US embassy cable - 03ADANA277

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0277 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, IZ, Press Summaries, ADANA 
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY 
25-27 OCTOBER 2003 
 
1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary 
for October 25-27, 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.  Hurriyet / The Armenian Patriarch for Turkey 
visited Akdamar Island in Van.  Patriarch will 
stay in Van for three days and call on the 
Governor during that time. 
 
 
3. Evrensel / Van WomenQs platform condemned the 
abuse towards women during their press 
conference in Van. 
 
 
4. Evrensel / New York Times reported that a 
village in Diyarbakir, Turkey was burned by 
Turkish soldiers.  According to the report, to 
burn villages where guerillas might be getting 
some help is a systematic policy of the 
security forces. 
 
 
5. Evrensel / The great Kurdish poet Cegerxwin was 
memorized in Elazig and Tunceli during the 
celebrations organized for his 100th birthday. 
 
 
6. Evrensel, Ozgur Gundem / Youth from the Peace 
and Democracy Platform protested against the 
war in Iraq and possible deployment of Turkish 
troops to Iraq in Gaziantep, Mersin, Samsun, 
and Antalya. 
 
 
7. Turkiye / During the operations in Darende, 
Malatya province, Jandarma found 104kg of 
marijuana and 1kg of Indian kemp and detained 
Hikme Bahadir, Seyho Berktas and Hasan 
Dumlupinar. 
 
 
8. Turkiye / Security forces in Hakkari detained 
Sabahattin Suvagci, Hakkari head of the 
Democratic PeopleQs Party (DEHAP), and four 
unidentified people. 
 
 
9. Ozgur Gundem / In Derik, Mardin, a truck driver 
was killed by a Kalashnikov for an unknown 
reason. 
 
 
10. Radikal / Two earthquakes of 3.9 shook 
Sirnak and Pervari, Siirt province on October 
26. 
 
 
11. Bolge, Milliyet / Relatives of Sema Celik, a 
woman who died of a heart attack in Gaziantep 
State Hospital, accused the hospital officials 
of stealing the womanQs eyes. 
 
 
12. Turkiye / In Diyarbakir, police detained 
Mevlut Ozler for selling counterfeit US and 
Turkish banknotes. 
 
 
13. Turkiye, Sabah Guney, Milliyet / Dr. Wolf 
Ruthard Born, German Ambassador to Turkey, 
visited the Adana Governor and Mayor on October 
24. 
 
 
14. Ozgur Gundem / There are 21 ongoing court 
cases involving Musa Ciftci, assistant head of 
the DEHAP in Hakkari. 
 
 
15. Ozgur Gundem / During the protests of DEHAP 
members in front of the AKP building in 
Gaziantep last week, protestors are being 
accused of breaking a police officerQs finger. 
DEHAP members denied the allegations. 
16. Evrensel / The Qpeace deskQ project Adana 
WomenQs platform wanted to have in Inonu Park, 
Adana at the weekend, was not permitted by the 
police. 
REID