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 000043 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 27, 2006 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for February 27, 
¶2006.  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 / RADIKAL / YENI SAFAK:      Abdulkadir Aksu, Minister of 
Internal Affairs, responded to a question submitted to the 
Turkish Parliament by Mehmet Eraslan, Hatay deputy from DYP 
(True Path Party).  According to the figures in Aksu's response, 
246 soldiers, police officers and village guards working on a 
temporary basis have been killed by terrorist activities.  A 
total of 1325 terrorist organization members have been caught 
since 2003: 359 of them were killed, 377 of them were caught 
alive, 589 of them surrendered themselves to the security 
officers.  Reportedly, neighboring countries have surrendered a 
total of 116 members of the terrorist organization to Turkey. 
 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  A march has been staged in Hatay's Iskenderun 
district to protest the western media which published 
caricatures of Prophet Mohammed.  People crucified puppets of 
(Anders) Rassmussen, (George W.) Bush and (Ariel) Sharon during 
the protest activity. 
 
YENI SAFAK / ZAMAN / CUMHURIYET / HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / 
EVRENSEL / RADIKAL:       During a funeral in Diyarbakir, which 
was reportedly held by the DTP (Democratic Society Party) 
members for one of the terrorists killed in a military operation 
last week in Mardin's Dargecit district, the police did not 
allow a 300-person group to march after the funeral car (Note: 
Ozgur Gundem daily reported the number of people as 5000. End 
Note.) The group showed resistance and anti-riot teams 
intervened when tension developed.  The police used tear gas and 
detained 20 demonstrators (30 demonstrators according to Ozgur 
Gundem) during the incident.  Ozgur Gundem claims that many 
people have been wounded.  Hurriyet daily noted that a police 
officer was hospitalized, and some demonstrators fainted. 
Meanwhile, Ozgur Gundem claimed that Turkish military used 
chemical weapons during its operation at the Dargecit district. 
 
 
RADIKAL / HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL / ZAMAN / 
CUMHURIYET / YENI SAFAK:        Land Forces Commander Yasar 
Buyukanit paid a visit to the Diyarbakir Governor Efkan Ala with 
an accompanying 23-person group of other commanders. Buyukanit 
reportedly said that terrorist activities would do no good to 
anybody, and as long as terrorism persisted, efforts to counter 
it would continue. 
 
HURRIYET:       An attorney in Adana filed a complaint against 
Directorate of Religious Affairs with the European Court of 
Human Rights, and claimed that the Directorate was working as if 
it was government's "intelligence center."  According to the 
attorney, Directorate of Religious Affairs has been violating 
human rights through being the mouthpiece of the government in 
every aspect of ordinary life. 
 
HURRIYET / EKSPRES / BOLGE:     Kemal Sag, Adana deputy from CHP 
(Republican People's Party), announced that studies have 
recently been launched to explore the gravity of internal 
migration Adana has been receiving to date.  This study aims to 
find out whether Adana will be eligible to be listed among the 
other provinces cited in the 8th Five-Year Development Plans of 
the state and receive subsidies for the amount of migration they 
have been receiving. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:           Abdullah Ocalan has applied to the 
European Council and submitted a petition for retrial in which 
he also claimed that his imprisonment conditions have been 
aggravated. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Part of a 28-kilometer road that was newly 
constructed between Tunceli and Elazig provinces has collapsed 
and fractures have occurred on some road sections.  This 
situation has reportedly been jeopardizing the safety of the 
drivers traveling on that road. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   A panel discussion has been held in Hakkari's 
Municipality Meeting Hall on "Human Rights and Rights of the 
City-dwellers."  Mihdi Perincek, local representative of the 
Human Rights Association; Metin Tekce, Hakkari Mayor; Salih 
Yildiz, Yuksekova Mayor; Alaattin Ege, DTP Provincial 
Chairperson; Abdulkadir Seyitoglu, ANAP (Motherland Party) 
Provincial Chairperson were among the participants in the event. 
 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Three of fifteen people, who were detained for 
conducting a referendum called "Abdullah Ocalan is our political 
will," have been arrested in Siirt on charges of "making 
propaganda for the terrorist organization." 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Many people in Agri's Dogubeyazit have 
continued staging protest activities against police who recently 
conducted an unannounced raid and search at DTP provincial party 
building in Dogubeyazit. 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Five people have been wounded because of a 
fight that broke out between members of two families in Mardin's 
Nusaybin district.  Fighting resumed in front of the hospital 
where the wounded people were taken to.  Police reportedly had 
difficulty in taking the incident under control. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   A Dogubeyazit court in Van sentenced former 
DEHAP (Democratic People's Party) district chairperson to 5 
months in prison on charges of using a Turkish courtesy title 
before the name of the terrorist organization leader. 
Meanwhile, an investigation has been started against another 
former DEHAP district chairperson on the same grounds. 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that 
people whose passports have been sealed with the statement 
"Kurdistan Region" will be allowed entrance to the country. 
However, owners of the passports which read "Kurdistan" in its 
field for "Place of Birth" will be deported on charges of 
illegal entrance. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   DTP has decided to take action to prevent 
government's attempts to build a dam (Ilisu Dam Project) which 
will submerge ancient city of Hasankeyf in Batman under dam 
waters. 
 
EKSPRE / BOLGE: Citrus fruit farmers and non-governmental 
associations for citrus farming in Adana have made a call for 
the government to take action to address their problems. 
Reportedly, citrus fruit farmers have been suffering the most 
severe of all the seasons.  The farmers are reportedly looking 
forward to government's announcement to increase the exports 
subsidies for citrus fruits to 60 USD. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The daily reported that people and 
organizations in many parts of the country have been readying to 
launch assorted activities on Marc 8-Women's Day. 
 
CUMHURIYET / EVRENSEL:  Socialist Democracy Party's Adana 
provincial organization sent signatures it gathered in Adana to 
protest the Semdinli incident of 2005 and criminal structures 
embedded in the state to the Turkish Parliament.  A group of 
people gathered in a quarter of Adana and shouted slogans 
saying, "Yesterday it was the Susurluk case, today it is the 
Semdinli case," "Dissolve MIT, JITEM and counter-guerilla 
teams." 
 
YENI SAFAK / EVRENSEL:  Truck drivers at the Habur Border gate 
in Sirnak staged a protest against the new regulation adopted by 
the government obliging the drivers to pay 2000 to 3000 new 
Turkish liras (approx. 1500 to 2300 USD) to obtain licenses for 
conducting their businesses.  The due date of the payment ends 
today, and drivers are also demanding that the due date of the 
payment be extended. 
 
YENI SAFAK:     The New York Times reported in an article that the 
incidents that were sparked after last week's attack on a Shi'a 
shrine in Iraq might trigger a civil war in Iraq, a situation 
which may cause the countries neighboring Iraq, like Turkey, to 
consider crossing the border and conducting military operations, 
especially to protect Turkmen minority in Iraq against Kurdish 
region in the north in Turkye's case. 
REID