US embassy cable - 03ADANA258

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0258 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, IZ, Press Summaries, ADANA 
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, 
          OCTOBER 3, 2003 
 
 
1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary 
for October 3, 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, Vakit / About 25 people who have 
accounts at Imarbank Adana Branch gathered in 
front of the bank and demanded the immediate 
payment of their money. 
 
 
3. Turkiye, Sabah Guney / Cukurova Journalists' 
Association announced that they disapprove of 
the reported comment "I'm very pleased with the 
attack towards newspaper reporter Kemal Kucuk, 
because he deserved it," attributed to Umit 
Ozgumus, Adana Chamber of Industry Head. 
 
 
4. Yeni Safak / In Guroymak, Bitlis province, 11 
cattle reportedly were killed by anthrax in a 
week.  Villagers are asking for help and 
guidance on how to treat the dead animals. 
 
 
5. Yeni Safak / In Ogunduk, Idil, Sirnak province, 
Pastor Melke Tok praised AK Party MP Abdullah 
Veli Seyda for his visit to their village.  Tok 
wanted financial aid for the restoration of the 
village church and for a football field in the 
village area. 
 
 
6. Ozgur Gundem / In Caldiran, Van province 14- 
year-old illegal trader Zahir Yilmaz was shot 
dead by soldiers following the soldiers' call 
for surrender. When found by the soldiers, 
Yilmaz was illegally trading fuel with 
Seyfettin Kaya. Allegedly Kaya reported that 
Yilmaz had already surrendered when soldiers 
shot him. 
 
 
7. Ozgur Gundem / Van Governor Hikmet Tan, during 
his visit to Geziyurt and Parmakkapi villages, 
addressed the villagers and asked them to call 
all their families back to their villages. 
(Editor's Note: These villages had been 
evacuated due to the PKK/KADEK problem in 1996. 
Villagers started to return to their villages 
in 2003). 
 
 
8. Ozgur Gundem / In Siirt, 200 people protested 
against the prison conditions of Abdullah 
Ocalan.  Police warned the people to end the 
meeting.  After the warning group threw stones 
at the police, and during the ensuing clash, a 
police officer was injured. 
 
 
9. Radikal, Sabah / Armenian Patriarch Mesrop II 
accused Turkish airlines (THY) personnel of not 
letting him sit next to his assistant in the 
Turkish Airlines Van flight.  Patriarch refused 
to sit separate from his assistant and didn't 
get on the plane.  Patriarch stated that 
somebody might be trying to prevent his visit 
to Akdamar Church in Van.  According to THY, 
Patriarch was 10 minutes late for the check-in 
and they gave his seat to a passenger on the 
waiting list, but they offered him another seat 
due to the respect for his position, which had 
to be separate from his assistant. THY reported 
that they also offered him seats on 8:50 flight 
to Van, but the Patriarch refused both offers. 
REID