SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY,

UNCLAS ADANA 0236 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU IZ ADANA SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2003 ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for September 9, 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. Evrensel / World Peace Day celebrations in Adana ended with a final gathering in the open- air theatre. About 2000 people participated in the final celebrations. Invited speakers spoke in three languages: Kurdish, Turkish and Arabic. ¶3. Evrensel / Ilyas Turan, Head of Adana ESM, claims that Necati Hancerlioglu, Head of Mersin Turkish Electric Distribution Company (TEDAS), accuses the members of the State Employees' Union Confederation (KESK) of being PKK/KADEK supporters. (Editor's note: We do not have more information about the organization "ESM"). ¶4. Evrensel / In Van province, police visited a wedding ceremony without being invited and warned people who were singing songs in Kurdish. ¶5. Evrensel / In Pervari, Van province, village guards continue to create problems. Suleyman Kocak, a village guard, allegedly possessed the fields of Izedin Elinc and has been using his land for 8 years. He has also built a house on the same land. Kocak stated that he started to use Elinc's land when the Turkish Authorities evacuated the villages. When Elinc returned to the village Kocak offered Elinc money but he wouldn't accept it. ¶6. Evrensel / In Cukurca, Hakkari province, Turkish villagers are waiting at the Iraqi Border to get refugee status from the Iraqi Government, to escape from torture by Turkish soldiers. ECONOMIC ¶7. Milli Gazete / A Mardin Cement Factory spokesman announced that the factory has worked at full capacity since the Iraq war and sometimes has difficulty supplying all the orders. CULTURE and TOURISM ¶8. Turkiye / Due to the lack of rain in the Elazig region this year, the water level of Hazar Lake dropped, revealing 300-year-old historical stone buildings in the lake. REID