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DE RUEHDA #0073/01 0950856
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 050856Z APR 06
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
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INFO RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0678
RUEUITH/AFOSI DET 521 ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0630
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0545

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ADANA 000073 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 3, 2006 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for April 03, 
¶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 
 
RADIKAL / HURRIYET / SABAH: Death toll increased to 12 with the 
incident that broke out in Mardin's Kiziltepe district on 
Saturday (04/01). Nearly 1000 people clashed with police. A 
group of people broke into a Kiziltepe public tax Office and AKP 
provincial party and set fire on the buildings. Police rescued 
four bank officers trapped in the building. Jandarma units from 
4th Border Division Command entered the district.  Ahmet Arac, 
wounded by a shot, died while being taken to hospital. 16 
people, including seven police officers, have been wounded. 30 
people have been detained. 
Hakkari's Yuksekova district: Police asked tradesmen to open 
their businesses that stayed closed throughout the day. Tension 
developed when police tried to disperse a crowd of people who 
attempted to hold a demonstration on Saturday. 10 people have 
been detained.  Soldiers arrived at the district, made a show of 
presence as they marched in the streets and shouted, ''All for 
the country!'' Unspecified sources opened fire at the security 
forces. One bullet hit a police armored vehicle. 
Sirnak's Slopi district: Police intervened, used teargas and 
opened fire in the air when a group of people attempted to lay a 
black wreath at AKP's provincial building. Tradesmen closed 
their businesses at the end of the scuffle that lasted one hour. 
Diyarbakir's Silvan district: 25-year-old Mustafa Eryilmaz, who 
died during the demonstrations in Diyarbakir, has been buried in 
a village of Silvan. A group which atempted to hold a 
demonstration was dispersed by the soldiers. Tradesmen kept 
their businesses closed throughout the day. Van: Upon receiving 
tip-offs that DTP members would hold a press announcement and 
some groups would carry out demonstrations, police intensified 
security measures in Van. A 100-vehicle military convoy, 
including tanks and armored military vehicles, passed along the 
central main street of the province. 
Adana: A group, which was mainly comprised of children, chanted 
pro-PKK slogans and burned tires in the Daglioglu quarter of 
Adana. Security forces dispersed the crowd. 
Malatya: A percussion bomb, which was most probably placed in a 
hand grenade, went off in an area that is close to one of the 
offices of the security directorate in the town. Only windows of 
two businesses have been broken as a result of the blast. 
Diyarbakir and Batman: Situation normalized in Diyarbakir 
province. All of the tradesmen in Baglar and Melikahmet 
quarters, who kept their businesses closed during the incidents, 
opened their shops. Tradesmen in Batman, following a two-day 
escalation of tension in the city, started opening their 
businesses as of Saturday afternoon. Batman Mayor Huseyin Kalkan 
said that windows of 500 businesses got smashed and the cost of 
the damage to the city was 20 million Turkish liras 
(approximately 15 million USD). Diyarbakir mayor Efkan Ala also 
announced that damage assessment studies have been completed for 
Diyarbakir; however, he would not announce the figures 
immediately.  (This summary is from 04/02 edition.) 
 
RADIKAL / HURRIYET / SABAH : Mehdi Eker, Minister of Agriculture 
and Village Works, who paid a visit to Diyarbakir with Minister 
of Interior on Friday (03/31), said at an industrial area he 
visited in Diyarbakir that he heard from children that 
(unspecified) people gave each child five Turkish liras (approx. 
0.7 cents) to throw Molotov cocktails and stones (at security 
officers and public offices).  Eker said that it was the first 
time it happened in Diyarbakir that people were forced to close 
their businesses. Eker further stated that some circles expected 
those incidents to cause deaths, especially of children. Eker 
blamed demonstrators for targeting health centers, attempting to 
burn them, and hurling stones at the ambulances. Eker also 
announced that costs of damage to businesses of people would be 
indemnified under law on damages and losses incurred during 
counter-terrorism activities. (This summary is from 04/02 
edition.) 
OZGUR GUNDEM: An April 3-dated article on Ozgur Gundem's online 
newspaper noted that jails in Diyarbakir have been overpopulated 
because of the detentions and arrests that took place in the 
province. Diyarbakir Bar Association authorities reported that 
arrestees were transferred to Mardin Jail, but Mardin Jail has 
been filled up to its maximum capacity, as well. This time, 
security officers reportedly started transferring the arrestees 
to Nusaybin district. People detained have been arraigned in 
groups at the Diyarbakir Court. Meanwhile, police has reportedly 
been conducting unannounced raids at houses, coffee houses, 
cafes and homes of the students and has been detaining people 
during these raids. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM: 2 persons have been killed on Saturday during the 
 
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incidents that erupted in Mardin's Kiziltepe district. Special 
team forces and anti-riot teams have blockaded the entrance to 
the Kiziltepe State Hospital as the incidents escalated in the 
district. Non-governmental organizations who attempted to see 
the Subgovernor and the Prosecutor have been prevented by the 
soldiers allegedly on security grounds.  Demonstrators that died 
have been buried under intense security measures of the military 
personnel. People other than the relatives have not been allowed 
to the burial site. 
 
