US embassy cable - 03ADANA252

UNCLAS ADANA 0252 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, IZ, Press Summaries, ADANA 
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, 
          SEPTEMBER 26, 2003 
 
 
1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary 
for September 26, 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. Bolge / In Uludere, Sirnak province, police 
found 89 guns, some bullets and 1 automatic gun 
in a car and detained two people, identified 
only by the initials F.E and S.E. 
 
 
3. Bolge / Police detained alleged head of Adana 
Hizbullah Ismail O. in Adana.  Police found 
some illegal publishing, videocassettes and 
important hand-written information in his 
house. 
 
 
4. Bolge, Zaman / Adana Governor Kemal Onal 
announced that in order to prevent doctors 
accepting money from the patients at the state 
hospitals, doctors should be forced to work 
either at a state hospital or at a private one. 
"Working at private hospitals and clinics after 
their work at state hospitals tires doctors and 
they are easily carried away to accept money 
from the state patients," Onal reported. 
 
 
5. Evrensel / Tanrikulu, head of Diyarbair Law Bar 
announced that they welcome the new law which 
allows Kurdish names to be given to children. 
"With the new law, local officials cannot 
interfere with the parents' decision of the 
chosen name.  However, characters which do not 
exist in the Turkish alphabet, like "x," "w" 
and "q" cannot be used in the names," Tanrikulu 
stated. 
 
 
ECONOMIC 
 
 
6. Milli Gazete / Turkish Government stopped the 
entrance of war scrap metal that comes from 
Iraq to Iskenderun.  Officials stated that all 
scrap metal entering Turkey should have a 
report from an internationally accepted lab 
showing that metal is free from radiation. 
"Once this problem is solved, scrap metal can 
continue coming into Turkey," officials 
reported. 
REID