US embassy cable - 04ADANA110

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000110 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, IZ, TU, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY AUGUST 21-23, 2004 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for August 21-23, 
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 
 
EVRENSEL, ULKEDE OZGUR GUNDEM: A sound bomb placed in Yagmur 
Restaurant in Tunceli on August 20 exploded, causing material 
damages in the building and wounding one client. Tunceli 
Governor Mustafa Erkal visited the explosion site. In Tunceli, 
it is claimed that more than fifteen restaurants where alcoholic 
beverages are served have been employing foreign women and 
engaging in prostitution. Separately, Musa Ayhan and Dervis 
Ismail, a Syrian national, were identified as the two PKK-Kongra 
Gel militants who attempted to place a bomb at a police check 
point near Van airport.  When the bomb they attempted to place 
exploded, Ayhan was killed and Ismail was wounded. 
 
EVRENSEL, ULKEDE OZGUR GUNDEM: In Silopi, Sirnak province, a 
group of 800 DEHAP supporters marching from DEHAP's office to 
the Sub-governor's office to deliver petitions advocating a 
solution to the Kurdish issue were confronted by police. The 
demonstrators staged a sit-in to protest the attitude of the 
police. 
 
ULKEDE OZGUR GUNDEM: Approximately 300 people gathered in 
DEHAP's Provincial Office in Hakkari to deliver petitions 
advocating  "freedom for Ocalan."  GOT forces took stringent 
security measures when the crowd marched to the Governor's 
Office.  The demonstrators shouted pro-Ocalan slogans. Police 
did not intervene in the incident. 
 
ULKEDE OZGUR GUNDEM: In Mardin province, Huseyin Seyhan, Sukru 
Dilek, and Ali Akyuz were detained by Dargecit police on August 
17 after visiting the hot springs near Dargecit township and 
giving a ride to a person unknown to them on their way home. 
The men's detention was based on a denouncement made by that 
person, whom they had dropped in Dargecit.  The three men are 
still being questioned.  Police also raided Dilek's house and 
impounded his car. 
 
TURKIYE: In Yuksekova, Hakkari province, citizens found a 
decapitated body in an empty field near a school. Police at the 
scene identified the dead body as Sihat Aykut (16), the son of a 
village guard.  The Jandarma is also conducting an investigation. 
 
HURRIYET: The inspectors from the Interior Ministry 
investigating the "Drug Case in Van," in which former lawmaker 
Mustafa Bayram's son was kidnapped from a Police Station by 
armed gang members, concluded their investigation. The 
inspectors found Van Security Director Tacettin Kurt and 
Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crimes Director Tayfun Albayrak 
guilty for not fulfilling their "judiciary responsibilities." 
 
ZAMAN, MILLIYET: The Diyarbakir Kurdish Language School will be 
officially opened today. Kurdish- speaking, retired Turkish 
literature teachers will be allowed to teach Kurdish to 
students. The National Education Directorate granted permission 
for opening the school on July 15. Enrollments started on August 
15, but the academic year will start on September 1. President 
Sezer, Prime Minister Erdogan and some other high-ranking 
officials were invited to the opening ceremonies of the Kurdish 
Language School. The school, which currently has 750 students 
and 3 teachers, will employ 9 more teachers 
 
SABAH GUNEY, YENI SAFAK, EKSPRES, TURKIYE,BOLGE, CUMHURIYET: In 
Adana, police from the Anti-smuggling and Organized Crimes 
Department of the Adana Security Directorate arrested 17 members 
of the Aybeyler Gang, who were making plans for attacking the 
Cakarlar Gang. Police seized 6 unlicensed pistols, 3 cutting 
tools and 3 false identification cards. The gang members, who 
are accused of attempted murder and robbery in neighboring 
towns, were sent to the Adana State Security Court. 
 
TURKIYE: Working on a tip, the Jandarma seized 149 roots of hemp 
in the garden of a house in Zeytinbelli village of Yumurtalik, 
Adana province.  The Jandarma detained the owner of the house, 
Mustafa Killi. 
 
TERCUMAN, EVRENSEL, ULKEDE OZGUR GUNDEM: GOT forces launched a 
massive operation in Siirt and Sirnak provinces against the 
PKK-Kongra Gel militants who have increased their attacks in 
southeastern Turkey. 5000 soldiers and village guards deployed 
in Cizre, Idil, and Guclukonak townships of Sirnak participated 
in yesterday's operation. The GOT forces have been undertaking a 
cleansing operation in the Gabbar and Cudi Mountains. Two 
PKK-Kongra Gel militants were killed during yesterday's 
operation in Findik village of Sirnak. Separately, Murat 
Kaygisiz, a PKK-Kongra Gel militant who was arrested while he 
was planning to attack touristic sites in Izmir, claimed that 
PKK-Kongra Gel had 12 tons of explosives in the Kandil Mountains 
in Northern Iraq. One kilo of C-4 explosive was found in 
Kaygisiz' house. Tags showing that the explosives were US-made 
were found on the C-4 which Kaygisiz had divided into eight 
equal pieces. 
 
HURRIYET, MILLIYET, CUMHURIYET, MILLI GAZETE, TURKIYE, EVRENSEL, 
ZAMAN: As a result of the explosion of a mine on the road near 
Balveren, Sirnak province, one guard was killed. One PKK-Kongra 
Gel militant planning to undertake attacks in larger towns was 
arrested in Dargecit, Mardin province. 
 
EVRENSEL, TERCUMAN: In Semdinli, Hakkari province, Heza 
Parastina Gel (HPG-People Protection Force) militants opened 
fire at a police station near Semdinli High School, seriously 
wounding two policemen. The policemen, Recep Isci and Fikret 
Eric, were taken to the Hakkari Military Hospital by helicopter. 
 
EVRENSEL: HPG guerillas launched two rockets at the Jandarma 
Command in Derik, Mardin province. No casualties have been 
reported. GOT forces launched an operation in rural Derik. 
 
EVRENSEL: The Batman police detained five persons in a car at a 
check-point at the entrance of the town. Police also raided the 
houses of the detainees while they were being taken to the 
Anti-Terror Department for questioning. 
 
BOLGE, TERCUMAN: Based on information provided by the Adana 
State Security Court prosecutor Nuri Yigit, the Tarsus Chief 
Public Prosecutor pressed charges against Semih Ureten, another 
Adana State Security Court prosecutor, for abusing his 
authority. Ureten is accused of having taken bribes and living a 
luxurious life that did not match his salary. The indictment 
asked up to 18 years of imprisonment for Ureten. 
 
SABAH: In Yukari Tulgali village of Ozalp, Van province, one 
non-commissioned officer and two sergeants colluding to smuggle 
oil on horseback and giving instructions to smugglers by 
cellular telephone were arrested. Four smugglers involved in the 
incident were imprisoned by court. 
 
 
REID