US embassy cable - 04ADANA98

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000098 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, IZ, TU, Press Summaries, ADANA 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY JULY 17-19, 2004 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for July 17-19, 
2004. 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 
Radikal, Bolge: Abdullah Paksoy, the mayor of 
Elbistan, Kahramanmaras province, claimed Afsin-Elbistan Power 
Plant's filter systems, which do not operate properly, caused 
environmental contamination. Mayor Aksoy said a study by the 
Cukurova University in Adana revealed that there had been an 
increase in cancer cases in the region. It is claimed that the 
rate of contamination caused by the plant is ten times higher 
than world standards. 
Ulkede Ozgur Gundem, Hurriyet, Yeni Safak: In Siirt, 
approximately one thousand people (Hurriyet gives the 
demonstrators' figures as ten thousand) attended the "Terror 
Cursing Meeting" organized by the governor's office. It is 
alleged that villagers were forced to attend the meeting which 
was mainly attended by village guards, security officials, and 
members from Martyrs Families Association. The demonstrators 
carried signs critical of terror and PKK. 
Ulkede Ozgur Gundem, Evrensel: In Derik, Mardin 
province, the Public Prosecutor filed charges against the Former 
Mardin DEHAP Vice Provincial Chairman Abdullah Akikol for 
delivering a speech in Kurdish during the March 21 Newroz 
Celebrations, and accused the Current mayor of Derik, Nuran 
Atli, of violating the Political Parties Law by making political 
propaganda. 
Ulkede Ozgur Gundem, Vakit, Yeni Safak: In Adana, pro- 
Ocalan slogans were shouted during a Kurdish Concert at Mimar 
Sinan Ope-Air Theatre. A young girls carrying "We are Kurds. Our 
Leader is Ocalan" banner appeared on the stage. Banners reading 
"No to isolation, Freedom for Ocalan" were arrayed. Security was 
provided by a private security company. Police did not intervene 
in the incidents. 
Sabah: The State built a total of 756 houses, 540 
between Diyarbakir and Batman, 150 in Alibey village of Bitlis, 
and 66 in Tepe Konak village, Diyarbakir province, for 
resettling the 25,000 nomadic Beritanlilar tribe in East and 
Southeast Turkey. Almost half of Beritanlilar tribe, which has 
been living a nomadic life for 300 years, got settled in 
Diyarbakir, Bingol, and Elazig provinces with their own 
financial means some years ago. The construction of the houses 
started in 1994. 
Ulkede Ozgur Gundem: Three HPG (Public Defense Forces) 
members who were reported as having been killed during clashes 
in rural Mus were allegedly tortured and their ears were 
amputated after their death. Mus Municipality buried the killed 
militants together in a mass grave. Jandarma prevented filming 
the burial. DEHAP Mus Provincial Chairman Abdulbaki Celebi said 
dismembering of the dead body could not be explained in any 
religion and the perpetrators should be brought before the court. 
Ulkede Ozgur Gundem: In Sanliurfa, the court filed 
charges against Omer Kurt, the director of the Private Urfa 
Kurdish School which was opened on March 13, 2004, for putting 
up the "Private Urfa Kurdish Language and Accents Teaching 
Center" sign before the name of the school was endorsed. Kurt 
faces an imprisonment sentence varying from six months to two 
years. 
Ulkede Ozgur Gundem, Evrensel: The Karadeniz Toptan 
Electric Power Plant (Silopi, Sirnak province) has been causing 
an increase in diseases due to its gas emission. Villagers 
claimed that there had been about 40 premature deliveries. They 
also claim approximately 700 animals have died due to poisonous 
gas. 
Approximately 8000 people have undersigned the anti-power plant 
erection campaign launched by the civil initiatives. 
Ulkede Ozgur Gundem, Yeni Safak,Tercuman, 
Evrensel, Turkiye: The Turkish Parliament endorsed the bill 
envisioning paying indemnities to terror victims. The bill 
accepts July 19, 1987, the date OHAL (State of Emergency), as 
the effective date for benefiting from the law. People who have 
suffered during incidents which occurred under Terror and 
Counter-Terror Struggle and activities carried out for that 
purpose will become eligible for indemnities. The losses of the 
people who have been accused of and convicted for assisting and 
harboring an outlawed organization will not be covered under the 
law. The victims or their heirs have to apply within one year to 
benefit from this bill. 
Tercuman: 147 employees and 253 temporary workers 
at Hakkari Municipality undertook a sit-in demonstration for 
their unpaid salaries for fourteen months. Bisar Mavigoz said 
that the Hakkari Municipality's debts amounted to 20 trillion 
Turkish Liras (Approximately $13.3 million). 
Cumhuriyet: HAK-PAR, The Rights and Freedoms 
Party, for which the Constitutional Court has pressed charges 
demanding its closure, said in addition to Turkish, the Kurdish 
language should be used as the official language in 
communication and education in the densely Kurdish populated 
regions. 
Sabah: Two policemen from Van Security 
Directorate tried to extort money from a businessman in Van by 
accusing him of involvement in drug trafficking. The extorters 
were arrested in a joint operation by Van province police. 
Evrensel: Jandarma from Suveren Jandarma Station 
in Bingol province have been applying a food embargo in Doganli 
and Dedebag villages of Genc for about a month. 
Bolge, Turkiye:: The police from Adana Security 
Directorate seized 240,000 Captagon pills in a Bulgarian plated 
car at the Pozanti-Adana highway toll booth. Five persons having 
connections with the pills were detained. 
Vakit: A group of shopkeepers complaining about 
frequent power surges in Kiziltepe, Mardin province, protested 
TEDAS, Electric Distribution Company. The shopkeepers visited 
the sub-governor and expressed their complaints to him. TEDAS 
official said because of unregistered use of electricity in the 
region, the overloaded transmission lines were damaged badly, 
and they were trying to fix the problem. Similar demonstrations 
took place in Sanliurfa and Viransehir as well. Sanliurfa 
Security Directorate announced that a group of militants had 
infiltrated among the farmers who were protesting the power cuts 
in Viransehir. 
Cumhuriyet, Yeni Safak, Hurriyet: A march 
protesting terror was undertaken by citizens, non-governmental 
organizations, and sixteen political parties in Savur, Mardin 
province, following the Friday prayer. 
Cumhuriyet: N.T and V.Y initialed persons selling 
Abdullah Ocalan's unregistered book titled "Defending a People" 
were arrested in Diyarbakir. The detainees, who asked for legal 
assistance from the Bar Association, were released after a 
deposition was taken from them. 
Yeni Safak: Diyarbakir Provincial National 
Education Director Bahattin Atilla said they would build 650 
schools in villages and townships throughout the province and 
thus put an end to transport education. 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 
Turkiye, Hurriyet, Ekspres, Bolge, Milliyet, 
Sabah (Guney Supplement): While the works for connecting natural 
gas to Adana's Industrial Zone are intensified, the issue of 
producing electricity from natural gas was discussed with the 
General Electric Power Systems authorities in the Adana 
Governor's office. The General Electric Power Systems has been 
erecting power plants in industrial zones in Turkey since 1996. 
Yeni Safak: The Gaziantep-Mersin Natural Gas 
Transmission Line which started in 2002 will be completed by the 
end of 2004. Priority for using the natural gas will be given to 
Organized Industrial Zones, and settlement units along the 
transmission line. The cost for the project is $55.889 million.