US embassy cable - 03ADANA236

UNCLAS ADANA 0236 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, IZ, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, 
          SEPTEMBER 9, 2003 
 
 
1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary 
for September 9, 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. Evrensel / World Peace Day celebrations in 
Adana ended with a final gathering in the open- 
air theatre. About 2000 people participated in 
the final celebrations.  Invited speakers spoke 
in three languages: Kurdish, Turkish and 
Arabic. 
 
 
3. Evrensel / Ilyas Turan, Head of Adana ESM, 
claims that Necati Hancerlioglu, Head of Mersin 
Turkish Electric Distribution Company (TEDAS), 
accuses the members of the State Employees' 
Union Confederation (KESK) of being PKK/KADEK 
supporters. (Editor's note:  We do not have 
more information about the organization "ESM"). 
 
 
4. Evrensel / In Van province, police visited a 
wedding ceremony without being invited and 
warned people who were singing songs in 
Kurdish. 
 
 
5. Evrensel / In Pervari, Van province, village 
guards continue to create problems.  Suleyman 
Kocak, a village guard, allegedly possessed the 
fields of Izedin Elinc and has been using his 
land for 8 years.  He has also built a house on 
the same land. Kocak stated that he started to 
use Elinc's land when the Turkish Authorities 
evacuated the villages.  When Elinc returned to 
the village Kocak offered Elinc money but he 
wouldn't accept it. 
 
 
6. Evrensel / In Cukurca, Hakkari province, 
Turkish villagers are waiting at the Iraqi 
Border to get refugee status from the Iraqi 
Government, to escape from torture by Turkish 
soldiers. 
 
 
ECONOMIC 
 
 
7. Milli Gazete / A Mardin Cement Factory 
spokesman announced that the factory has worked 
at full capacity since the Iraq war and 
sometimes has difficulty supplying all the 
orders. 
 
 
CULTURE and TOURISM 
 
 
8. Turkiye / Due to the lack of rain in the 
Elazig region this year, the water level of Hazar 
Lake dropped, revealing 300-year-old historical 
stone buildings in the lake. 
REID