Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ADANA200
2005-11-01 10:33:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Adana
Cable title:  

SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 31, 2005

Tags:  PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ADANA 000200

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR OCTOBER 31, 2005


This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for October 31,

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

SABAH / HURRIYET / SABAH (GUNEY) / CUMHURIYET: PM Erdogan came
to Gaziantep to attend the opening ceremony of thirty DSI (State
Water Works Authority) projects including the Kayacik Dam (see
press summary 10/25). Erdogan opened the irrigation facilities
in the other provinces simultaneously from Gaziantep through a
satellite on a virtual medium. During his opening speech,
Erdogan said that their method of embracing the republic was not
sticking to mere slogans, but rather it was made manifest
through action and realization. Erdogan softened his angry tone
against the media, which, reportedly by going too far and not
applying restraints on footage in its news coverage of the
outbreak of an abuse scandal in Malatya, reportedly caused the
public to place unfair accusations against Nimet Cubukcu, the
Minister Responsible from Women and Family.

RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET / SABAH: Nimet Cubukcu, Minister
Responsible from Women and Family, came to Malataya five days
after the outbreak of the abuse scandal in a state-run
orphanage.

HURRIYET: Following the outbreak of an abuse scandal in one of
the state orphanages, the girls staying at a student residence
reserved for females in Sanliurfa claimed that they were
suffering from residence director's violence and sexual abuse.

HURRIYET: After submitting a draft law proposal formulating
social security coverage for the village guards, Mehmet Agar,
DYP (True Path Party) National Leader, said that village guards
no longer feel an enthusiasm for their job like they di in the
past.

SABAH: A soldier was killed uring a confrontation with the
terrorists in Binol. Three terrorists were reportedly killed
during the clash. The road between Bingol and Elazig ws closed
because of the ongoing military operatin.

SABAH: Turkish, Kurdish and U.S. official held a meeting
a the Habur
rder gate one daybeor. Whie the urkis
officials conveyed ther dsturbance about the Kurdish flags
hung on a ast on the Iraqi side of the border gate, the Iraq

officials said they would not remove the flags.

BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY): Adana Govorner Cahit irac and his wife
held a reception at the Hilton otel on the day that marks the
82nd annvesar of the foundation of the Turis Reubic.
ytac urak, Adana Mayor; Ayhan Tas, 6th Army Corps Commander;
Walter Scott Reid, U.S. Consul to Adana; Umit Ozgumus,
Chairperson of Chamber of Industry; Fethi Coskuntuncel
Chairperson of Chamber of Commodity Exchange; Cemal Sahir
Gurcay, Chief Prosecutor; and Mehmet Cebe, Security Director
were among the invitees.

RADIKAL / HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN: During an attack
terrorists carried out on a Jandarma station in Siirt's Eruh
district with rocket propeller guns, a 31-year-old village guard
died and four soldiers were wounded. Additional forces deployed
in the area following the attack killed one of the escaping PKK
terrorists. Meanwhile, security forces noticing three mines,
which are allegedly planted by terrorists on three different
points on a road between the Yuksekova district and the Hakkari
province, safely defused the mines. Separately, six soldiers
were wounded as a result of terrorists opening fire at them in
Diyarbakir's Lice district. (This summary is from 10/30
editions.)

OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily claimed that 20 soldiers were killed
during the attack carried out on a Jandarma station in Siirt's
Eruh district.

EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: An avalanche killed 2 people in a
bus traveling near a village in Hakkari's Cukurca district.

OZGUR GUNDEM: Two people, who have been inmates of a jail in
Mardin, applied to the Mardin chapter of the Human Rights
Association (HRA) and told the inhuman conditions in the jail to
HRA. According to the former inmates of the jail, the meals
delivered in the jail sometimes contained pieces of metal or
bugs in them, or sedatives were allegedly put in the meals to
tranquilize the inmates.

EVRENSEL: A child, whom a mine explosion wounded as he stepped
on a mine while returning home from the Republic Day ceremonies
in Hakkari's Yuksekova district on October 29, died at the
hospital.

HURRIYET / BOLGE: A family in Adana engaged their
fourteen-year-old girl, Aysun Bolat, with her aunt's son.
Following this arrangement, on an unspecified date in the past,
the girl was beaten by her father for coming home late. Aysun
Bolat's father drove her daughter out of the house, and the
girl's fiancie raped her that night. The family filed a
complaint about the rape incident. The court found both the
father and the uncle's son guilty, and sentenced them to three
and six years of imprisonment respectively. However, Aysun
Bolat, as a result of the pressure from her relatives, had to
agree to marry her uncle's son, who raped her, on March 2004 in
order to annul the imprisonment of her father and her uncle's
son. To date, Aysun Bolat, has lived with her family. Her dead
body was found at their house yesterday. The prosecutor,
suspecting the case, started a probe into the cause of the
girl's death. Bolge daily's 10/30 edition claimed that the girl
died from leukemia. (This summary is from 10/29 editions.)


