This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0145 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU IZ ADANA
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, 
          MAY 27, 2003 
 
¶1.  This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary 
for May 27, 2003.  Please note that Turkish press 
reports often contain errors or exaggerations; 
AmConsulate Adana does not vouch for the accuracy 
of the reports summarized here. 
 
 
POLITICAL, SECURITY, HUMAN RIGHTS 
 
 
¶2.  Evrensel: It is claimed that MKP-HKO (Maoist 
Communist Party-Peoples Liberation Army) member 
Aycan Tato, killed in the clashes at Dinar Deresi 
of Tunceli on May 24, was the victim of an extra- 
judiciary killing. Eyewitnesses claimed that 
security forces opened gunfire, without any 
warning, on Tato as he walked toward the wooded 
area from the house the security forces were in. 
It is claimed that no weapons were found on Tato. 
 
 
¶3.  Evrensel: Nine presidents of Bar Associations 
in Eastern and Southeastern Turkey prepared an 
alternative Draft Law to the Repent Law. At a 
press conference, the presidents demanded a 
"general amnesty." They proposed no action to be 
taken against people who had not been subjected 
to any investigation in the past, and that these 
people should benefit from the law provided they 
applied within one year of the date the law was 
enforced. The Bar Association presidents also 
proposed a five year suspension of sentences for 
inmates and prisoners with definite sentences. 
 
 
¶4.  Cumhuriyet: The Chief Public Prosecutor of 
the Diyarbakir State Security Court, Saban Erbas, 
sent to Ankara a report on the draft Repent Law. 
The report, which expressed the views of the 
officials in the region, is deemed as a "road 
map" for the draft Repent Law which will be 
handled at the National Security Council's 
meeting tomorrow. Erbas, whose judiciary 
jurisdiction covers Batman, Bingol, Diyarbakir, 
Mardin, Sirnak, and Sanliurfa provinces, said 
that the armed combat with terrorism should be 
supported with legal arrangements and 
psychological operations as well. Saban 
emphasized that the state did not achieve its 
objective of persuading the terrorists to come 
down from the mountains because of the lack of 
legal arrangements. Saban added that developing 
technology and diversity in communication 
devices, and domestic migration made it difficult 
to follow terrorist organizations; he emphasized 
that it was important to know the organizational 
structure of terrorist organizations in combating 
them. Regarding the most recent Repent Law, 
declared on August 26, 1999, Saban said it was 
not successful because of its narrow scope. He 
added, "In order to bring down the terrorists in 
the mountains, security forces constantly claimed 
that the terrorists could benefit from the repent 
law. The terrorists who surrendered to security 
forces as a result of this propaganda were 
disappointed with the fact that the repent law 
was not applied. They reached the conclusion that 
the security forces' propaganda did not reflect 
reality." 
 
 
¶5.  Cumhuriyet: One single house has not been 
built for the 1966 earthquake victims in Mus. The 
earthquake victims in Mus warned the Bingol 
earthquake victims not to be deceived by promises 
made by politicians, and that they should take 
care of themselves.  Regarding the situation of 
the 1966 earthquake in Mus, Mayor Abdulbari Han 
said: "The officials promised houses for 4,400 
people. With contributions from the World Red 
Crescent, the British government built 589 
temporary barracks for the victims, and officials 
promised that permanent houses would be 
constructed in a very short time. Although 37 
years have passed since the earthquake, no houses 
have been built in Mus, and most of the people 
qualified for the houses have died." 
 
 
ECONOMIC AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS 
 
 
¶6.  Turkiye: Mustafa Caliskan, the President of 
the Adana Chapter of MUSIAD (Independent 
Industrialists and Businessmen Association), said 
the sugar price in Turkey was fivefold that of 
world prices, and added, "the state should end 
the period of loading its losses on the shoulders 
of 70 million people." Caliskan said a kilo of 
granular sugar was sold for approximately one USD 
while it was only 0.20 USD in the world markets. 
Caliskan said while sugar is overpriced in the 
country, the General Directorate of the Sugar 
Plants was seeking permission to export its 
excessive sugar stocks for half the price 
determined for exportation. He said the issue 
should be investigated. 
HOLTZ