SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 27, 2005

UNCLAS ADANA 000195 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 27, 2005 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for October 27, ¶2005. 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 OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: The daily claimed that terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan has been allowed to see neither his attorneys nor his brother for 57 days. HURRIYET: Human Rights Association National Chairperson Yusuf Alatas urged a prompt and unconditional release for the police officer Hakan Acil before the end of Ramadan approached. Acil was kidnapped by terrorists on October 9 (see press summary 10/25). HURRIYET: Zafer Tahtali, a PKK terrorist, reportedly called the Jandarma Help phone number 156 and surrendered himself to the security forces in Bingol on Monday, said the Bingol Governor's Office. OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: Hakkari Governor's Office placed surveillance cameras at 22 spots in the province. BOLGE / EVRENSEL: A group called Oppressed People's Socialist Platform staged a protest in front of the party building of AKP (Justice and Development Party) in Adana against the new Anti-Terror Law. RADIKAL / EVRENSEL: DEHAP (Democratic People's Party) will dissolve itself at a party congress to be held in fifteen days. Most of the senior DEHAP members joined in the ranks of the new DTP (Democratic Society Party). DEHAP national chairperson Tuncer Bakirhan resigned from this position and became a member of the Temporary Executive Board of the new DTP. CUMHURIYET: According to the progress report of the EU, which will be announced on November 9, the speech that PM Erdogan made in Diyarbakir on August 12 was very positive, but the government took no concrete steps following that speech. The report reportedly pointed out that Kurds still do not have enough cultural rights in Turkey. REID