US embassy cable - 04ADANA111

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000111 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, IZ, TU, Press Summaries, ADANA 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY AUGUST 24, 2004 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for August 24, 
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 
 
ULKEDE OZGUR GUNDEM: Two mass-graves, where PKK militants had 
been buried, were discovered in Tatvan, Bitlis province. Sculls, 
"Mekap"-brand shoes used by PKK militants, and military uniforms 
were found in the graves dating from 1994. 13 PKK militants were 
found in a grave in the Kender Mountains, and 19 others in a 
grave in the Bindaki Mountains. Three villagers anonymously said 
the militants buried in the Kender Mountains were arrested by 
soldiers, and were shot execution-style with their hands behind 
their backs. 
 
ZAMAN, SAABH, CUMHURIYET, MILLIYET, HURRIYET, TERCUMAN, RADIKAL, 
EVRENSEL, ULKEDE OZGUR GUNDEM: Approximately 400 villagers from 
the Sinan village of Bismil township, Diyarbakir province, 
undertook a demonstration against the landlord "agha," who they 
claimed had taken their land by fraud. Currently the villagers 
are working as share-croppers for the Istanbul resident agha, 
Cengiz Sinanli, who said his family inherited approximately 
13,750 acres in Sinan village about 100 years ago. Sinanli said 
he was charging villagers a nominal fee for cultivating the 
land. Villagers, who were displaying Turkish flags, carried 
banners stating "We do not want the agha system" and "The land 
belongs to us, and will belong to us."  The Jandarma watched the 
demonstrators from distance without intervening. 
 
CUMHURIYET: The Kurdish Language School in Diyarbakir was opened 
yesterday. The Diyarbakir National Education Directorate (DNED) 
warned the school authorities that its sign resembled PKK-Kongra 
Gel's colors. In addition to the school's sign, which was 
written with yellow letters on a black background, a yellow, 
green, and red-colored sign was also hung in the building. The 
DNED officials warned the school administration that the second 
sign they had hung was in opposition to the regulations, but the 
school administration responded that they had put it up for 
advertisement purposes, and would not take it down because it 
was not against any laws. The Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir, 
the Batman Mayor Huseyin Kalkan, and various other mayors 
attended the opening ceremony. 
 
ULKEDE OZGUR GUNDEM: In Cizre, Sirnak province, a group of 300 
DEHAP members gathered in DEHAP's district office. Later, five 
persons from the crowd delivered 5,540 petitions to the Cizre 
Sub-governor's office advocating "freedom for Ocalan" and an end 
to the ongoing military operations in the region.  In Mazidag, 
Mardin province, a similar action was undertaken. Two persons 
delivered 342 petitions with the same content to the Mazidagi 
Sub-governor's office. 
 
ULKEDE OZGUR GUNDEM: Kurdistan Ozgurluk Sahinleri 
(TAK-Teyrabazen Azadiya Kurdistan - Hawks for Freedom of 
Kurdistan) took responsibility for the August 20 attack at the 
Organized Industrial Zone in Ikitelli of Istanbul; the August 17 
attack at a beach in Bodrum; and the August 8 and July 29 
attacks in Mersin. TAK stated that it would mount its attacks 
against Turkey unless it gave up its false policies toward the 
Kurdish issue. TAK also warned tourists vacationing in Turkey to 
return their homes because they were providing financial 
resources to the Turkish Government. 
 
ULKEDE OZGUR GUNDEM: In Adana, Meral Turkmen, a former employee 
of the Akdeniz Kultur Merkezi, claimed that she was kidnapped by 
four unidentified persons on August 14. She said that four 
persons forced her to ride in a Mercedes vehicle, and that they 
folded her hands and eyes and taped her mouth. She claimed that 
the kidnappers constantly told her that her father was a 
terrorist, and that he was recruiting for the PKK. She said that 
they forced her to accept becoming an informer for them because 
they said she was familiar with all the Kurdish institutions. 
 
ULKEDE OZGUR GUNDEM: In Batman, five persons who were detained 
on August 20 while driving from Diyarbakir to Batman, were 
imprisoned on the charges of "recruiting for the organization, 
and undertaking actions on behalf of the organization." [Note: 
the "organization" was not specified in the article.  End note.] 
 Separately, working on a tip, police from the Batman 
Anti-Terror Department arrested two persons. The court ordered 
the suspects to be imprisoned for being members of an outlawed 
organization. 
 
HURRIYET: GOT forces launched an intensive operation against the 
PKK-Kongra Gel militants in rural Sirnak. Village guards have 
been deployed on the dominant hills and in Misiri, Tames, 
Akarsu, and Kumcati routes, which militants use for infiltrating 
into Turkey from Iraq. The GOT operation, which started four 
days ago in the Cudi and Gabbar Mountains, has been shifted to 
the Besta region. 5,000 soldiers have been participating in the 
operation, and Armored Personnel Carriers (APC) are constantly 
patrolling in the area. 
 
BOLGE, TURKIYE: Working on a tip, the Mersin Anti-smuggling and 
Organized Crimes police seized 12 tons of cigarettes smuggled 
from Cyprus. Five persons having connections with the matter 
were detained. 
 
 
REID