SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0175 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU IZ 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