Parents of Kusadasi bomb victim plead for peace

The parents of Tara Whelan – victim of Saturday's Kusadasi mini-bus bombing – issued an impassioned plea for peace on Monday night and said that they had forgiven the bombers who killed their daughter. "Far from blaming the person who set off the bomb that took their daughter from this world, the parents forgive and would like to get this message across," said Father Michael O'Byrne. Tony and Frances Whelan had asked their village priest to make a public statement in which they implored terrorists to renounce violence. Tara, 17, fell victim to terrorism when a bomb was left on a mini-bus in the Turkish resort of Kusadasi on Saturday morning. Four other passengers were killed in the explosion. Authorities believe it to be the work of a fraction group of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) called Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), who claimed responsibility for the attack on the nearby resort town of Cesme only one week earlier. Tara's parents described their daughters tragic death should act as a "turning point" for terrorists. "This morning, the parents of the child - Tara - asked me to make this public," Fr O'Byrne said. "Please ask the people of violence and destruction to give up the way of the bomb, and they would like people to do all they can to explore every road to truce and people making peace with each other. "Far from blaming the person who set off the bomb that took their daughter from this world, the parents forgive and would like to get this message across. These people who set off the bomb are forgiven by Tara's parents, and they would like it somehow to be a turning point to lead to peace.Â