US embassy cable - 05ADANA200

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ADANA 000200 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, ADANA 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 31, 2005 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for October 31, 
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 
 
SABAH / HURRIYET / SABAH (GUNEY) / CUMHURIYET:  PM Erdogan came 
to Gaziantep to attend the opening ceremony of thirty DSI (State 
Water Works Authority) projects including the Kayacik Dam (see 
press summary 10/25). Erdogan opened the irrigation facilities 
in the other provinces simultaneously from Gaziantep through a 
satellite on a virtual medium.  During his opening speech, 
Erdogan said that their method of embracing the republic was not 
sticking to mere slogans, but rather it was made manifest 
through action and realization.  Erdogan softened his angry tone 
against the media, which, reportedly by going too far and not 
applying restraints on footage in its news coverage of the 
outbreak of an abuse scandal in Malatya, reportedly caused the 
public to place unfair accusations against Nimet Cubukcu, the 
Minister Responsible from Women and Family. 
 
RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET / SABAH:   Nimet Cubukcu, Minister 
Responsible from Women and Family, came to Malataya five days 
after the outbreak of the abuse scandal in a state-run 
orphanage. 
 
HURRIYET:       Following the outbreak of an abuse scandal in one of 
the state orphanages, the girls staying at a student residence 
reserved for females in Sanliurfa claimed that they were 
suffering from residence director's violence and sexual abuse. 
 
HURRIYET:       After submitting a draft law proposal formulating 
social security coverage for the village guards, Mehmet Agar, 
DYP (True Path Party) National Leader, said that village guards 
no longer feel an enthusiasm for their job like they di in the 
past. 
 
SABAH:  A soldier was killed uring a confrontation with the 
terrorists in Binol.  Three terrorists were reportedly killed 
during the clash.  The road between Bingol and Elazig ws closed 
because of the ongoing military operatin. 
 
SABAH:  Turkish, Kurdish and U.S. official held a meeting 
a the Habur 
rder gate one daybeor.  Whie the urkis 
officials conveyed ther dsturbance about the Kurdish flags 
hung on a ast on the Iraqi side of the border gate, the Iraq 
officials said they would not remove the flags. 
 
BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY):  Adana Govorner Cahit irac and his wife 
held a reception at the Hilton otel on the day that marks the 
82nd annvesar of the foundation of the Turis Reubic. 
ytac urak, Adana Mayor; Ayhan Tas, 6th Army Corps Commander; 
Walter Scott Reid, U.S. Consul to Adana; Umit Ozgumus, 
Chairperson of Chamber of Industry; Fethi Coskuntuncel 
Chairperson of Chamber of Commodity Exchange; Cemal Sahir 
Gurcay, Chief Prosecutor; and Mehmet Cebe, Security Director 
were among the invitees. 
 
RADIKAL / HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN:        During an attack 
terrorists carried out on a Jandarma station in Siirt's Eruh 
district with rocket propeller guns, a 31-year-old village guard 
died and four soldiers were wounded. Additional forces deployed 
in the area following the attack killed one of the escaping PKK 
terrorists.  Meanwhile, security forces noticing three mines, 
which are allegedly planted by terrorists on three different 
points on a road between the Yuksekova district and the Hakkari 
province, safely defused the mines.  Separately, six soldiers 
were wounded as a result of terrorists opening fire at them in 
Diyarbakir's Lice district. (This summary is from 10/30 
editions.) 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   The daily claimed that 20 soldiers were killed 
during the attack carried out on a Jandarma station in Siirt's 
Eruh district. 
 
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM:        An avalanche killed 2 people in a 
bus traveling near a village in Hakkari's Cukurca district. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Two people, who have been inmates of a jail in 
Mardin, applied to the Mardin chapter of the Human Rights 
Association (HRA) and told the inhuman conditions in the jail to 
HRA.  According to the former inmates of the jail, the meals 
delivered in the jail sometimes contained pieces of metal or 
bugs in them, or sedatives were allegedly put in the meals to 
tranquilize the inmates. 
 
EVRENSEL:       A child, whom a mine explosion wounded as he stepped 
on a mine while returning home from the Republic Day ceremonies 
in Hakkari's Yuksekova district on October 29, died at the 
hospital. 
 
HURRIYET / BOLGE:       A family in Adana engaged their 
fourteen-year-old girl, Aysun Bolat, with her aunt's son. 
Following this arrangement, on an unspecified date in the past, 
the girl was beaten by her father for coming home late.  Aysun 
Bolat's father drove her daughter out of the house, and the 
girl's fiancie raped her that night.  The family filed a 
complaint about the rape incident.  The court found both the 
father and the uncle's son guilty, and sentenced them to three 
and six years of imprisonment respectively.  However, Aysun 
Bolat, as a result of the pressure from her relatives, had to 
agree to marry her uncle's son, who raped her, on March 2004 in 
order to annul the imprisonment of her father and her uncle's 
son.  To date, Aysun Bolat, has lived with her family. Her dead 
body was found at their house yesterday.  The prosecutor, 
suspecting the case, started a probe into the cause of the 
girl's death. Bolge daily's 10/30 edition claimed that the girl 
died from leukemia. (This summary is from 10/29 editions.) 
 
