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

UNCLAS ADANA 000239 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 15, 2005 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for December 15, 
¶2005.  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 
 
CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN / RADIKAL / SABAH / HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: 
Van Centennial University Rector denied all the charges placed 
against him during the statement he gave to the court.  "I did 
not engage in intelligence efforts, nor did I use this 
information against people or shared them with others. I did not 
engage in any discriminatory actions based on racial and 
religious concerns, and I did not establish an organizational 
circle," said Askin.  After the judge, who favored the release 
of Askin during his trial, was "instantly" replaced by another 
judge upon the demand of the intervening attorneys, the court 
decided that Askin should stay under arrest.  A small group of 
people protested the CHP (Republican People's Party) deputies 
who came to Van to attend the court session.  Meanwhile, an 
intervening attorney claimed that Enver Arpali, the deputy 
General Secretary of Van Centennial University, did not commit 
suicide in November, but was murdered in his prison cell in 
order to prevent disclosing of crucial information by Arpali. 
 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   1,590 people signed 102 petitions demanding 
mother tongue education and submitted them to the Turkish 
Parliament.  Petition Commission of the Parliament sent these 
petitions to the Ministry of Education.  Ministry of Education 
announced that no further action can be taken since the demand 
placed was against the clauses of the Turkish Constitution and 
these clauses were unalterable.  The Commission notified the 
citizens that those demands in the petition which were deemed 
beneficial to the public by the commission and which required 
lawmaking were conveyed to the lawmakers. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Four hundred wells to extract fuel that has 
leaked (from unspecified sources) have reportedly been dug up to 
date by people in Batman's Toptancilar Sitesi quarter despite 
the area being the site of a May 3, 2004 pressurized gas blast. 
Three people were killed and 23 people were wounded as a result 
of the blast then.  There had been a period of inactivity 
following the blast among people and many people fearing for 
their lives left the quarter; however, some of them returned and 
reestablished well digging businesses to extract fuel. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Police conducted separate raids on the 
Istanbul-based premise of the Ulkede Ozgur Gundem newspaper and 
its printing center, and searched these places under 
authorization of the Van Heavy Penalty Court. Chief Publishing 
Director of the newspaper said that this development should be 
deemed a blow to freedom of expression. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Fifty-six mayors, including the Diyarbakir, 
Tunceli, Hakkari, Batman and Sirnak Municipalities, will 
reportedly join the ranks of the DTP (Democratic Society Party) 
with a ceremony to be held on December 16 in Diyarbakir. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Diyarbakir Chapter of Human Rights Association 
held a seminar called "Do you know your rights?" in a quarter of 
the Diyarbakir province. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   A Women's Association called "Kircicegi" 
(Wildflower) opened in the Kucukdikili township of Adana.  The 
association aims to find solutions to women's psychological and 
social problems. 
 
ZAMAN / RADIKAL / SABAH:        If diplomatic efforts put forth to 
counter the founding of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq reaches 
a deadlock, [the Turkish Army should] "appear at the Qandil 
Mountains [in northern Iraq] one night," said the MHP 
(Nationalist Movement Party) leader Devlet Bahceli. 
 
RADIKAL:        A Women's Park will be opened in Diyarbakir today. 
A 3-meter tall monument has been erected in the park which 
depicted the stories of seven women who were victims of violence 
in seven different parts of the world.  The monument was erected 
with joint efforts of Baglar Municipality and International 
Amnesty Organization. 
REID