SOUTHEASTERN PRESS SUMMARY - NOV. 4, 2003

UNCLAS ANKARA 006891 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA SUBJECT: SOUTHEASTERN PRESS SUMMARY - NOV. 4, 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. Ekspres / In Daglioglu, Sakirpasa and Hurriyet districts, Adana province, people protested in support of Abdullah Ocalan. Police tried to control the crowd but the windows of a police car were broken during the protest. ¶3. Turkiye / Mersin health workers protested against the Health Ministry's 2004 budget. According to Mersin Health Union Head Abbas Koluacik, the money allocated for health is not enough. ¶4. Radikal, Cumhuriyet / The Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) Women's branch organized an activity for the children called "Children's Peace Walls." When children were observed writing in Kurdish and praising Abdullah Ocalan on the wall, police warned them that only peace symbols could be painted and anything else must be removed. ¶5. Evrensel / In Cizre, Sirnak province police detained DEHAP members Bahattin Yagarcik, Huseyin Avsar, Suleyman Tosun, Sadik Fidan, and one unidentified person for their involvement in protests during the meeting ceremony their DEHAP party head. EDELMAN