 
BOLGE:  Forty-two villagers were arraigned in the Yuregir 
district of Adana on the charges of attacking the team of 
experts sent by a court to make assessments about a land's 
controversial ownership rights (see press summary 10/28).  (This 
summary is from 10/29 edition.) 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   A large scale military operation has been 
started in Agri's Diyadin district.  Agri Regiment Command, 
special team forces and village guards are reportedly taking 
part in the military operation.  (This summary is from 10/29 
edition.) 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   An explosion, which took place yesterday night 
in the fifth floor of a business center in Hakkari's Yuksekova 
district, caused no casualties, but material damage. 
Reportedly, a bomb incident took place in the same building a 
month ago.  The incidents caused the owner of the center to hang 
a "for sale" sign in front of his estate. (This summary is from 
10/29 edition.) 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   A 15-year-old boy, who was detained with his 
16-year-old brother because of their alleged connection with the 
burning of a Turkish flag in front of a primary school in Adana 
(see press summary 10/28), was released shortly after his 
detention.  The 16-year-old brother was released following his 
arraignment. (This summary is from 10/29 edition.) 
 
BOLGE / ZAMAN:  In a written press announcement about the 
recent outbreak of a scandal at one of Malatya's SHCEK 
orphanage, Aytac Durak, Adana Mayor, said that local 
administrations should be invested with more power in order to 
address social services issues effectively, because social 
services are reportedly bound to fail shoould the sate continue 
to run them centrally.  (This summary is from 10/29 editions.) 
 
 
ZAMAN / BOLGE:  Adana's Seyhan Municipality decided to raise 
100,000 (approximately 70,000$) new Turkish liras for the 
earthquake victims in Pakistan. (This summary is from 10/29 
editions.) 
 
CUMHURIYET:     Adana Deputy Governor announced that the nationwide 
campaign launched to encourage families to send their daughters 
to schools have enabled 1,630 girls to enroll at schools in 
Adana.  Edmont Mcloughney, UNICEF Turkey Representative, 
currently visiting the Hatay province, said that the campaign 
launched in ten provinces of the southeastern Turkey enabled 
120,000 girls to go to schools. (This summary is from 10/29 
edition.) 
 
RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN:   Chairperson of the Turkish 
Parliamant's Human Rights Commission, Gaziantep deputy from CHP, 
and Erzurum deputy from AKP paid a visit to Malatya, the 
province where a scandal of violence and abuse affecting 
children at one of the SHCEK orphanages broke out last week. 
 
ZAMAN:  Naci Aslan, Agri deputy, who resigned from CHP 
(Republican People's Party) on October 21, joined AKP (Justice 
and Development Party) ranks. (This summary is from 10/30 
edition.) 
 
BOLGE:  Two alleged terrorist organization supporters threw 
Molotov cocktail at a civil police car, which belonged to 
Anti-Terror branch of Mersin's Security Directorate, yesterday 
at around 11.00 p.m. in Mersin.  No casualties were reported. 
Material damage was done to the car. (This summary is from 10/30 
edition.) 
 
HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET:  Simultaneous operations have been 
carried out in Istanbul and Diyarbakir to find the perpetrators 
of an October 15 explosion, which took place at a gas station in 
Istanbul's Maslak district.  Seven people in connection with the 
explosion were detained in the two provinces during the 
operations.  Reportedly, the person, who brought the car bomb to 
the gas station in Istanbul, took refuge in Diyarbakir following 
the incident.  Later, this person came back to Istanbul with A-4 
explosives to allegedly further his cause in the name of PKK. 
(This summary is from 10/30 editions.) 
 
CUMHURIYET:     The daily further reported that Azim Ozturk, Adana's 
Seyhan District Mayor from AKP, neither attended the wreath 
laying ceremony to pay respect to Ataturk in Adana's Inonu Park, 
nor the official parade organized to celebrate the 82nd 
anniversary in Adana.  (This summary is from 10/30 edition.) 
 
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / BOLGE:    Aytac Durak, Mayor of Greater City 
of Adana, during a speech he delivered at the opening ceremony 
of a park named "Republic Park" in Adana, claimed that some 
people working in the district municipalities of Adana had 
involved themselves in irregularities in the past in exchange 
for personal gain.  Some of these people are still working in 
the Seyhan District Municipality, said Durak.  Durak reportedly 
requested from Azim Ozturk, the Seyhan Mayor, to hold these 
people accountable for their offences. Ozturk, made no comments 
about Durak's allegations.  (This summary is from 10/30 
editions.) 
 
 
REID