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DE RUEHDA #0019/01 0451037
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RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1034

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000019 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 13, 2007 
 
 
¶1.      This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for February 
13, 2007.  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 
 
¶2.      GUNDEM: Municipality Assembly members from DTP at the 
(AKP ruled) Municipality of Siirt harshly criticized Mervan Gul, 
the mayor of Siirt, for not solving the infrastructural problems 
of the province and for turning the city into a province 
"covered with mud." 
 
¶3.      GUNDEM: People are holding protest activities in 
Sirnak's Cizre and Silopi districts, in Siirt, in Mardin's Derik 
district and in Agri's Dogubeyazit district ahead of February 
15, a day which marks eight anniversary of Abdullah Ocalan's 
arrest. 
 
SECURITY 
 
¶4.      ZAMAN:  An extensive military operation has reportedly 
been started against 350 terrorists in Ovacik district of 
Tunceli. Two Cobra helicopters bombarded two separate sections 
in Ovacik. 
 
¶5.      ZAMAN:  A suspicious bag alarmed Turkish police in 
Mersin who sealed off the area around the bag which was found 
out to have included cell phones, batteries, cables, and a 
magnet.  Police started an investigation. 
 
¶6.      BOLGE:  Police apprehended three people in Mersin for 
making preparations to conduct terrorist activities for the PKK. 
 
 
¶7.      SABAH:  Silopi police caught a woman PKK terrorist at 
the Habur Border Gate as she attempted to cross border to travel 
to northern Iraq. 
 
CRIME / LAW ENFORCEMENT: 
 
¶8.      HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / BOLGE:    Two brothers, who migrated 
to Mersin's Tarsus district from Diyarbakir to escape from the 
blood feud which targeted them, were ambushed and fired on at 
the Tarsus train station two days ago.  One of the brothers died 
at the hospital. 
 
¶9.      BOLGE:  A 34-year-old cashier stole 35,000 YTL and 
400,000 USD from the Fortis Bank Branch in Adana where he 
worked.  Police started an investigation to catch the thief. 
 
 
¶10.     SABAH (GUNEY):  Police caught 33 foreign nationals 
hidden in a truck in Mersin's Silifke district. 
 
¶11.     SABAH (GUNEY):  The police have still not been able to 
identify the perpetrator(s) in the killing of a 10-year-old boy 
who died when a bullet from an unknown source hit him as he was 
playing in the street in a section of Adana on February 8. 
 
ECONOMY 
 
¶12.     GUNDEM: Diyarbakir deputy from AKP in Mardin told the 
audience in press announcement held at the Provincial Authority 
that a "Micro Credit Project" for women would soon be 
implemented in the province. 
 
CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT 
 
¶13.     ZAMAN / GUNDEM / EVRENSEL / SABAH / RADIKAL:    Pursuant 
to the bird flu case that erupted in Batman's Gercus district, 
quarantine has now been imposed on a village and its five 
hamlets in Diyarbakir's Silvan district when officials suspected 
the unusual deaths of birds there. Authorities started culling 
birds there.  Meanwhile, no bird flu has been detected in 
patients who were brought from Batman to Diyarbakir for medical 
examination. 
 
¶14.     HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    New and bigger pipes have been 
installed in the network of Adana's Catalan Dam which provides 
potable water for the city.  The new pipes will enable the city 
to have more water and cooler water in the summer.  Governor 
Cahit Kirac, Mayor Aytac Durak, and Ayhan Zeynep Tekin Boru, 
Adana deputy from AKP, conducted studies at the construction 
 
ADANA 00000019  002 OF 002 
 
 
area. 
 
¶15.     HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    Hatay Governor Ahmet Kayhan 
announced that the airport construction in Hatay will be 
completed in August or September in 2007. 
 
¶16.     HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / SABAH (GUNEY):    A lot has been 
drawn and Yuregir Mayor Omer Topcu distributed 50 free bicycles 
to the 50 workers of the Yuregir Municipality in Adana. 
 
¶17.     GUNDEM / EVRENSEL:      Children from Children's Assembly 
in Diyarbakir Sur Municipality made a press announcement and 
protested children as being enrolled into military service in 
parts of the world to mark the February 12 Red Hand Day against 
the use of children as soldiers in wars. 
 
¶18.     GUNDEM: It is reported that the person who immolated 
himself on February 9 in Diyarbakir was protesting the illegal 
crime rings and corruption in the society.  The person, who was 
severely burned, was hospitalized in Balcali Hospital of Adana. 
 
¶19.     HURRIYET:       Mersin's Chamber of Industry and Commerce will 
be holding annual literary competitions on December 18 to 
promote the city's reputation nationwide, to positively affect 
the social structure of the city and to raise awareness about 
the importance of literature. 
 
¶20.     HURRIYET:       PM Erdogan attended the ceremony held in 
Kahramanmaras to celebrate liberation of the city from 
occupation 87 years ago.  Sabah daily reports that Erdogan broke 
a record and simultaneously opened 750 facilities in the 
province. 
GREEN