RADIKAL / HURRIYET: The U.S. warned its citizens, who might 
travel to Turkey, about the security concerns that has developed 
in the southeastern part of the country. (This summary is from 
04/02 edition.) 
 
RADIKAL: Martin Scheinin, UN Human Rights Representative, who 
paid visits to places in the eastern and southeastern Turkey 
last month, generated a report concerning his observations in 
his visits. Scheinin's report pointed out that there was serious 
socioeconomic differences and inequalities between 
eastern-southeastern Turkey and the rest of the country. 
Pointing out that interregional equality was a key element in 
achieving social peace, Scheinin further advised Turkish 
government to focus its attention to eastern and southeastern 
parts and normalize the situation there. The report further 
advised Turkey to make a clear definition of acts that would be 
regarded as terrorist activities. 
 
RADIKAL: Foreign minister Gul said that police, jandarma, or if 
need be, soldiers will take up the task of countering terrorism 
during Turkey's struggle against terrorist activities. It was 
definitely not the case that government was showing tolerance to 
or taking a vulnerable stance against terrorism. Gul further 
announced that six of the 14 terrorists killed at border of Mus 
and Bingol provinces on March 24 were foreign nationals.  Three 
of the terrorists were Syrians, two of them were Iranians, and 
one of them was an Iraqi.  According to Gul, government might 
consider state of emergency rule if need be, but they were 
reportedly advocating use of democratic means in the first 
place. 
 
SABAH / HURRIYET: Ayhan Karabulut, DTP Batman provincial 
chairperson, has reportedly been detained.  Hurriyet daily notes 
that Karabulut made a call to people on Roj TV to participate in 
a march during the incidents.  Hurriyet daily also notes that 
DTP Van Deputy Provincial Chairperson, DTP Van Central District 
Chairperson, and two senior officials of the provincial party 
organization have been detained, arraigned and then released to 
stand trial later.   Based on Prosecutor's appeal of the court's 
decision to a higher court, Karabulut has been rearrested. 
 
SABAH / HURRIYET: Sabah daily noted that Denmark has rejected 
Turkey's demands to black out Roj TV's broadcasts in Denmark on 
grounds that it would not be possible to intervene in the 
ongoing judicial process about Roj TV.  However, Hurriyet daily 
cites Abdullah Gul as saying that it seemed Denmark would do 
whatever is required to do. 
 
HURRIYET: BBC broadcasting company used the term 'regional 
capital' as it referred to Diyarbakir during its reporting about 
the latest incidents that developed in the region. An official 
from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly said that, since 
the British broadcasting company did not use the word 
'Kurdistan', the company would claim that that statement was 
serving to no political ends. 
 
HURRIYET ONLINE:        Nearly 200 PKK demonstrators attempted to hold 
an unauthorized demonstration in the Taksim square of Istanbul. 
When police intervened and chased the mob to Dolapdere quarter 
of the city, a 20-person masked group of people among the 
demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails at the police. A truck was 
burned because of the fire from a Molotov cocktail.  The group 
dispersed at the end of a 15-minute scuffle. 
 
HURRIYET ONLINE:        A municipality bus was attacked yesterday 
night by PKK supporters holding illegal protests in Istanbul. 
Three women were killed and two others were injured when the 
demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails at the bus. 
 
HURRIYET ONLINE: The daily reported that a total of 498 people 
in connection with past week's turbulences in Diyarbakir have 
been referred to judicial authorities. 189 of them are children. 
 339 people, 90 of whom were children, have been detained.  159 
people have been released. In Batman, 33 of 41 people detained 
have been arrested.  The daily further reported that a total of 
566 people have been detained to date in the region. Two 
commissions have been formed by the Governor's Office to conduct 
damage assessment studies.  The commissions have examined 320 
business spots to date and have been continuing their efforts to 
 
ADANA 00000073  003 OF 003 
 
 
assess further damages. 
 
