US embassy cable - 05ADANA198

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000198 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, ADANA 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR OCTBOER 28, 2005 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for October 28, 
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:  The daily reported that Fikri Canoruc, the rector of 
Dicle University in Diyarbakir, and 19 faculty members are 
standing trial on charges of irregularities in conducting 
tenders of the Dicle University (see press summary 10/24). 
 
2.      HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    Mehmet Aslan, Chairperson of 
Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce, called on everybody and all the 
institutions in Gaziantep to hang Turkish flags everywhere on 
October 29, which marks the 82nd anniversary of the foundation 
of the Turkish Republic. 
 
3.      SABAH / HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL / 
RADIKAL:  Abuse of orphans in a state-owned orphanage in Malatya 
enraged people in Turkey.  A scandal broke out following a TV 
channel's broadcasting of footage of orphanage employees beating 
orphans in Malatya. The nursemaids, who abused the children, 
were removed from their posts, and the prosecutor started an 
investigation into the abuse of orphans. 
 
4.      OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL:        An empty, 50 square meter 
plot of land in Agri has been burning for about a week. The 
cause of the fire is not known and the area that is burning has 
reportedly been widening each day.  Local people demand that 
authorities find out about the cause of the fire. 
 
5.      OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL:        Two consecutive explosions 
took place in separate places in Sanliurfa's Viransehir district 
a day ago.  The first explosion was a bomb that exploded in the 
backyard of the Viransehir Subgovernor's Office.  The second one 
took place near a high school.  Reportedly, the second explosion 
occurred during an attempt to defuse a bomb in a suspicious 
looking bag. No casualties were reported in both incidents. 
 
6.      SABAH (GUNEY) / OZGUR GUNDEM:   Reportedly, a flag was 
burned by unknown people in front of a primary school in Adana's 
Seyhan district.  Because of their alleged connection with the 
incident, two students, who were brothers, were detained and 
brought to Adana Security Directorate. The father of the 
children was also taken into custody when he came to the 
Security Directorate.  One of the children was released later, 
and the father and his son were brought to the spot of the 
incident to rehearse the offence committed. 
 
7.      OZGUR GUNDEM:   The military operations are reportedly 
going on in a triangle formed by Diyarbakir's Lice and Kulp 
districts and Bingol's Genc district.  The helicopters are 
reportedly flying low to search especially the land where there 
are roads.  Meanwhile, the military helicopters bombarded an 
area called Demenan in Tunceli on October 25.  No casualties 
were reported.  Separately, Turkish Armed Forces started a 
military operation in the Gabar Mountain and Dicle. 
 
8.      RADIKAL / SABAH / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL / CUMHURIYET: 
The trial of Egitim-Sen (Teacher's Union) was dropped in a court 
hearing held yesterday in Ankara following the Union's decision 
to remove the statement defending education in one's mother 
tongue from its charter. 
 
9.      OZGUR GUNDEM:   A women's association in Diyarbakir will 
initiate a series of activities that will start on November 25 
to extend support to R.G., a woman who has become a symbol for 
women's rights activists following an attempt by R.G.'s 
relatives to cut her nose off.  Weeklong activities will 
reportedly include setting up a Justice for Women Court in the 
week that follows November 25, among other activities. 
 
10.     HURRIYET:       A sculpture exhibition held by students of the 
Department of Sculpture in Van Centennial University (VSU) is 
dedicated to VCU's rector, Yucel Askin, who is in jail in Van. 
 
11.     OZGUR GUNDEM:   Following an Iftaar dinner organized by 
KASTOB (Union of NGO's from the Black Sea Region) for NGOs of 
the Southeastern Region of Turkey five days ago, NGOs from 
southeastern region reciprocated by organizing an Iftaar dinner 
for KASTOB.  During his speech, the chairperson of KASTOB said 
that they could all put an end to the shedding of blood between 
brothers if they worked together. 
 
12.     BOLGE / EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY):        Because of a 
controversy over ownership of a 1,161-acre plot of land in 
Adana's Yuregir district, 300 villagers living nearby the land 
gathered at the site and attacked a team of experts that were 
sent there by the court to conduct studies and make assessments. 
 The villagers claimed that the ownership claims of an attorney, 
who allegedly conducted irregularities to assume the ownership 
rights, were nonsense since he lacked any connection with the 
village.  The villagers further claimed that they had 1952-dated 
title deeds for the land.  Jandarma intervened when the 
villagers showed resistance and hurled stones at the car in 
which the attorney sat. 30 villagers were detained afterwards. 
13.     EVRENSEL:       A 4-magnitude earthquake shook Adiyaman's 
Gerger district yesterday. No casualties were reported. 
 
14.     CUMHURIYET:     Controversy looms over whether all or part of 
the toxic waste was removed from M/V Ulla (see press summary 
10/24).  Environmental activists are claiming that the ongoing 
waste removal operations were a hoax.  Iskenderun's Subgovernor 
had also claimed that only 1400 tons of waste was removed from 
the sunken vessel, and 800 tons of waste still remained under 
water. 
 
REID