US embassy cable - 03ADANA218

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0218 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, IZ, Press Summaries, ADANA 
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY 
AUGUST 16-17-18, 2003 
 
1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary 
for August 16-17-18, 2003.  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 
 
 
2. Turkiye / Syrian citizen, Abdulkadir Alhaj 
Jouma is married to a Turkish woman in 
Gaziantep for eight years but is not 
allowed to get residence permit from the 
Turkish Government. 
 
 
3. Turkiye, Bolge  / In Ergani/Diyarbakir 
villagers paniced  with the news of 
anthrax. Bozyer village in the area is 
under quarantine.  Health authorities sent 
medical aid to the area. 
 
 
4. Turkiye, Cumhuriyet / Two Syrians and a 
Turkish citizen were arrested in Gaziantep 
with about 47kg of marijuana they brought 
from Syria. The total value of the 
marijuana is about 100 billion TL. 
 
 
5. Sabah Guney / Gendarme Forces in Hatay 
found 10 kg of heroin in a truck and 
arrested Huseyin Turk for intending to sell 
the heroine. 
 
 
6. Hurriyet / Security forces found 58 kg of 
heroin in Van.  Heroin was hidden in a 
truck coming from Yuksekova/Hakkari. 
 
 
7. Turkiye, Cumhuriyet / At a meeting of 
Medical doctors in Antakya; Fusun Sayek, 
Head of the Medical Doctors' Association in 
Turkey, announced that doctors will be 
protesting against the government in 
October due to problems they experience. 
 
 
8. Turkiye / Osman Uluc was elected as the new 
head of CHP in Sanliurfa. 
 
 
9. Bolge / Mustafa Koseoglu and Necmettin Atay 
were rechosen as the heads of CHP in Seyhan 
and Yuregir. 
 
 
10. Zaman, Bolge / Cem Uzan, Head of Genc 
Party, visited Adana at the weekend to 
attend his party's annual meeting.  The 
local people didn't welcome Uzan.  The 
crowds protested his visit to Adana by 
throwing eggs at him. 
 
 
11. Zaman / Burak Varol, broke the windows of 
Imarbank in Adana to protest against their 
unethical system in banking.  Varol's 
father had about 15 billion TL investment 
money at the bank. (Editor's Note: This is 
the bank associated with Uzan family 
scandals). 
 
 
12. Evrensel / Kurdish mothers in Diyarbakir 
wanted a general amnesty instead of the new 
"Home Return" law. 
 
 
13. Bolge / Extraordinary precaution was taken 
in Southeast area at the weekend due to the 
possible August 15 attacks. 
AUGUS 16-17-18, 2003 
 
 
14. Turkiye / In Reyhanli/Hatay 27 of the 31 
village heads joined in AKP. 
 
 
 
 
ECONOMIC 
 
 
15. Turkiye / The success in the first crops of 
rice in Sanliurfa is going to help with the 
coming years' planning for farming. 
 
 
 
 
TOURISM/CULTURE 
 
 
 
 
16. Tercuman/ In Van digging for the remnants 
of The Urartian capital "Tuspa" is in 
process for 13 years. Professor Oktay Belli 
is leading the project. Urartians used to 
live in the region in 7-8 BC. 
 
 
17. Turkiye / Sanliurfa Governor applied UNESCO 
to include Sanliurfa in the list of 
"protection needed cultural areas". 
HART