VZCZCXRO7331
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV
RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDA #0064/01 0891634
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 301634Z MAR 06
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4067
INFO RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 0157
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0089
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA PRIORITY 0664

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000064 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM CASC TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: UNEASY CALM SHATTERED ON THE THIRD DAY OF FUNERAL 
CEREMONIES IN DIYARBAKIR 
 
REF: ADANA 60 
 
ADANA 00000064  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: A temporary, uneasy calm was shattered at 
approximately 3:30 p.m. local time on March 30 when renewed 
violence erupted between funeral mourners  and security forces 
in Diyarbakir (reftel).  Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir had 
earlier called on both sides to cease the violence.  Large 
numbers of police and paramilitary jandarma remain in the city, 
and Turkish military units with armored vehicles and tanks are 
reported poised on the outskirts of the city.  The death toll 
and number of wounded continue to grow.  We are concerned that 
group rage, fuelled by high-profile funeral ceremonies, could 
become a pretext for further violence.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On March 30, tensions were still running high in 
Diyarbakir.  Even though demonstrations and clashes between 
rioters and security forces had ceased since late in the evening 
of March 29, renewed clashes broke out during late afternoon 
funeral ceremonies for three people killed over the past three 
days.  As of late afternoon of March 30, at least five people 
have been killed since the violence began on March 28.  Media 
report that young children are among those killed by police 
gunfire.  The number of wounded stands at over 250, many with 
gunshot wounds.  Over 300 people, mostly unemployed young men, 
have been detained by security authorities.  Schools and 
businesses remain closed, many shops and banks have been 
vandalized; cars and ATMs have been burned.  A contact told us 
that jewelry and cell phone shops had been looted.  The media 
reported that students at Diyarbakir's Dicle University, where 
the student body is predominantly pro-PKK, have boycotted 
classes.  Another contact told us that the windows in the 
Security Directorate, the State Waterworks, and other government 
buildings around town had been broken. 
 
¶3. (SBU) As of late afternoon on March 30, armored police 
vehicles continue to patrol the streets.  The media said that a 
large military-style convoy from a nearby jandarma garrison 
entered the city yesterday, but our contacts told us that 
Turkish regular Army units, including tanks and armored 
vehicles, remain on the outskirts of the city, but have not yet 
entered. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Mayor Osman Baydemir told us that he traveled to 
various points throughout the city on March 29 and met with the 
protestors.  He called on the protestors and the security forces 
to cease the clashes and return to calm.  He also called on the 
government to take concrete steps to resolve the Kurdish issue. 
Baydemir told us that in one instance, while traveling around 
town to meet protestors, his motorcade was attacked with stones 
and clubs by anti-terror police, in the presence of the head of 
the anti-terror unit.  Baydemir's own bodyguard was injured in 
the clash. The mayor told us that he did not make this event 
public in order not to heighten tensions.  A contact in 
Diyarbakir told us that during Baydemir's pleas to  protestors, 
members of one group  asked why he did not publicly participate 
in activities held around Turkey on February 15, the anniversary 
of Ocalan's capture in Kenya and return to Turkey (reftel B) 
 
¶5. (SBU) Another contact told us that the police initially 
handled the demonstrators in a professional manner, but after 
the burial ceremonies of the slain PKK members, the crowd became 
more hostile and the police retaliated by using increasing 
levels of violence to stop them, including firing on the crowds. 
 Yet another contact told us that, in his view, both the 
protestors and the security forces were to blame for the 
violence, with both sides escalating the level of violence. 
 
¶6. (U) Meanwhile, demonstrations also took place in Sanliurfa, 
and a second day of demonstrations took place in Batman. 
Protestors in Sanliurfa threw stones, broke windows and 
attempted to block roads by turning over trash barrels; police 
responded with water cannon and tear gas.  We have not seen any 
reports of injuries or detentions. In Batman, a group of 100 
people protested the killing of the 14 PKK guerillas in Mus. 
The crowd shouted pro-Ocalan slogans.  Another group of people 
gathered and began to march in front of a government 
administrative building in central Batman, which is located 
about one hour east of Diyarbakir. Protestors threw stones at 
businesses and shops along their route.  Later, a group attacked 
two buildings with Molotov cocktails, setting both buildings on 
fire.  The group then attacked the ultranationalist National 
Action Party headquarters, removed all furnishings in the 
building and burned them on the street.  The group broke up when 
police intervened. 
 
 
ADANA 00000064  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment:  It appears that the high level of emotion and 
violent tension in Diyarbakir began with the widespread 
perception that government forces used chemical weapons against 
the 14 PKK guerrillas recently killed in Mus province.  This 
tension has now morphed to grief and outrage over the deaths and 
injuries suffered by Diyarbakir residents at the hands of 
security forces over the past three days.  Given this mood, 
continued violence appears possible.  It also is unclear whether 
local politicians, who appear to be acting generally 
constructively, have adequate influence over crowds to calm the 
situation.  End comment. 
REID