US embassy cable - 05ADANA196

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000196 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 24, 2005 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for October 24, 
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 
 
BOLGE:  M/V Ulla case has been a continuous headache for 
Turkey for nearly six years since M/V Ulla's arrival to the port 
of Iskenderun in February 2000 with 2,200 tons of hazardous 
toxic cargo.  M/V Ulla, which was not allowed to the port and 
which had been waiting anchored since then, sank in September 
2004 in the Turkish waters as its case awaited resolution by 
both Spanish and Turkish governments.  Reportedly, to date, 
1,400 tons of waste has been removed from the shipwreck and 
loaded onto the Panama flagged Amorito Monsovua vessel, which 
had been sent by La Farge Company in Spain.  However, La Farge 
reportedly called the vessel Amorito Monsovua back because of 
the slowdown in operations, and the vessel reportedly departed 
yesterday night upon obtaining permission from the Turkish 
Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Two issues currently seem 
unresolved: Firstly, Amorito Monsovua departed before all the 
waste was removed.  Secondly, the removal team is to find a 
better way to address the hardened waste problem. (This article 
is from 10/23 edition.) 
 
BOLGE:  Members of Adana Egitim-Sen (Teacher's Union) 
marched in Adana yesterday and chanted slogans to protest the 
case that envisages closure for the Union.  Reportedly, the case 
will be held on October 27 in Ankara. (This article is from 
10/23 edition.) 
 
ZAMAN:  A delegation of university rectors headed by Prof. 
Erdogan Tezic, Chairperson of YOK (Higher Education Board), came 
to Van on Saturday with two planes.  Wife of Yucel Askin, VCU's 
Vice-rector, Van Deputy Governor, and VCU faculty members 
welcomed the delegation at the airport.  Meanwhile, a 30-car 
convoy waiting outside the airport staged a protest against the 
rectors as they were leaving the airport. (Note: Cumhuriyet 
reported the number of cars as 15-20.  According to Cumhuriyet 
the protestors were from AKP, but it is not specified whether 
they were party members or only supporters of the AKP. End 
Note.) The banners hung on the hoods of the cars read, "Do not 
interfere in how the judicial system works", "Rectors, mind your 
own business, and do not back the ongoing irregularities."  To 
evade the angry crowd, the rectors had to change cars.  During 
Tezic's visit to the Army Corps Jandarma Command in Van, a 
crowded group of people continued their protest.  Following a 
30-minute visit to the Command, Tezic paid a visit to Yucel 
Askin, the rector of VCU in jail.  (This article is from 10/23 
edition.) 
 
ZAMAN:  Dogu Perincek, national leader of the IP (Worker's 
Party), denied the allegations of a June 5 article published on 
a journal, to which he is also the chief author.  Reportedly, 
the article accused Yucel Askin, rector of the Van Centennial 
University, for being a missionary of Christianity. (This 
article is from 10/23 edition.) 
 
ZAMAN / SABAH / HURRIYET:       Security officers are reportedly 
coming close to solving the case of the July 6th killing of 
Hikmet Fidan, former national leader of HADEP (People's 
Democracy Party).  Six alleged former PKK members have been 
caught and detained in connection with the murder in Diyarbakir. 
 The assassin is allegedly a PKK militant. 
 
SABAH:  The daily reported that Fikri Canoruc, the rector of 
Dicle University in Diyarbakir, is standing trial on charges of 
conducting irregularities in eleven separate tenders of Dicle 
University. 
 
RADIKAL / HURRIYET:     The dailies reported a case of a 
19-years-old woman in Adana for whom it had been arranged two 
years ago to marry the man that raped her.  The court released 
the perpetrator on condition that he should marry the victim. 
The woman claims that her husband had a habit of beating her 
since the start of their marriage.  Moreover, the woman alleged 
that her husband killed her father six days ago, and threatened 
to kill other family members and her, as well. The family 
reportedly seeks protection from the state. 
 
CUMHURIYET:     According to the daily, a local TV station's program 
in Van called on the people to protest YOK (Higher Education 
Board) Chairperson Erdogan Tezic's visit to the jailed rector of 
Van Centennial University. 
 
CUMHURIYET:     The Security Directorate and the Governor's Office 
in Eskisehir heightened security measures in the province before 
the second hearing of the Ugur and Ahmet Kaymaz trial, which 
will be held today.  Governor's Office banned all kinds of 
demonstrations, street protests, press announcements, etc.  The 
Security Directorate banned entrance into the city by outsiders. 
 
 
ZAMAN:  According to a report prepared by an (unspecified) 
intelligence agency, the terrorist organization PKK has 
allegedly set up "so-called" audit boards to inspect those 
institutions it had links with, such as DEHAP, DEHAP 
municipalities, and DTH (Democratic Society Movement).  The 
report said that the organization found 90 people guilty as a 
result of these inspections.  The paper claims that the PKK 
policy aims to silence opponents. 
 
ZAMAN:  Sadullah Ergun, a senior AKP administrator, said in 
Hatay that the group of rectors has breached the rules of the 
constitution by going to Van, an act that amounted to 
influencing and putting pressure on the judiciary. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Adana Human Rights Association elected its new 
board members. The members will elect the chairperson of the 
association in the next round. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        Soldiers allegedly burned nearly 
30 tents that belonged to villagers, who earned their livelihood 
through animal breeding in summertime in Siirt's Eruh district. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Two people were detained and arrested by 
security officers in villages of Bingol's Karliova district on 
charges that they aided and abetted the PKK. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        23 inmates in a Mardin Jail have 
reportedly been banned from the public spaces of the prison. 
The inmates are barred from seeing visitors for a month, as 
well.  These punishments reportedly came because the inmates 
went on a hunger strike between August 15 and September 7 to 
call for an end to military operations in southeastern Turkey 
and the "isolation" of the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in a 
prison cell. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The daily announced that DTH will eventually 
complete the process of forming a political party by means of 
holding a two-day meeting, which will start today.  Reportedly, 
the national leader of the new political party will be Ahmet 
Turk, the former HEP (People's Labor Party) national 
chairperson. 
 
BOLGE:  Reportedly, 17,000 people joined a march organized 
by Hakkari Governor's Office to commemorate in Hakkari the 82nd 
anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic.  Students 
carried a big Turkish flag and posters of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, 
the founder of the Turkish Republic. 
 
EVRENSEL:       A 16-year-old shepherd was seriously wounded when a 
mine went off as he stepped on it while grazing his flock in 
Sirnak's Cizre district. 
 
 
ECONOMIC DEVELEOPMENTS 
 
EKSPRES:        Adana Governor Cahit Kirac said that much progress 
has been made in the Organized Agricultural Zone (OAZ) project 
of Adana.  OAZ, which is being built next to the Haci Sabanci 
Organized Industrial Zone, aims to promote organic cultivation. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REID