US embassy cable - 03ADANA118

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0118 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, IZ, ADANA, Press Summaries 
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, 
          APRIL 24, 2003 
 
 
1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary 
for April 24, 2003.  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 
 
 
2.  Radikal/Tercuman/Dunya: The Undersecretary 
for Customs Ministry, Nevzat Saygilioglu, 
announced that the border trade that would be 
realized through Border Trade Centers would 
initially be opened at the gates with Syria. 
Saygilioglu said border trade centers would be 
founded in the customs zones on an area of 2000 
square meters and would mainly target trade with 
local businessmen and passengers. Goods belonging 
to both countries would be marketed at the 
shopping centers expected to become operational 
in June. The model shopping centers along the 
Syrian border will be opened at the gates in 
Cilvegozu and Yayladag (Hatay), Karkamis 
(Gaziantep), Oncupinar (Sanliurfa, and Nusaybin 
(Mardin). Such trade centers will in turn be 
opened at the border gates with Iran, Georgia, 
and Nakhichevan. Saygilioglu said Turkey expected 
a volume of USD 150-200 million turnover in trade 
at the five trade centers to be opened along the 
Syrian border, and added that type of trade would 
revive the economy and create employment 
opportunities in the region. 
 
 
3.  Evrensel: Abdullah Ocalan's sister and 
lawyers who went to Gemlik in order to visit 
Abdullah Ocalan at Imrali prison were not taken 
to the island by the officials on the grounds of 
diverse weather conditions. For the same reasons, 
Ocalan's sister and attorneys were denied a visit 
to Ocalan last week. One of Ocalan's lawyers, 
Aysel Tugluk, announced they had been denied the 
meeting with their client on the pretext of 
"diverse weather conditions" despite the fact the 
weather was clear and sunny. She added  they had 
been prevented from seeing Ocalan for 14 weeks 
because of officials' decision some time ago. 
Urging sensitivity to the issue, attorney Tugluk 
demanded ending the discrimination, and the 
application of special anti-democratic laws 
against their client, calling for unrestricted 
practice of his democratic rights, and ending his 
isolation. 
 
 
4.  Cumhuriyet: The National Security Directorate 
announced 35 persons had committed suicide out of 
1.7 million people detained in the past 8 years. 
The report said the majority of the ones who 
committed suicide were urban dwellers aged 
between 15-24. The ratio of the kind of suicide 
taking place in Turkey is as follows: 51 percent 
by hanging themselves, 17 percent by fire 
weapons, 13 percent by jumping from heights. 36 
percent of people committing suicide have been 
doing so due to mental disorder. The report which 
also examined suicides in detention rooms between 
1995-2002, announced that 35 persons had 
committed suicide out of 1.7 million detainees. 
 
 
5.  Cumhuriyet: Diyarbakir HRA Chapter's research 
about suicide incidents in Batman, Mardin, Siirt, 
Van, Elazig, Adiyaman, Sanliurfa, Tunceli, 
Bingol, Hakkari, Agri, Sirnak, Mus, Gaziantep, 
Malatya, and Diyarbakir provinces revealed the 
tendency to commit suicide was higher among woman 
due to feudal pressure, domestic violence, and 
heavy burden of poverty. The report disclosed 
that women constituted 56.9 percent of 144 
suicides last year, Batman taking the lead with 
46, and Diyarbakir coming second with 31 cases. 
 
 
ECONOMIC AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS 
 
 
6.  Evrensel: About 250 workers protested 
privatization of Monopoly's Tobacco Leaf 
Processing Plant in Antakya. The protestors 
carried banners such as: "The IMF orders, the 
government oppresses," and "Damn IMF, independent 
Turkey." 
HOLTZ