SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0126 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU IZ ADANA SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, MAY 2, 2003 ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for May 2, 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. Sabah/Milliyet/Turkiye/Cumhuriyet/Hurriyet/ Milli Gazete/Tercuman/Radikal/Dunya/Bolge/Evrensel: According to the preliminary determinations, 87 persons were killed and 494 others were wounded in an earthquake in Bingol yesterday morning. The quake measured as 6.4 on the Richter Scale. The majority of public buildings were leveled. The bodies of 25 students were unearthed from the debris of Celtiksuyu Boarding School where 198 students were staying when the tremor happened. While 79 students were rescued alive, 94 others are still believed to be under the debris. It is feared that the death toll could exceed 500. Rescue teams were dispatched to the scene from Istanbul and Ankara. Turkish Airways scheduled additional flights to Diyarbakir from Istanbul and Ankara to expedite shipment of international relief to the area. The Health Ministry assigned 32 specialists, 16 physicians, 46 health clerks and 19 ambulances to the province. The field hospital set up in Silopi was moved to Bingol. Kizilay -Turkish Red Crescent- sent 2105 tents, 10 thousand blankets, seven mobile kitchens, five ambulances, five generators, and 5 tons of foodstuffs to the town. The government transmitted approximately USD 300 thousand from the Disaster Fund. Volunteer physicians went to Bingol in a military aircraft. ¶3. Cumhuriyet/Radikal/Milliyet/Hurriyet/Milli Gazete/Tercuman/Turkiye/Bolge/Evrensel: May 1, Labor Day, meetings were held throughout the country under tight security measures. In Adana, approximately ten thousand people attended the meeting and stood for a moment of silence for the earthquake victims in Bingol, and those who lost their lives in the struggle for democracy and attaining workers' rights in Turkey. In Malatya, the police detained 30 demonstrators for opening an illegal banner in the street. Part of the meetings in Adiyaman, sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Mardin, and Van were cancelled due to the tremor. ¶4. Bolge: The Security Directorate of Adana said police arrested 21 suspects, including one person wanted by Diyarbakir Jandarma Command, and three thieves, during their searches at tea-shops and places of entertainment in Adana the previous evening. Also 14 persons gambling were detained. Two pistols were seized and legal action was taken against 14 job sites for operating without license. In the meantime, the traffic police gave approximately USD 8,500 of fine to 272 drivers and banned 28 vehicles from traffic. ECONOMIC AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS ¶5. Milliyet: The 4th Adana Electric-Electronic Machinery and Automation Fair opened at the Organized Industrial Zone. The fair, sponsored by KOSGEB -Small and Medium Business Support Center- , will remain open until May 4. Seventy companies, including one from Japan, have been MAY 02, 2003 displaying auto spare parts, computers, electronic goods, and uninterrupted power suppliers. HOLTZ