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ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221252Z AUG 06
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RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0815
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0708
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
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RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0869

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000189 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 22, 2006 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for August 22, 
¶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 
 
YENI SAFAK / OZGUR GUNDEM:      PKK claimed responsibility for the 
explosion that took place on the natural gas pipeline of BOTAS 
(Turkish Pipeline Corporation) in Agri's Taslicay Township over 
the weekend (see press summaries for August 20, 21). 
 
HURRIYET ONLINE:        Anti-terror teams in Istanbul caught three 
terrorists in Istanbul and found 9 kilograms of plastic 
explosives and six electrical fuses during the searches made at 
their houses. 
 
ZAMAN / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / OZGUR GUNDEM / YENI SAFAK:        A 
clash reportedly broke out between Turkish soldiers and a 
15-person group which attempted to cross the border illegally 
from Syria to Hatay.  A 23-year-old Syrian national died during 
the clash.  The other members of the group escaped to Syria. 
Police found 14 pitchers of fuel oil (800 liters), 43 pistol 
bullets, five packs of cigarettes and two whiskey bottles. 
 
ZAMAN:  The PKK terrorist, who was caught with a fake 
passport at the Ataturk Airport of Istanbul on August 18, has 
been arraigned and arrested. 
 
ZAMAN / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE / EKSPRES / 
HURRIYET:       A fire broke out in a village of Adana's Yuregir 
district yesterday at noon.  The firefighters undertook great 
efforts until late in the evening to control the fire, and 
authorities had to evacuate one village, which was under risk. 
247 acres of forest land were burned during the fire. 
Meanwhile, fire broke out in three locations in a district of 
the Kahramanmaras province because of a lightning strike. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY) / RADIKAL:        The highest temperature of the 
year has reportedly been recorded in Sanliurfa as 120 degrees 
Fahrenheit.  Radikal daily, however, reported that the 
temperature was 122 degrees Fahrenheit in the Antalya province. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   It is reported that soldiers allegedly burned 
56 acres of forest land in Diyarbakir's Dicle district while the 
military operations were going on in that region. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        The increased military operations 
and the conflict situation in the southeastern region thwarted 
the Return to Villages Project in the east.  Most of the people, 
who returned to villages, had to leave their villages again 
throughout June and July, reported the daily. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM / CUMHURIYET:   September 1 World 
Peace Day will be celebrated with a public meeting at Caglayan 
Square of Istanbul.  The theme of the public event will 
reportedly be "Peace in Turkey and the Middle East, Peace for 
the Peoples."  DTP Istanbul party organization has kicked off 
efforts to organize the event.  DTP (Democratic Society Party), 
EMEP (Party of Labor), SDP (Socialist Democracy Party), ODP 
(Freedom and Solidarity Party), Goc-Der (Association for 
Imigrants' Solidarity and Culture), Democratic Alevi Initiative 
and women's organizations will take part in the event. 
 
EVRENSEL:       Unidentified people attacked party building of DTP 
in Bursa with stones and Molotov cocktails late at night 
yesterday. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The health condition of the mayor of Siirt's 
Kurtalan district (from DTP), who had an accident as he was 
traveling to Ankara, has been getting better.  The mayor was 
seriously wounded and was under intensive care for a while (see 
press summary for August 20). 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Two female journalists of DIHA (Dicle News 
Agency) are reportedly still kept under arrest.  The journalists 
were reportedly arrested on February 15 in Mersin as they were 
following several public events marking the anniversary of 
arrest of Abdullah Ocalan by Turkish forces.  The journalists 
were arrested on grounds that "they were members of the 
terrorist organization and were engaging in terrorist 
activities" and "they kept possession of explosives." 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The people in Hakkari's Semdinli district 
 
ADANA 00000189  002 OF 002 
 
 
complained that the Umut Bookstore, which was bombed on November 
9 last year, has continued to stay closed during the two and a 
half month period in which  the owner of the bookstore has been 
under arrest till today. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:    The Association of Retired Non-Commissioned 
Officers made an announcement and reportedly said that holding 
talks with a U.S. coordinator on PKK issues would reportedly 
amount to mingling of the U.S. in the internal matters of the 
country. 
 
BOLGE:  Thirty-seven Syrian nationals, who entered the 
country illegally, have been caught in Mersin's Silifke 
district.  The Syrians were reportedly trying to go to Italy 
through Cyprus. 
 
RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET:   Germany reportedly started deporting 
Syriacs in the country, who went from Turkey to Germany for 
different reasons and who sought asylum there in the past (see 
press summary for August 21).  A seven-member family, who went 
to Germany 11 years ago, returned to the Uckoy township in 
Mardin's Midyat district.  Three other families, who were also 
deported, returned to Istanbul. 
 
RADIKAL:        Turkish National Police conducted a research on the 
honor killings that took place in the last six years in Turkey. 
According to the police's report, most of the honor killings 
took place in the western provinces of Turkey.  However, a 
reported interesting finding was that the perpetrators were 
people whose hometowns are from the southeastern or eastern 
provinces. 
 
RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET:   According to Iranian police, Iranian 
forces reportedly arrested nine people, four of whom were PKK 
terrorists, during a clash that took place between terrorists 
and Iranian forces at the border area with Turkey. 
REID