Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ADANA214
2005-11-22 14:41:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Adana
Cable title:
SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR NOVEMBER 21, 2005
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000214
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR NOVEMBER 21, 2005
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for November 21,
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
HURRIYET / RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN: MGK (National Security
Council) General Secretariat has recently placed the Semdinli
incident on its agenda. The Council, after probing the deeper
roots of the incident, will report its findings to the members
of MGK. Separately, Turkish Parliament will reportedly discuss
the increasing terrorist events and their causes. The General
Assembly of the parliament will discuss the proposals submitted
by CHP (Republican People's Party),ANAP (Motherland Party) and
AKP (Justice and Development Party) deputies to probe the
Semdinli incident. It is expected that an investigatory
commission will be set up as a result of these discussions.
CUMHURIYET / HURRIYET: When a group of people attempted to
protest the incidents in Semdinli and shouted slogans in support
of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in separate districts in
Istanbul, police intervened and used pepper gas. During an
unauthorized protest activity in Istanbul's Kucukcekmece, 12
people were detained.
CUMHURIYET / HURRIYET / ZAMAN: In two separate protests in
Mersin, people burned tires and shouted similar slogans in
support of Ocalan. Police intervened. A 19-year-old person
died as a result of a shot from an unknown shooter. A
15-year-old child was wounded. In a separate protest in Adana,
people burned tires and blocked a road while they chanted
terrorist slogans in one of the quarters of the Seyhan district.
The police intervened and people hurled stones at the police.
The fight lasted two hours and faded away when the protestors
finally ran away and disappeared in the streets. Five members
of the Socialist Platform of the Oppressed People were detained.
A group of people staged similar protests against the Semdinli
incident in Sirnak's Cizre district.
HURRIYET: PM Erdogan went to Van yesterday night at 9.15 p.m.
to pay visits to the Hakkari province's districts and to conduct
studies there. Reportedly, the timing of Erdogan's trip was
kept secret until his plane took off from Ankara. Minister of
Internal Affairs and Minister of Justice will accompany Erdogan
during his visit.
HURRIYET: Jandarma Regiment Command (RGJ) reportedly sent a
copy of the report it prepared on Semdinli bombing to PM
Erdogan. According to the report, ownership of the car and the
guns (seized by the local people on the day of the incident)
belonged to the Jandarma. The two sergeant majors, who were
allegedly involved in this incident, had long been following the
owner of the bookshop, where the bombing took place, by means of
permission obtained from Van's 3rd Heavy Penalty Court. Seferi
Yilmaz, the owner of the bookshop, was reportedly a leading
member of a terrorist organization. Upon allegedly receiving a
tip-off that Yilmaz would meet one of the brains of the
organization, the two sergeants, together with a confessor (PKK
defector),who knew the bookshop owner well, waited 150 meters
away from the shop. The confessor was reportedly sent to the
bookshop to see whether the man the bookshop owner would meet
arrived at the spot or not. Just as the confessor entered the
building, the explosion took place and the confessor started to
run back to the sergeants' car. The local people then attacked
the car of the sergeants as they shouted "the bombers are
escaping." The local people reportedly seized the firearms and
the documents found in the car then.
CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: Today marks the first anniversary
of the killing by government security forces of Ahmet Kaymaz, a
truck driver, and Ugur Kaymaz, Ahmet Kaymaz's 12-year-old child,
in Mardin's Kiziltepe district on the grounds that they were
terrorists. Several ceremonies will be held today to remember
the event.
OZGUR GUNDEM: According to the daily, the perpetrators of
Ahmet and Ugur Kaymaz's deaths are still holding their offices
and no progress has been made in their prosecution process. On
the contrary, said the daily, the people who are watching the
trial sessions in Eskisehir are reportedly being terrorized by
the ultra-nationalists. The trial was moved to Eskisehir
province out of security concerns by the court.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Three young persons fought with a police
officer in Diyarbakir on the grounds that the officer and two
other officers were following them. As the other two officers
ran away, three youths beat the officer and seized his gun,
badge and mobile phone. The wounded police officer was saved by
officers patrolling the area. Three young people, who claimed
that the officers would kill them, were detained by the police.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that
the U.S. was behind the incidents in Semdinli. The
"unfortunate" developments in recent months were caused by
circles, which were supported by the U.S., according to Ecevit.
ZAMAN / HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET: Ecevit further endorsed the
claims of the forme PM and President Suleyman Demirel and
former Preident Kenan Evren that there was a separate
struture, which deeply embedded itself within the currnt
Turkish state.
ZAMAN: Two explosives wee thrown into the Security
Directorate's garden in Sirnak's Silopi district yesterday at
around 10p.m. No casualties or damage was reported during he
incident. Meanwhil, unidentified person(s) threw a hand
grenade at he car of a junior officr at 6.30 p.m. i Mardin's
Derik district. The grenade did great damage to the car.
ZAMAN: Huan Rights Watch Organization (HRW) criticized
Tukey because of the death of three demonstrators duing the
incidents that happened in Semdinli.
ZAMAN: National Security Directorate sent 50 speial eam
memer to te d
tricts of the Hakkari rovine folowing ts
deployment of anti-riot tems and armored vehicles there.
ECONOMIC DEVELPMENTS
ZAMAN: Businessmen of the southeaster region, who are
worried about terrorist activites developing in the region, met
in Van upon invitation of the Van Chamber of Commerce and
Industry. TOBB (Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity
Exchange) administration came together with the chairpersons of
the chambers in the region to discuss the recent developments.
2. BOLGE: A group of industrialists in Adana have
returned from their trip to an international fair called MIDEST
and EUROPLAST held in France. The trip was organized by the
Adana Chamber of Commerce.
