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