VZCZCXRO2625
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHDA #0074/01 0950856
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 050856Z APR 06
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4084
INFO RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0681
RUEUITH/AFOSI DET 521 ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0633
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0548

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000074 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 4, 2006 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for April 04, 
¶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 
 
HURRIYET:       Because of terrorist activities surfacing in the 
southeastern Turkey, 141 archeologists, faculty members and 
students did not come to Batman's ancient Hasankeyf district for 
excavations that was to be launched on April 1. 
 
HURRIYET:       Mahsun Mizrak, who has disappeared in Diyarbakir 
three days ago, has been found in the morgue of the Diyarbakir 
state hospital.  With Mizrak's death, death toll in Diyarbakir 
rose to 10. 
 
HURRIYET:       Six people, who were caught as carrying Molotov 
cocktails as they were conducting an illegal demonstration in 
Van on Saturday, have been arrested. 
 
HURRIYET / SABAH:       U.S. on April 3 condemned bombings by the 
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that killed four people in 
Istanbul. State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said in 
the April 3 statement that the United States also regretted the 
loss of life as a result of violent protests by PKK sympathizers 
in southeast Turkey and in Istanbul.  Meanwhile, Sabah daily 
reported that DTP had also released a statement to condemn the 
bus attack in Istanbul and the ongoing protest activities in the 
southeast. 
 
HURRIYET:       The government embarked upon efforts to change the 
Anti-Terror Bill. The new bill will envisage the following 
changes: 1- Demonstrators attacking police with stones and 
sticks will be given prison sentence, 2- People attacking homes 
and businesses, and  vandalizing public property will pay 
damages done and will be given prison sentence, 3- People 
carrying the flag, banner or logo of the terrorist organization, 
or posters of Abdullah Ocalan may receive serious penalties, 4- 
terrorists may be buried at the same location they were killed 
in order to prevent spark of violent demonstrations, 5- 
foundations, political parties, civil organizations sponsoring 
terrorist activities, or media institutions making propaganda of 
same  activities may receive serious penalties, 6- police may be 
invested with new authorities, such as resorting to detention 
upon suspecting a terrorist activity so that preventive measures 
could be taken. 
 
HURRIYET:       CHP leader Deniz Baykal criticized government's 
'policy of leniency' in responding to reports demanding 
disciplinary action against Van Prosecutor Ferhat Sarikaya. 
 
EKSPRES / BOLGE:        Mustafa Kebude announced that he would run for 
chairmanship of AKP Adana provincial party organization during 
the party's May 6 congress. 
 
EKSPRES / BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY): Mehmet Cebe, Adana Security 
Director, made an announcement to mark the 161st anniversary of 
foundation of the Turkish Police Organization. 
 
BOLGE:  State Minister Nimet Cubukcu will come to Adana 
today to attend opening ceremonies of Seyhan Municipality's 
Orphanage, Rotary's Center for Society and a Women's Center. 
Cubukcu will pay a visit to the Governor's Office, Municipality 
and AKP headquarters. 
 
BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY):  Mufti of the Adana province made a call 
to people to be aware and sensitive about recent tension that 
started in the southeast Turkey. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  Yumurtalik's Sea Products Cooperative in Adana 
filed a complaint against Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) project.  A 
Yumurtalik court overturned complainants' indemnification 
request for repairing the damage done to local fishermen. 
Attorney of the cooperative said that if a higher court further 
overturned their appeal, they would file a complaint with the 
European court. 
 
HURRIYET ONLINE: PM Erdogan responded to DTP Co-Chairperson's 
request for appointment as he was talking to his party's group 
meeting at the parliament and assessing the situation in 
southeast Turkey.  Erdogan made a call to Turk, "Declare PKK as 
a terrorist organization; then we can meet." 
 
HURRIYET ONLINE: Foreign Minister and Chairperson of Higher 
Board for Anti-Terrorism, Abdullah Gul, held a meeting with the 
representatives of press and said that some mayors acted 
irresponsibly during social unrest that developed in the 
southeastern region.  According to Gul, however, most of the 
 
ADANA 00000074  002 OF 002 
 
 
people of the region did not allow the PKK to deceive people. 
Gul said that he received no requests from DTP Co-Chairperson 
Ahmet Turk to meet in order to discuss the issues in the 
southeast. Reportedly, Ahmet Turk had earlier claimed that DTP 
heard no response from Gul following DTP's request for an 
appointment. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The daily claimed that nearly 1000 people have 
been detained during protest activities that took place in 
Diyarbakir and 400 people have been arrested. The daily claimed 
that 89 of the arrestees were children.  Security officers 
allegedly used several torture methods against children. 
Attorney Cengiz Analay from Diyarbakir Bar Association said that 
children have not been given any food for four days, officers 
spit on the stale bread before they gave it to children, 
detainees have been forced to give statements against Diyarbakir 
Mayor Osman Baydemir, detainees have allegedly been left naked, 
and washed with cold water, etc.  The daily claimed that a 
detainee has fallen unconscious and was hospitalized because of 
alleged use of torture against him during questioning in 
Diyarbakir. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   DTP Ceylanpinar Provincial Chairperson Halit 
Kahraman and senior party members have been detained following 
the incidents that developed in Sanliurfa's Ceylanpinar 
district. People in Ceylanpinar did not open their businesses 
and police reportedly pressed tradesmen to open their 
businesses. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Officers from Gazinatep Security Directorate's 
Anti-Terror Branch and special team members conducted raids at 
houses in Gaziantep and detained 12 people. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   33 out of 41 detainees in the Batman province 
have been arrested. Reportedly, six of the arrestees are minor 
age. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   DTP Siirt Provincial Chairperson Murat Avci 
made a press announcement and said that he and Diayrbakir Mayor 
Osman Baydemir have been made targets of hostility.  Upon DTP 
Co-Chairperson Ahmet Turk's statements saying that Avci would be 
referred to party disciplinary committee for giving instructions 
to Siirt people during the funeral of PKK terrorist Kenan Demir 
(see press summary 03/30) not to open their businesses or attend 
schools throughout that day, further stated that he (Avci) would 
for sure abide by the decisions taken by his party organization. 
 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Dead bodies of six of 14 terrorists, who were 
killed in Bingol and Mus on March 24 and who were being kept at 
Malatya State Hospital have not bee given to their families yet. 
 
 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 
 
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    A 62-person delegation from Adana went 
to Germany's Essen province to establish business ties with the 
city.  Chairperson of Adana Chamber of Industry, Umit Ozgumus, 
said that a German delegation would visit Adana in September. 
 
¶2.      HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    A reported article in a newspaper 
in Russia voiced a possible measure that Russian authorities may 
take regarding their fruits and vegetable imports from Turkey 
because of high levels of remnants of fertilizers in the 
products. 
REID