SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0277 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU IZ ADANA SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY 25-27 OCTOBER 2003 ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for October 25-27, 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. Hurriyet / The Armenian Patriarch for Turkey visited Akdamar Island in Van. Patriarch will stay in Van for three days and call on the Governor during that time. ¶3. Evrensel / Van WomenQs platform condemned the abuse towards women during their press conference in Van. ¶4. Evrensel / New York Times reported that a village in Diyarbakir, Turkey was burned by Turkish soldiers. According to the report, to burn villages where guerillas might be getting some help is a systematic policy of the security forces. ¶5. Evrensel / The great Kurdish poet Cegerxwin was memorized in Elazig and Tunceli during the celebrations organized for his 100th birthday. ¶6. Evrensel, Ozgur Gundem / Youth from the Peace and Democracy Platform protested against the war in Iraq and possible deployment of Turkish troops to Iraq in Gaziantep, Mersin, Samsun, and Antalya. ¶7. Turkiye / During the operations in Darende, Malatya province, Jandarma found 104kg of marijuana and 1kg of Indian kemp and detained Hikme Bahadir, Seyho Berktas and Hasan Dumlupinar. ¶8. Turkiye / Security forces in Hakkari detained Sabahattin Suvagci, Hakkari head of the Democratic PeopleQs Party (DEHAP),and four unidentified people. ¶9. Ozgur Gundem / In Derik, Mardin, a truck driver was killed by a Kalashnikov for an unknown reason. ¶10. Radikal / Two earthquakes of 3.9 shook Sirnak and Pervari, Siirt province on October ¶26. ¶11. Bolge, Milliyet / Relatives of Sema Celik, a woman who died of a heart attack in Gaziantep State Hospital, accused the hospital officials of stealing the womanQs eyes. ¶12. Turkiye / In Diyarbakir, police detained Mevlut Ozler for selling counterfeit US and Turkish banknotes. ¶13. Turkiye, Sabah Guney, Milliyet / Dr. Wolf Ruthard Born, German Ambassador to Turkey, visited the Adana Governor and Mayor on October ¶24. ¶14. Ozgur Gundem / There are 21 ongoing court cases involving Musa Ciftci, assistant head of the DEHAP in Hakkari. ¶15. Ozgur Gundem / During the protests of DEHAP members in front of the AKP building in Gaziantep last week, protestors are being accused of breaking a police officerQs finger. DEHAP members denied the allegations. ¶16. Evrensel / The Qpeace deskQ project Adana WomenQs platform wanted to have in Inonu Park, Adana at the weekend, was not permitted by the police. REID