US embassy cable - 05ADANA34

UNCLAS ADANA 000034 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 18, 2005 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for February 18, 
2005.  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 / ZAMAN / CUMHURIYET / MILLIYET:        Ministry of Internal 
Affairs is reshuffling the security directors of 13 provinces. 
The current Diyarbakir Security Director, Orhan Okur, will be 
appointed to Canakkale. Twelve more, including security 
directors of Batman, Kahramanmaras and Elazig provinces, will 
also rotate. 
 
CUMHURIYET:     Sinanli villagers from Diyarbakir, whose land was 
seized by village landlord, applied to the President, Prime 
Minister and Turkish General Staff for assistance. The villagers 
complained that their land had been seized by fraud and they did 
not have any land from which to make a living. Villagers added 
that they did not have a school and a place to bury their dead. 
 
 
CUMHURIYET:      President of CETKO (Environment and Consumer 
Protection Association) Ilker Danisoglu remarked that Chrome 
Installation and Oil Filling Facilities in Karaduvar quarter of 
Mersin increased the magnitude of pollution. He added toxic 
material from those facilities harmed not only nature but people 
as well. 
 
ZAMAN:  The Parliamentary Human Rights Commission gave 
priority to investigate 420 mysterious killings in the 
southeast. The President of the Commission Elkatmis said the 
"the suffering families are looking forward to justice from the 
state." The Commission reportedly discovered an 11-person mass 
grave in Kulp township of Diyarbakir some time ago. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM / BOLGE / EVRENSEL:        A group of 100 DEHAP 
(Democratic People's Party) marched to the Adana Municipality 
building to make a press announcement. The group shouted 
"Murderer Police" and carried pictures of Umit Gonultas, who was 
killed during February 15th demonstration in Mersin. During 
demonstrations in Mersin 14 persons including the DEHAP 
Provincial Chairman were detained by police. DEHAP's National 
Chairman Tuncer Bakirhan will visit Mersin today. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL:        One hundred twenty villagers from 
Kirkdegirmen village of Ercis, Van province, who had migrated to 
Kirklareli for alleged pressure from the village chieftain Zeki 
Mujde, have been given two-weeks to move from the camp in which 
they were settled in Kirklareli. The villagers sought assistance 
from the Van Immigrant Association for allocation of a 
settlement area outside of Ercis for them. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Diyarbakir Municipality's website has been 
hacked by a group of policemen, who are supporters of the 
current Diyarbakir Security Director, Orhan Okur. He is accused 
of having furnished his office with the money that had been 
raised for the families of the policemen. The hackers placed a 
picture of Orhan Okur on the page and wrote on the screen "My 
dear Police Chief, We as the protectors of this country, will 
side with you at the cost of our death. The tears you poured for 
martyrs will not remain on the ground." 
 
MILLIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM:        The four special operations team 
members, who are involved in the operation that killed Ugur and 
Ahmet Kaymaz and who have been facing four years of prison 
sentence for the charges brought against them at the court 
trial, have been returned to their offices. 
 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 
 
1.      HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / EKSPRES / BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY): 
The First International Economic Cooperation Forum is to be held 
in Adana today. PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan and representatives from 
400 domestic and international companies are expected to attend 
the two-day Forum hosted by the Adana Chamber of Commerce. 
 
 
 
 
REID