US embassy cable - 05ADANA232

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000232 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 12, 2005 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for December 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 
 
BOLGE:  As a result of long-lasting intelligence efforts, 
the Narcotics Bureau of the Adana Security Directorate conducted 
an operation and uncovered a drug producing laboratory in the 
Yesiloba quarter of Adana's Seyhan district.  5.5 tons of raw 
materials needed for drug production and machines to produce 
captagon drugs were seized by the police.  Police detained six 
people in Adana and one person in Gaziantep in connection with 
the drug production business.  Adana Governor extended thanks to 
the Narcotics Bureau members for this successful operation, and 
he and the Security Director Mehmet Cebe conducted studies at 
the spot.  Reportedly, two of the people detained were chemists 
specialized in producing drugs (This summary is from 12/11 
edition). 
 
BOLGE:  Mehmet Ali Talat, President of Turkish Republic of 
Northern Cyprus (TRNC), delivered a presentation called "Land of 
Opportunities: TRNC" at a conference held by the CUGIAD 
(Cukurova Young Businessmen Association) in Seyhan Hotel in 
Adana. 
 
SABAH / RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET:   Young people of Sirnak's Cizre 
district are expressing their protest through graffiti against 
the fathers who are observing the traditional code of demanding 
an amount of money from the groom before giving consent for a 
marriage to take place.  Reportedly, the amount of money 
demanded ranges between 3,000 and 20,000 new Turkish liras 
(approx. between 2,000 USD and 15,000 USD). 
 
SABAH / RADIKAL:        CIA chief Porter Goss came to Ankara 
reportedly to hold talks with PM Erdogan, MIT Intelligence 
Center Secretary and with officials from General Staff on 
countering terrorism. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Sanliurfa Bar Association held a panel titled 
"Gender Equality and Women's Rights" on the day that marks the 
World Human Rights Day.  Chairperson of the Bar Association said 
in his speech that women's rights should be prioritized to be 
able to solve the problems of the whole society. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   As a result of the efforts of the 
non-governmental organizations and deputy chairperson of the 
Turkish Parliament's Human Rights Commission, the unannounced 
detention of Selamettin Yilmaz in front of Yilmaz's business in 
the Mus province on December 7 by five civilian police officers 
was revealed.  To date, none of the authorities have reportedly 
acknowledged that Yilmaz was being held by the police. 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Diyarbakir Human Rights Association Executive 
Board member Abdulkadir Aydin, who claims that he was badly 
treated by the police on December 17, 2004 in Diyarbakir, after 
bringing his case to the courts of Turkey and trying to use all 
the remedies to redress the situation he filed a complaint 
about, decided to bring his case to the European Court of Human 
Rights when the Turkish Courts finally delivered a verdict that 
only a petty rumpus took place, whereas Aydin claims that the 
police officer grabbed his throat and threw him to the ground. 
 
 
OZGUR GUNDEM:   Ali Kaya's notebook, which was found by the 
local people in the car of Ali Kaya and Ozcan Ildeniz during the 
Semdinli bombing, included notes about people perpetrating a 
prostitution business in Hakkari city center.  The notebook 
reportedly revealed that, while Jandarma Command was watching 
the activities of this business closely, no operations were 
launched to eliminate this illegal business. 
 
ZAMAN:  Three masked attackers opened fire at a house with 
automatic guns in a village of the Mardin province at around 8 
p.m. yesterday night.  19-year-old, 17-year-old and 20-year-old 
persons were killed and two people were wounded as a result of 
the incident. 
 
ZAMAN:  Iran reportedly surrendered four PKK terrorists it 
caught at its border to the terrorist organization instead of 
surrendering them to Turkey, as these reported terrorists were 
transporting food, clothing and other necessary materials for 
building greenhouses.  Iran's security officers reportedly 
seized the truck of the terrorists.  The four terrorists, who 
later reportedly escaped from the terrorist organization and 
surrendered themselves to the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party), 
were returned by KDP to Turkey.  Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
allegedly sent a diplomatic note to Iran as a result of this 
development. 
 
HURRIYET / ZAMAN:       CHP (Republican People's Party) national 
leader Deniz Baykal urged the government to make more 
investments and to correct infrastructural problems of the 
cities in the eastern and southeastern regions of Turkey.  In a 
written announcement, Baykal said, "The high school students in 
Hakkari are not seeking ways to go to northern Iraq to receive 
education scholarships from the schools of Massoud Barzani, they 
rather long for going to universities in Ankara, Izmir and 
Istanbul.  But, the government is not helping them." 
 
CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN / SABAH:     DYP (True Path Party) leader 
Mehmet Agar addressed an audience of nearly 20,000 people in 
Hatay and severely criticized the policies of the government. 
 
CUMHURIYET:     Faculty Members' Association for the Universities in 
Izmir will hold a meeting today in Izmir to extend support to 
Yucel Askin, the rector of Van's Centennial University, who is 
under arrest in an hospital because of a cardiac disorder 
problem and whose trial date for alleged irregularities during 
the university's medical equipment purchases, has neared. 
 SABAH: A reported surprising private visit was paid by Zeki 
Ergezen, the Bitlis deputy from AKP and former Public Works 
Minister, to Yucel Askin in his hospital room where Askin is 
also held under arrest.  Ergezen said that he did not bring any 
messages of his government to the rector and the purpose of his 
visit was personal. 
REID