REID
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR NOVEMBER 21, 2005
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for November 21,
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
HURRIYET / RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN: MGK (National Security
Council) General Secretariat has recently placed the Semdinli
incident on its agenda. The Council, after probing the deeper
roots of the incident, will report its findings to the members
of MGK. Separately, Turkish Parliament will reportedly discuss
the increasing terrorist events and their causes. The General
Assembly of the parliament will discuss the proposals submitted
by CHP (Republican People's Party),ANAP (Motherland Party) and
AKP (Justice and Development Party) deputies to probe the
Semdinli incident. It is expected that an investigatory
commission will be set up as a result of these discussions.
CUMHURIYET / HURRIYET: When a group of people attempted to
protest the incidents in Semdinli and shouted slogans in support
of jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in separate districts in
Istanbul, police intervened and used pepper gas. During an
unauthorized protest activity in Istanbul's Kucukcekmece, 12
people were detained.
CUMHURIYET / HURRIYET / ZAMAN: In two separate protests in
Mersin, people burned tires and shouted similar slogans in
support of Ocalan. Police intervened. A 19-year-old person
died as a result of a shot from an unknown shooter. A
15-year-old child was wounded. In a separate protest in Adana,
people burned tires and blocked a road while they chanted
terrorist slogans in one of the quarters of the Seyhan district.
The police intervened and people hurled stones at the police.
The fight lasted two hours and faded away when the protestors
finally ran away and disappeared in the streets. Five members
of the Socialist Platform of the Oppressed People were detained.
A group of people staged similar protests against the Semdinli
incident in Sirnak's Cizre district.
HURRIYET: PM Erdogan went to Van yesterday night at 9.15 p.m.
to pay visits to the Hakkari province's districts and to conduct
studies there. Reportedly, the timing of Erdogan's trip was
kept secret until his plane took off from Ankara. Minister of
Internal Affairs and Minister of Justice will accompany Erdogan
during his visit.
HURRIYET: Jandarma Regiment Command (RGJ) reportedly sent a
copy of the report it prepared on Semdinli bombing to PM
Erdogan. According to the report, ownership of the car and the
guns (seized by the local people on the day of the incident)
belonged to the Jandarma. The two sergeant majors, who were
allegedly involved in this incident, had long been following the
owner of the bookshop, where the bombing took place, by means of
permission obtained from Van's 3rd Heavy Penalty Court. Seferi
Yilmaz, the owner of the bookshop, was reportedly a leading
member of a terrorist organization. Upon allegedly receiving a
tip-off that Yilmaz would meet one of the brains of the
organization, the two sergeants, together with a confessor (PKK
defector),who knew the bookshop owner well, waited 150 meters
away from the shop. The confessor was reportedly sent to the
bookshop to see whether the man the bookshop owner would meet
arrived at the spot or not. Just as the confessor entered the
building, the explosion took place and the confessor started to
run back to the sergeants' car. The local people then attacked
the car of the sergeants as they shouted "the bombers are
escaping." The local people reportedly seized the firearms and
the documents found in the car then.
CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: Today marks the first anniversary
of the killing by government security forces of Ahmet Kaymaz, a
truck driver, and Ugur Kaymaz, Ahmet Kaymaz's 12-year-old child,
in Mardin's Kiziltepe district on the grounds that they were
terrorists. Several ceremonies will be held today to remember
the event.
OZGUR GUNDEM: According to the daily, the perpetrators of
Ahmet and Ugur Kaymaz's deaths are still holding their offices
and no progress has been made in their prosecution process. On
the contrary, said the daily, the people who are watching the
trial sessions in Eskisehir are reportedly being terrorized by
the ultra-nationalists. The trial was moved to Eskisehir
province out of security concerns by the court.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Three young persons fought with a police
officer in Diyarbakir on the grounds that the officer and two
other officers were following them. As the other two officers
ran away, three youths beat the officer and seized his gun,
badge and mobile phone. The wounded police officer was saved by
officers patrolling the area. Three young people, who claimed
that the officers would kill them, were detained by the police.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that
the U.S. was behind the incidents in Semdinli. The
"unfortunate" developments in recent months were caused by
circles, which were supported by the U.S., according to Ecevit.
ZAMAN / HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET: Ecevit further endorsed the
claims of the forme PM and President Suleyman Demirel and
former Preident Kenan Evren that there was a separate
struture, which deeply embedded itself within the currnt
Turkish state.
ZAMAN: Two explosives wee thrown into the Security
Directorate's garden in Sirnak's Silopi district yesterday at
around 10p.m. No casualties or damage was reported during he
incident. Meanwhil, unidentified person(s) threw a hand
grenade at he car of a junior officr at 6.30 p.m. i Mardin's
Derik district. The grenade did great damage to the car.
ZAMAN: Huan Rights Watch Organization (HRW) criticized
Tukey because of the death of three demonstrators duing the
incidents that happened in Semdinli.
ZAMAN: National Security Directorate sent 50 speial eam
memer to te d
tricts of the Hakkari rovine folowing ts
deployment of anti-riot tems and armored vehicles there.
ECONOMIC DEVELPMENTS
ZAMAN: Businessmen of the southeaster region, who are
worried about terrorist activites developing in the region, met
in Van upon invitation of the Van Chamber of Commerce and
Industry. TOBB (Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity
Exchange) administration came together with the chairpersons of
the chambers in the region to discuss the recent developments.
2. BOLGE: A group of industrialists in Adana have
returned from their trip to an international fair called MIDEST
and EUROPLAST held in France. The trip was organized by the
Adana Chamber of Commerce.
REID