US embassy cable - 05ADANA99

UNCLAS ADANA 000099 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, Press Summaries, ADANA 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 06, 2005 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for May 06, 2005. 
Please note that Turkish press reports often contain errors or 
exaggerations; AmConsulate Adana does not vouch for the acuracy 
of the reports summarized here. 
 
POLITICAL, SECURITY, HUMAN RIGHTS 
 
CUMHURIYET / RADIKL:   Ahmet Ersin, a member of Turkish 
Parliaments Human Rights Commission (TPHRC) and a CHP 
(Repblican People's Party) deputy from Izmir, appealedto the 
TPHRC to take on the issue of the 15-year-ld girl from 
Diarbkir who was engaged to a manthre eas ao hrogh a 
religious ceremony andwh ha ben ujectdto family violence 
(see 55 press summ). 
 
ZAMAN / YENI SAFAK:     The woan caught with 1.5 kilograms of 
C-4 explosives infront of the Office of the Security Director 
in iyarbakir (see press summ 5/5) was reportedly mixe in with 
the 350 people that had come to the Offce of the Security 
Directo inDiarbkir t make statements related to a Noembe 
200 ncient (see press summ 5/5.).  Police reportedly noticed 
she was acting suspiciously. The paper today reports that the 
woman's target was the Security Director's Office. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        The court ordered the release of 
eight people who were reportedly arrested by the Istanbul police 
for attempting to extort money from DEHAP Istanbul 
administrators (see 5/5 press summ). Approximately 100 DEHAP 
members, chanting slogans, protested their release in front of 
the court building. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Democratic Society Movement members organized 
a dinner and mediated successfully to amicably resolve a feud 
between the Alkan and Ekin families. (Note: The feud between the 
families broke out in June 2003 and caused the death of 4 
people.) Two thousand people participated in the event including 
human rights activists and local government and DEHAP officials. 
 
 
CUMHURIYET:     A group of students from the Patriotic Front, the 
Initiative of the Universities, and members of the TKP (Turkish 
Communist Party), will travel from Ankara to stage a protest 
tomorrow in Incirlik district against the GOT's decision to 
extend U.S. use of Incirlik Airbase. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The response of the Prime Minister' Office to 
300,000 petitions submitted by the DEHAP Youth Branches 
demanding constitutional changes was that the petitions included 
suggestions and requests that would damage the national unity of 
Turkey, if implemented. According to Ozgur Gundem, the petitions 
called for amendments within the 3rd, 42nd and 66th provisions 
of the Constitution. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   In Sanliurfa, the first hearing was opened in 
the case of nine people against whom charges were pressed for 
chanting illegal slogans during the opening of a private Kurdish 
language course. The case was adjourned until November 2005 to 
provide time for collecting evidence. 
 
EVRENSEL / YENI SAFAK:  Unidentified people opened fire on a car 
and killed the muhtar (headman) of Sugeldi village in Catak 
district of Van and two other people in the car. Jandarma 
initiated an investigation into whether the incident was related 
to a feud which allegedly broke out last year. Yeni Safak 
reports that the incident has connections with recently 
conducted headman elections. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY) / CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN / EKSPRES / OZGUR GUNDEM: 
The Mayor of Adana, Aytac Durak, angry with Milliyet about a 
"baseless news report, fired criticism at the media and said 
that violation of one's civil rights and freedom of expression 
ought not be construed as the same concepts.  Milliyet allegedly 
wrote that "Sedat Peker and Aytac Durak confronted each other on 
a mining issue."  (Note: Sedat Peker is a criminal gang leader. 
End Note.)    Durak will reportedly file a legal suit against 
the author and the paper. 
 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 
 
1.      RADIKAL / SABAH (GUNEY) / EKSPRES / ZAMAN / BOLGE:      Umit 
Ozgumus, Chairperson of the Adana Chamber of Commerce, announced 
that financial losses incurred by industrialists due to frequent 
blackouts and electricity power failures might be remedied if 
the industrialists opened legal action against TEDAS (Turkish 
State-owned Electricity Company). 
 
 
 
REID