HURRIYET ONLINE / OZGUR GUNDEM: Diyarbakir Governor announced 
that the number of death toll increased to 12 in the 
southeastern Turkey. Two people, Halit Sogut (78) and Emre Fidan 
have recently died at Diyarbakir State Hospital while they were 
under treatment.  The funerals of these people have been held 
under precautions that prevented spark of further incidents. 
The number of people that died in Diyarbakir reached to 9, and 
the number of people that died in overall region reached to 12: 
Reportedly, two deaths occurred in Mardin's Kiziltepe district, 
one death took place in Batman.  Ozgur Gundem noted that Halit 
Sogut died as he was under treatment at the Brain Surgery 
Department of the Dicle University's Research Hospital because 
of the heavy wounds incurred in the head during the incidents. 
 
WWW.MEMLEKETHABER.COM: Mardin Governor's Office reported that 
two terrorists have been caught in Mardin's Midyat district with 
1.5 kilograms of A4 explosives on March 31 as they were 
preparing to carry out a reported terrorist activity.  Along 
with the explosives, two cell phones and one fuse were also 
seized on the terrorists who caught, arraigned and then 
arrested. 
 
RADIKAL:  Ahmet Turk, DTP Co-Chairperson, stated that he feared 
the ongoing violence might turn into ethnical clashes between 
people.  According to Turk, PM Erdogan, instead of saying that 
he was sorry for the death of small children during the 
incidents, made remarks blaming the families as leaving their 
children to streets unattended.  Turk reportedly did not approve 
(government's) taking up of arms to solve the issues. 
Meanwhile, Turk reportedly said that MHP Leader Devlet Bahceli's 
stance regarding the incidents was better than CHP leader Deniz 
Baykal's. 
 
HURRIYET ONLINE:        Ahmet Turk, DTP Co-Chairperson made an 
interview with the CNN Turk TV station and said that the party 
organization has referred Murat Avci, DTP Siirt Provincial 
Chairperson, who gave instructions to Siirt people during the 
funeral of PKK terrorist Kenan Demir that people should not open 
their businesses or attend schools throughout that day (see 
press summary 03/30), to party disciplinary committee.   Ahmet 
Turk said that such instructions given by the provincial 
chairperson were not appropriate. 
 
HURRIYET ONLINE:        Agri: A clash took place between a 1000-person 
group (the group called themselves Democratic People's 
Initiative) and police officers in the Agri province. The group 
made a press announcement 100 meters away from the AKP 
provincial building in Agri. Demonstrators held a sit-in 
protest. Then, as the group started walking past the AKP 
provincial building, some people started hurling stones.  Police 
intervened and used pepper gas to disperse the crowd. After 
staging a further march towards another main street and holding 
various quarrels with the police, the group dispersed. 
Mus:    DTP members and members of Association of Solidarity for 
Inmates Families held a 5-minute sit-in protest in Mus province. 
 Reportedly, people of Mus did not pay much interest and did not 
take part in this activity. Reportedly, only 35 DTP members 
attended it. A group chanted slogans in support for Abdullah 
Ocalan during the protest activity. DTP members made a press 
announcement and chanted Kurdish slogans saying, "Long live Apo 
(Abdullah Ocalan)" and "Leader Apo." 
 
Sanliurfa's Viransehir district: A 500-person group held a 
protest activity that started early in the morning today against 
last week's incidents that broke out in the Diyarbakir province. 
People chanted slogans in support of Abdullah Ocalan and carried 
flags that represented the terrorist organization (PKK.) As 
Viransehir Mayor Emrullah Cin was attempting to appease the 
angry crowd, the village guards reportedly opened fire in the 
air.  A bullet accidentally shot a police officer in his leg. 
Emrullah Cin tried to protect himself from the fire by running 
into a shop. Groups of people, who gathered in the side streets 
after they were dispersed by security officers, attempted to 
hold further protest activities.  People threw stones and 
Molotov cocktails at the police. Police used water cannons and 
pepper gas against the demonstrators. Some of the windows of the 
businesses got smashed.  Tradesmen reportedly reacted angrily at 
the demonstrators and cursed at them.  One of the demonstrators 
has been detained.  Mayor Emrullah Cin claimed that the 
incidents were sparked by certain circles that aimed at 
benefiting from such turmoils. Cin repeated his allegation that 
village guards opened fire at the crowd.  Security officers took 
the incidents under control and Jandarma reinforcements and 
armored vehicles have been deployed around the public offices 
and critical points at the district. 
REID