BOLGE: Forty-two villagers were arraigned in the Yuregir
district of Adana on the charges of attacking the team of
experts sent by a court to make assessments about a land's
controversial ownership rights (see press summary 10/28). (This
summary is from 10/29 edition.)

OZGUR GUNDEM: A large scale military operation has been
started in Agri's Diyadin district. Agri Regiment Command,
special team forces and village guards are reportedly taking
part in the military operation. (This summary is from 10/29
edition.)

OZGUR GUNDEM: An explosion, which took place yesterday night
in the fifth floor of a business center in Hakkari's Yuksekova
district, caused no casualties, but material damage.
Reportedly, a bomb incident took place in the same building a
month ago. The incidents caused the owner of the center to hang
a "for sale" sign in front of his estate. (This summary is from
10/29 edition.)

OZGUR GUNDEM: A 15-year-old boy, who was detained with his
16-year-old brother because of their alleged connection with the
burning of a Turkish flag in front of a primary school in Adana
(see press summary 10/28),was released shortly after his
detention. The 16-year-old brother was released following his
arraignment. (This summary is from 10/29 edition.)

BOLGE / ZAMAN: In a written press announcement about the
recent outbreak of a scandal at one of Malatya's SHCEK
orphanage, Aytac Durak, Adana Mayor, said that local
administrations should be invested with more power in order to
address social services issues effectively, because social
services are reportedly bound to fail shoould the sate continue
to run them centrally. (This summary is from 10/29 editions.)


ZAMAN / BOLGE: Adana's Seyhan Municipality decided to raise
100,000 (approximately 70,000$) new Turkish liras for the
earthquake victims in Pakistan. (This summary is from 10/29
editions.)

CUMHURIYET: Adana Deputy Governor announced that the nationwide
campaign launched to encourage families to send their daughters
to schools have enabled 1,630 girls to enroll at schools in
Adana. Edmont Mcloughney, UNICEF Turkey Representative,
currently visiting the Hatay province, said that the campaign
launched in ten provinces of the southeastern Turkey enabled
120,000 girls to go to schools. (This summary is from 10/29
edition.)

RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN: Chairperson of the Turkish
Parliamant's Human Rights Commission, Gaziantep deputy from CHP,
and Erzurum deputy from AKP paid a visit to Malatya, the
province where a scandal of violence and abuse affecting
children at one of the SHCEK orphanages broke out last week.

ZAMAN: Naci Aslan, Agri deputy, who resigned from CHP
(Republican People's Party) on October 21, joined AKP (Justice
and Development Party) ranks. (This summary is from 10/30
edition.)

BOLGE: Two alleged terrorist organization supporters threw
Molotov cocktail at a civil police car, which belonged to
Anti-Terror branch of Mersin's Security Directorate, yesterday
at around 11.00 p.m. in Mersin. No casualties were reported.
Material damage was done to the car. (This summary is from 10/30
edition.)

HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET: Simultaneous operations have been
carried out in Istanbul and Diyarbakir to find the perpetrators
of an October 15 explosion, which took place at a gas station in
Istanbul's Maslak district. Seven people in connection with the
explosion were detained in the two provinces during the
operations. Reportedly, the person, who brought the car bomb to
the gas station in Istanbul, took refuge in Diyarbakir following
the incident. Later, this person came back to Istanbul with A-4
explosives to allegedly further his cause in the name of PKK.
(This summary is from 10/30 editions.)

CUMHURIYET: The daily further reported that Azim Ozturk, Adana's
Seyhan District Mayor from AKP, neither attended the wreath
laying ceremony to pay respect to Ataturk in Adana's Inonu Park,
nor the official parade organized to celebrate the 82nd
anniversary in Adana. (This summary is from 10/30 edition.)

HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / BOLGE: Aytac Durak, Mayor of Greater City
of Adana, during a speech he delivered at the opening ceremony
of a park named "Republic Park" in Adana, claimed that some
people working in the district municipalities of Adana had
involved themselves in irregularities in the past in exchange
for personal gain. Some of these people are still working in
the Seyhan District Municipality, said Durak. Durak reportedly
requested from Azim Ozturk, the Seyhan Mayor, to hold these
people accountable for their offences. Ozturk, made no comments
about Durak's allegations. (This summary is from 10/30
editions.)


REID