US embassy cable - 04ADANA164

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000164 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, IZ, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 9, 2004 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for December 9, 
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 
 
CUMHURIYET/MILLIYET/OZGUR GUNDEM/EVRENSEL: Demonstrators in 
cities around Turkey, including Adana and Van, are protesting 
the closure order against Egitim-Sen, brought against the Union 
because its official rules and regulations mentioned "the right 
to be educated in one's mother tongue."  Milliyet reports that 
nearly 200 people participated in the demonstration in Adana. 
Police (reportedly) used gas bombs on the group that gathered in 
Kadikoy, Istanbul and detained 50 people.  Mustafa Avci, the 
secretary general of the Confederation of Public Employees Union 
 
SIPDIS 
(KESK), and the secretary general of the Union of Joint 
Transportation (BTS) Hasan Soysal were (allegedly) among those 
detained in Istanbul. 
 
EVRENSEL/RADIKAL:       Recently, media, newspapers and television, 
without searching for the root causes of the problems, are 
accusing the families of children in Diyarbakir of neglect and 
complicity when kids are forced into crime.  But Nezihe C., the 
mother of one of the children that was saved from kidnappers at 
Haydarpasa Train Station two days ago, responded to the 
allegations:  "No mother would allow that no matter how hungry 
her family is."  Radikal reports that these children are the 
kids of families who were forced to migrate from small towns to 
big cities.  They are very vulnerable and are deceived with 
false promises of prosperity.  They learn to make their ends 
meet through illegal means due to the economic hardships their 
families suffer. 
 
SABAH: According to (French) Liberation newspaper, the Atomic 
Scientists organization issued a report stating that there are 
480 atom bombs in Europe, ninety of which are located in 
Incirlik. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        At least ten students at Dicle 
University have initiated an indefinite hunger strike to protest 
the University Presidency's questioning of 82 students for their 
having participated in various activities, including protests 
against the Higher Education Authority (YOK). 
 
EVRENSEL:       The students of Yuzuncu Yil University in Van 
protested against the killing of Ugur and Ahmet Kaymaz by the 
security forces. 
 
SABAH/EVRENSEL/OZGUR GUNDEM: Regarding the killing of shepherd 
Fevzi Can in Semdinli, Hakkari, 110 attorneys from the 
Diyarbakir and Batman Bar Associations appealed to the Semdinli 
Public Prosecutor that all the security forces involved in this 
incident should be suspended from duty, and a neutral and 
independent litigation process should be initiated against 
people associated with the crime directly, through their 
deliberate acts, as well as against those involved indirectly by 
negligence. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM: Members of the Kurdish Women Initiative, who 
started a journey from Hakkari, arrived at Batman and 
Diyarbakir. The group aims to list the demands of the women in 
the region and tell these demands to the Turkish Parliament and 
EU authorities. 
 
RADIKAL:        U.S. military members that went to Iraq from 
Incirlik airbase are recruiting labor from the Incirlik area. 
The U.S. has been in Incirlik since 1950 and many U.S. military 
members know local Turkish people whom they trust.  Also, many 
of the locals have good English language skills.  For these 
reasons, locals from Incirlik are selected by the military for 
employment in Iraq.  Currently, the number of locals that has 
gone to Iraq is (allegedly) nearly 3,000. 
 
 OZGUR GUNDEM:  The drivers of tankers that carry fuel oil to 
Iraq indicate that they are experiencing harsh conditions, 
including death for some drivers, while at the same time they 
are transporting fuel oil with (allegedly) a loss of 805 million 
Turkish Lira in every trip to Iraq. Consequently, drivers 
decided to offload their vehicles while their company attempts 
to make better payment arrangements. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM/EVRENSEL:  Tunceli Labor and Democracy Platform 
denounced the Tunceli governor for (allegedly) suspending 
teachers Hasan Hayri Kilic and Aziz Avin from office for having 
attended a press announcement called "Call for Peace" on 
November 27th, 2004 in Siirt. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REID