fell into depression.
Another businessman, who committed suicide due to his debt of YTL 5 million, was 46-year-old Levent Yener. Yener, who was the owner of Yener Technics Factory, ended his life at the shooting range in the Florya district of Istanbul on Tuesday.
"I have been his friend for 20 years, but I did not know that he went to a shooting range to shoot. He went there to commit suicide," Yener’s friend said, pointing out that Yener had recently mortgaged his mother’s house in return for a bank credit.
Yener had attempted to commit suicide before, however, his daughter had dissuaded him, it was learned.