SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 18, 2005

UNCLAS ADANA 000034

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 18, 2005

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for February 18,

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

RADIKAL / ZAMAN / CUMHURIYET / MILLIYET: Ministry of Internal
Affairs is reshuffling the security directors of 13 provinces.
The current Diyarbakir Security Director, Orhan Okur, will be
appointed to Canakkale. Twelve more, including security
directors of Batman, Kahramanmaras and Elazig provinces, will
also rotate.

CUMHURIYET: Sinanli villagers from Diyarbakir, whose land was
seized by village landlord, applied to the President, Prime
Minister and Turkish General Staff for assistance. The villagers
complained that their land had been seized by fraud and they did
not have any land from which to make a living. Villagers added
that they did not have a school and a place to bury their dead.


CUMHURIYET: President of CETKO (Environment and Consumer
Protection Association) Ilker Danisoglu remarked that Chrome
Installation and Oil Filling Facilities in Karaduvar quarter of
Mersin increased the magnitude of pollution. He added toxic
material from those facilities harmed not only nature but people
as well.

ZAMAN: The Parliamentary Human Rights Commission gave
priority to investigate 420 mysterious killings in the
southeast. The President of the Commission Elkatmis said the
"the suffering families are looking forward to justice from the
state." The Commission reportedly discovered an 11-person mass
grave in Kulp township of Diyarbakir some time ago.

OZGUR GUNDEM / BOLGE / EVRENSEL: A group of 100 DEHAP
(Democratic People's Party) marched to the Adana Municipality
building to make a press announcement. The group shouted
"Murderer Police" and carried pictures of Umit Gonultas, who was
killed during February 15th demonstration in Mersin. During
demonstrations in Mersin 14 persons including the DEHAP
Provincial Chairman were detained by police. DEHAP's National
Chairman Tuncer Bakirhan will visit Mersin today.

OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: One hundred twenty villagers from
Kirkdegirmen village of Ercis, Van province, who had migrated to
Kirklareli for alleged pressure from the village chieftain Zeki
Mujde, have been given two-weeks to move from the camp in which
they were settled in Kirklareli. The villagers sought assistance
from the Van Immigrant Association for allocation of a
settlement area outside of Ercis for them.

OZGUR GUNDEM: Diyarbakir Municipality's website has been
hacked by a group of policemen, who are supporters of the
current Diyarbakir Security Director, Orhan Okur. He is accused
of having furnished his office with the money that had been
raised for the families of the policemen. The hackers placed a
picture of Orhan Okur on the page and wrote on the screen "My
dear Police Chief, We as the protectors of this country, will
side with you at the cost of our death. The tears you poured for
martyrs will not remain on the ground."

MILLIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: The four special operations team
members, who are involved in the operation that killed Ugur and
Ahmet Kaymaz and who have been facing four years of prison
sentence for the charges brought against them at the court
trial, have been returned to their offices.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS


1. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / EKSPRES / BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY):
The First International Economic Cooperation Forum is to be held
in Adana today. PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan and representatives from
400 domestic and international companies are expected to attend
the two-day Forum hosted by the Adana Chamber of Commerce.




REID