US embassy cable - 03ADANA175

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0175 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PINS, PGOV, PHUM, TU, IZ, Press Summaries, ADANA 
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, 
          JULY 07, 2003 
 
1.  This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary 
for July 07, 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. Cumhuriyet / Diyarbakir Human Rights 
Committee is starting the investigations of 
the two boys whose faces were covered by 
feces by the police and the girl who was 
raped continuously by people including some 
government officials during a seven month 
period. 
 
 
3. Evrensel / Sirnak villagers protested the 
government by walking towards Iraqi border 
for the beating of Kerevan Berk, a Sirnak 
villager, by the soldiers and for the 
detainment of three villagers by the 
government officials.  The villagers 
crossed the border and were stopped by the 
Turkish soldiers. The governor of Sirnak 
went to the village to calm down the 
protesters and the military officials 
released the three villagers. 
 
 
4. Evrensel / "Meeting with the people" 
festival in Bitlis was cancelled due to 
some missing documents for the application. 
 
 
5. Evrensel / DEHAP (Democratic People's 
Party) Siirt Branch held a meeting on July 
5. In the meeting people asked for a 
general amnesty, which would cover Abdullah 
Ocalan too. 
 
 
6. Evrensel / In Yukari Turgali village in 
Van, four villagers were killed by the 
Iranian soldiers for smuggling in one and a 
half year time period.  Villagers say they 
have no jobs and will continue smuggling 
for survival. 
 
 
7. Bolge, Turkiye / With the project of 
temporary village guarding positions to be 
cancelled, about 67,000 village guards in 
the East are worried about their future. 
They say they would be jobless and under 
threat without their guns. 
 
 
8. Turkiye, Radikal / 50 KADEK terrorists, who 
wanted to enter Turkey through Caldiran 
border and Turkish Security Forces clashed 
in Caldiran, Van.  A chief sergeant got 
injured during the clash. 
 
 
9. Turkiye / Ferat Yuksel, the head of the 
Adana Nationalist Society (Ulku Ocaklari 
Dernegi) announced that they don't approve 
the detainment of eleven Turkish soldiers 
by American troops in Suleymaniye. "It 
wasn't only the detainment of those 
soldiers but the detainment of the Turks 
all over the world" he said. 
 
 
10. Hurriyet / Kursat Tuzmen, The State 
Secretary, announced that the detainment of 
 
SIPDIS 
Turkish soldiers affected the trade in 
Habur border gate negatively.  Due to the 
security reasons the gate is sometimes 
closed. When it is open there are high 
security measures. 
 
 
11. Milli Gazete / According to Italian La 
Repubblica, Turkey could change its 
decisions on Incirlik and close the Iraq 
border due to the detainment of the eleven 
Turkish soldiers. La Repubblica considered 
the action as the distrust of US towards 
Turkey. 
HART