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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000109 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 15, 2006 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for May 15, 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 / ZAMAN / RADIKAL / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: A 
clash reportedly took place between soldiers and PKK members in 
the Gabar Mountain of Sirnak.   Four soldiers and one PKK member 
were killed. (This summary is from 05/15 editions.) 
 
SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE / RADIKAL / HURRIYET / YENI SAFAK:        The 
funeral of a commissioned officer from an infantry commando team 
who died in the clash in the Gabar Mountain has been held in 
Osmaniye's Kadirli district.  The funeral of a commissioned 
officer who died at the same clash was held in Diyarbakir's 
Cermik district the previous day. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The daily claimed that at least fourteen 
soldiers died during clashes that took place in the Gabar 
Mountain and rural sections of Bingol on May 11 and 12. 
Separately, Turkish Armed Forces launched a new operation in 
Agri's Tendurek Mountain. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   A group of people held a demonstration against 
the military operations launched by Turkey and Iran at their 
border areas in Germany's Dortmund city.  Meanwhile, the daily 
reported that Iran has been oppressing the villagers in villages 
of Kamyaran. 
 
ZAMAN / RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / EKSPRES / EVRENSEL 
/ HURRIYET / YENI SAFAK / CUMHURIYET:   A fragmental impact 
time bomb, which exploded in a garage of a house in Erzincan 
yesterday at 12.30 p.m., killed three children and wounded two 
more.  The garage reportedly belonged to a person who allegedly 
claimed he was receiving threats from the PKK recently. 
Separately, an explosion that took place on a railroad between 
Elazig and Bingol did damage to a cargo train and a section of 
the railroad.  Cumhuriyet daily depicts the explosion damage as 
minor. (This summary is from 05/15 editions.)  05/16 edition of 
Ozgur Gundem daily said that the death toll in Erzincan 
explosion increased to four children as it pointed out an 
increasing number of attacks targeting children in the region. 
The funeral of the children has been held in Erzurum, read 
Radikal and Zaman dailies. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL:     International Children's 
Festival will start in Diyarbakir's Sur district today in memory 
of 9-year-old and 6-year-old children who died during the 
demonstrations held in Diyarbakir late in March.  Children from 
Cizre, Adana, Dogubeyazit, Urfa, Batman and Semdinli will attend 
the activities that will be held today.  The brochures of the 
festival have been prepared in Kurdish and its other dialects as 
well as in Turkish, in English and in Arabic. (This summary is 
from 05/15 edition.)  05/16 edition of Ozgur Gundem reported 
that a 25-person group of children traveling from Tunceli to 
Diyarbakir for the festival have been stopped by soldiers along 
the way on grounds that they had no authorization.  As a result 
of telephone calls to the Governor's Office, the children were 
allowed to travel to Diyarbakir. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The indictment of the lawsuit brought against 
Abdullah Demirbas, Diyarbakir's Sur District Mayor, demanded 
that the Mayor be discharged from office.  The lawsuit has been 
brought against the mayor because of an article Demirbas 
presented to the European Social Forum in January 2005 under the 
title "Municipalities and Local Administrations in Light of a 
Multi-Language Environment." 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Fifth International Congress on Disappeared 
People will start tomorrow in Diyarbakir. YAKAY-DER (Association 
of Relatives of the Disappeared) and ICAD (International 
Committee against Disappearances) has undertaken to organize the 
conference. 
 
ZAMAN / SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    Police 
conducted a crackdown on a 13-person criminal group in Adana 
which was being led by a former police officer discharged from 
office for abusing the authority invested in him.  The gang has 
provided fake documents to hold firearms as well as guns to rich 
businessmen. 
 
EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE:        Abdullatif Sener, State 
Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, attended a conference called 
"Change in Society and Politics" held by the Chamber of 
Pharmacies in Adana, and he also attended the opening ceremony 
of Dream Park in Adana.  Journalists in the conference 
reportedly asked Sener whether he would shift allocation of 15 
 
ADANA 00000109  002 OF 002 
 
 
trillion YTL to the Adana Municipality which has undertaken the 
project of a cultural center that would originally be undertaken 
by Seyhan Municiaplity, to which Sener promised a budget amount 
of  15 trillion YTL on an unspecified date in past for that same 
project. Sener said that he did not remember such a promise. 
Adana Mayor Aytac Durak reminded Sener of his promise.  Sener, 
with a reported stern face, asked to Durak, "Is this what you 
know about politics?"  Bolge daily pointed out to the close 
affinity of Sener and Ozturk, and the tension between Sener and 
Durak.  (This summary is from 05/15 and 05/16 editions.) 
 
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    Van Women's Association will offer 
16-week training to women on following topics: human rights, 
constitution, civil code, feminism, sexuality, children's 
rights, fertility, violence, and strategies that could be 
developed against violence. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  A fire that broke out in a forest area in 
Hatay's Samandag district burned 148 acres of forest land. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  In order to find out about the causes of 
violence at schools, Egitim-Sen's (Teacher's Union) Diyarbakir 
branch conducted a study among students which revealed that 
200,000 of 257,000 primary school students are addicted to 
inhalants and drugs in Diyarbakir. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Egitim-Sen's Siirt branch has been offering 
reading-writing and computer courses for children under "Winning 
the Children Who Have Been Victims of Internal Displacement Back 
to Society" project. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Investigation has begun against DTP founding 
member Selim Sadak, DTP Nusaybin district chairperson Halim Dag, 
DTP Mardin deputy provincial chairperson Cebrail Sayar, and DTP 
member Alaaddin Sinayic on grounds that they delivered Kurdish 
speeches during the opening of a party building in Mardin's 
Nusaybin district on April 23. (This summary is from 05/15 
edition.)  Separately, following a series of investigations 
against members of the organizing committee of Newruz 
celebrations on March 21 in Van, the 05/16 edition noted that an 
investigation has been filed against former DEHAP Van provincial 
chairperson and his wife allegedly on grounds that they attended 
the celebrations. 
 
ZAMAN:  The newly elected provincial chairperson of MHP 
(Nationalist Movement Party) in Diyarbakir delivered a speech to 
extend thanks to the party base in Kurdish during the party 
congress. 
 
EVRENSEL:       Seyhan Municipality's cleaning services workers in 
Adana have been continuing their strike (see press summary 
05/11). 
 
YENI SAFAK / EVRENSEL:  The hailing and rains last week did 
great damage to the cultivated fields in Diyarbakir's Bismil, 
Dicle and Cinar districts. 
 
RADIKAL:        GATA military hospital in Ankara has also opened its 
doors to civilian mine explosion victims. 
REID