VZCZCXRO8900
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHDA #0086/01 1101047
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201047Z APR 06
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4101
INFO RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0698
RUEUITH/AFOSI DET 521 ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0650
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0564

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000086 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 17, 2006 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for April 17, 
¶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 / BOLGE / EKSPRES / ZAMAN: MHP National Chairperson 
Devlet Bahceli severely criticized government's policies in his 
speech delivered at a congress held by the MHP Adana party 
organization in Adana. Bahceli reportedly cautioned party 
grassroots not to be enticed into action against provocations of 
certain circles. Bahceli, addressing the people of the region, 
asked, "Does the U.S. like you more than we do?"  Bahceli also 
paid a visit in Ceyhan district to the family of a soldier 
killed in Sirnak.  Bahceli attended a party congress in Mersin 
before he came to Adana. 
 
CUMHURIYET / RADIKAL / EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Eight of 16 
senior members of DTP's Nusaybin Provincial Party Organization, 
who were detained reportedly three days ago as a result of 
police's and anti-terror team's raid at the party building, have 
been arrested.  DTP provincial chairperson Naif Coskun is 
reportedly among the arrestees.  DTP members are saying that 
detentions and arrests have escalated tension in the district. 
 
HURRIYET / RADIKAL:     Erzurum's Second Heavy Penalty Court 
found Gungor Alp, a candidate for the mayorship of Kars province 
in 2004 local elections, guilty of portraying a martyr in 2004 a 
PKK terrorist killed in a military operation.  The court ordered 
five months in prison for Alp. 
 
HURRIYET ONLINE:        Two soldiers (an officer and a private) have 
been wounded during a clash with PKK militants in a military 
operation going on around the border area in the Cukurca 
district of Hakkari, said Hakkari Governor Ayhan Nasuhbeyoglu. 
 
RADIKAL / HURRIYET / ZAMAN:     A solidarity association organized 
a meeting to celebrate "Prophet Muhammed's Blessed Birth" in 
Diyarbakir. 80,000 people reportedly have participated in the 
event. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Report of parliamentary commission probing 
Semdinli case allegedly hinted that authorities reportedly 
dragged feet for eight years in a reported investigation process 
of the non-commissioned officer Ali Kaya, one of two defendants 
of November 2005 Semdinli bombing in Hakkari.  A complaint was 
filed back in 1998 by a Diyarbakir businessman, namely Mehmet 
Ali Altindag (owner of the Soz TV), against Ali Kaya for 
"fabricating false documents which aimed to prove Altindag's 
alleged support of the PKK." 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   It is reported that birds culled in Van during 
the outbreak of bird flu in Van have not been properly buried. 
The carcasses buried only under snow in an area around 
Hakkari-Van road reappeared when snow started to melt.  Street 
dogs reportedly have been accessing and tearing sacks of 
carcasses. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   ACAT's (Action by Christians for the Abolition 
of Torture) France branch launched a mail campaign aiming to 
send letters to PM Erdogan against increasing arrests of human 
rights activists in the aftermath of developments following 
Newruz in the southeastern region of Turkey.  Meanwhile, Amnesty 
International reportedly sent a letter to PM Erdogan and 
Ministry of Interior and made a call to authorities to take 
action against all of the human rights violations taking place 
in the southeastern region. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        A ceremony has been held in Adana 
for the memory of a leftist oriented newspaper's journalist who 
recently died in Ankara because of fatal wounds he received as 
he was watching violent protests in Diyarbakir.  The funeral of 
the journalist has been held at Diyarbakir's Dicle district and 
journalist's colleagues have been denied entrance to the Dicle 
district.  Meanwhile, the daily reported a group of university 
students from Bosphorus University in Istanbul, Middle East 
Technical University and Hacettepe University in Ankara as 
paying a visit to the region and meeting with the mayors, and 
also families of people who died in the protests and 
demonstrations in Diyarbakir to express solidarity. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   A tent has been set up in Van to receive 
people offering condolences to the family of a terrorist killed 
on an unspecified date in a military operation in Sirnak. 
 
RADIKAL:        PM Erdogan paid a visit to Tunceli province on 
Friday (04/14). 
 
 
ADANA 00000086  002 OF 002 
 
 
RADIKAL:        Daily Radikal newspaper covered an interview with 
Mayor Osman Baydemir in its front page.  Baydemir reportedly 
told Radikal that political parties should not engage in feuds 
among themselves.  According to Baydemir, announcements of 
leaders made through media channels have been exacerbating 
tension in the society.  Solutions to the issues can only be 
found through means of better dialogue, said Baydemir. 
REID