US embassy cable - 05ADANA180

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000180 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 12, 2005 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for October 12, 
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 
 
ZAMAN / SABAH (GUNEY):  Farm animal breeders warned that a ban 
should be imposed to prevent bird hunting in the Cukurova 
region, because the season for the arrival of the migrating 
birds to Yumurtalik and Karatas districts is approaching. 
Breeders further called for heightened measures such as keeping 
chickens in closed spaces in the villages.  Bird flu threat in 
Balikesir caused disturbance in the Hatay province as well. 
Association for Reasearch on Birds announced that the birds 
migrating over Hatay are not among the breeds that contract the 
disease. 
 
CUMHURIYET / SANAH / HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM:   Upon receiving a 
bomb threat notification, Adana Security Directorate's 
Anti-Terror Branch found a suspicious bag on one of the main 
routes of Adana beside the Seyhan River.  The bag reportedly 
contained a fragmentation hand grenade.  The police started to 
probe the case.  Separately, a car exploding in Hakkari damaged 
two other cars. No casualties were reported.  The police 
heightened security measures in the area. 
 
CUMHURIYET / RADIKAL / SABAH / OZGUR GUNDEM:    An 11-year-old 
child grazing his flock of sheep in Dogubeyazit district of 
Agri, was severely wounded when a mine he found went off in his 
hands.  PKK allegedly planted the mine earlier.  In a separate 
incident in Van's Baskale district, a 43-year-old shepherd was 
wounded when a mine went off as he stepped on it. 
 
RADIKAL:        A former village guard, Nevaf Aydin, who was accused 
along with ten village guards of killing eight people and 
wounding seven persons in Mardin thirteen years ago, was caught 
and arrested in Izmir.  The court that tries village guards has 
been going on in Denizli's Second Heavy Penalty Court. 
 
RADIKAL:        The daily reported that the DTH (Democratic Society 
Movement), which is expected to form a political party by the 
end of this month, included in its draft charter ideas and 
policies concerning women's issues and Kurdish issues that 
reportedly resembled Abdullah Ocalan's views.  DTH has not yet 
named a national leader or the brand name of the political 
party, reported the daily. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The paper promoted policies that will likely 
be adopted in the charter of the DTH.  Reportedly, the charter 
aimed to represent all people in society and aims to cover 
national-level issues.  The charter reportedly envisages 
democratic, participatory and alternative solutions to the 
structural problems of Turkey. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM / SABAH:   Hakan Acil, a police officer, was 
kidnapped on a road between Sirnak's Idil district and Mardin's 
Midyat district (see press summary 10/11).  Ozgur Gundem daily 
reported that a military operation was launched to find the 
police officer, and F-16 aircraft were allegedly being used in 
the search.  Selahattin Demirtas, Chairperson of the Diyarbakir 
Human Rights Association (HRA), demanded that the police officer 
be released immediately.  Reportedly, security officers 
increased searches at checkpoints in Midyat and Idil. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   A group of people staged a demonstration in 
Mardin's Nusaybin district, threw Molotov cocktails and stopped 
traffic.  Reportedly, the people were protesting October 9, a 
day which reportedly marks the deportation of Abdullah Ocalan 
from Syria. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The dead body of a 25-year-old male was found 
in a village of Siirt's Eruh district. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The daily continues to report the alleged 
oppression against the inmates of the Kurkculer Jail in Adana. 
Reportedly, a letter of complaint which was written by the 
inmates and which was addressed to the Ministry of Justice, was 
reportedly torn up by the jail administration on grounds that 
the letter included "harmful" content. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Attorneys, who are members of the Mersin Bar 
Association, after having solicited a meeting with their clients 
under detention, were reportedly badly treated and harassed by 
officers at Mersin's Security Directorate as they were waiting 
for their client's arrival. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Municipality workers staged a protest in front 
of Seyhan's Municipality in Adana.  12 workers, working in the 
cleaning services of the municipality were laid off, allegedly 
on grounds that they were involved in unionist activities. 
 
 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS 
 
1.      ZAMAN:  Saban Bas, Chairperson of Adana Chamber of 
Commerce, said that following the opening of negotiation talks 
with the EU, investment opportunities and transportation 
facilities in the Haci Sabanci Organized Industrial Zone (OIZ), 
will render Cukurova region one of the "shining stars of 
Turkey."  OIZ is reportedly providing employment to 15,000 
workers. 
 
2.      HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    Agricultural issues were discussed 
in a meeting called "Turkey's Agricultural Issues and the 
Cukurova Region" held by ADSIAD (Adana Industrialists and 
Businessmen Association) in light of developments taking place 
in the EU and World Trade Organization. 
 
 
REID