SOUTHEASTERN PRESS SUMMARY NOV. 1-3, 2003

UNCLAS ANKARA 006870 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEASTERN PRESS SUMMARY NOV. 1-3, 2003 ¶1. THIS CABLE IS FROM CONSULATE ADANA. 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, Hurriyet, Zaman, Evrensel / In Andac village, Uludere Simak province, four school children died and seven were wounded after playing with an explosive they found in a field close to their school building. ¶3. Bolge, Evrensel / After the Adana Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) meeting in November 1, some groups protested in downtown Adana shouting slogans praising Abdullah Ocalan. When police tried to control the groups, they attacked parked cars and threw stones at police vehicles. ¶4. Bolge / In Ova district, Adana a group gathered and shouted slogans praising PKK/KADEK on November 1. The group burned tires and threw stones at the police. ¶5. Zaman / A suspicious box in front of the U.S. Consulate in Adana on November 1 was inactivated by the special police team. Police reported that the box did not have a bomb inside. ¶6. Zaman / Aytac Durak, mayor of Adana, announced that there should be a limit on immigration from the southeast provinces to the cities to keep the internal migration problem in Turkey under control. ¶7. Radikal, Evrensel / Necdet Ipekyuz, Diyarbakir Physicians' Association director, announced that his association applied to TRT (Turkish Radio and Television) to start health programs in Kurdish. Ipekyuz also stated that his association is working on 5-6 minute long Kurdish TV clips and would be happy if those clips are approved by TRT. ¶8. Evrensel, Ozgur Gundem / In a meeting in Van province approximately 15,000 DEHAP members gathered to ask for permanent solution to the Kurdish problem. ¶9. Ozgur Gundem / Hanifi Kacar, Nevzat Alban and Kadri Celebi, who were detained after the October 15 attack on the Jandarma minibus, were arrested on October 23. Their attorney, Vedat Ozkan, stated that the Jandarma and guards tortured Kacar, Alban and Celebi during their time in prison. EDELMAN