SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 5, 2005

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000009

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JANUARY 5, 2005


This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for January 5,

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: The people (of Turkey) paid the price of human
rights violations that General Yavuz Erturk (allegedly)
committed during the operations he carried out in the
(southeastern) region, with a compensation payment of 2.5
trillion Turkish liras (1.8 million USD) to the European Court
of Human Rights (ECHR). ECHR criticized Turkey for not having
Yavuz Erturk attend the court hearings as a witness. Yavuz
Erturk, who retired as a Major-General rank from the army, is
contributing articles to Yeni Cag, a newspaper known for
nationalistic tendencies.

OZGUR GUNDEM: According to Bingol Branch of the Human Rights
Association, 158 human rights violations were allegedly
committed at Bingol in 2004. During the conflicts that went on
in Bingol throughout the year, allegedly, nine people died,
eleven people were wounded and two people were killed. Mines and
explosives wounded six people, the deaths and suicides of
thirteen people raised suspicions and forty-three people were
taken into custody. Out of forty-three, eight people were
arrested and twenty-nine people were allegedly exposed to
torture, threats and bad treatment. Two villages and five houses
in the city centers were allegedly raided and subjected to
warrantless searches. Lastly, one person has applied to the
Human Rights Association with an allegation of rape.

OZGUR GUNDEM: 120 people, who ran away from their villages
in Ercis, Van, due to the alleged oppressive attitude of the
Agha, have now been subject to another internal displacement
within their own country, according to Ozgur Gundem. These
"refugees" in their own land are not welcomed in the township
they arrived at, which is Demirkoy, Kirklareli. They were
escorted last night by the police and taken away from Demirkoy
to a refugee guesthouse in Kirklareli.

OZGUR GUNDEM: The villagers in Yedisu township of Bingol
prevented nine village guards from fishing in a river on
December 12 because the guards were fishing with hand grenades.
The villagers are now allegedly exposed to threats from the
village guards. Hence, the villagers applied to the Human Rights
Association for any possible offences the guards may subject
them to in the future.

CUMHURIYET: Because of the improper fishing practices and the
ignorant attitudes of fishermen in the Mediterranean Sea, the
forty thousand ton fish harvest from the 1990s have declined
dramatically to ten thousand tons. "The fishing seasons are very
long, the fishermen are using improper methods, such as
poisonous baits and explosives", said Bedii Cicik, a member of
the faculty of Mersin University Faculty of Fisheries.

RADIKAL / TERCUMAN / CUMHURIYET: Nineteen students from the
Kargili hamlet of the Ortac village of Yuksekova in Hakkari
province are walking ten kilometers from their home to school
every day. Armed guards escort them against the wild animals.
The students demand that a transportation system be established
to ease their travel to school.


ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS


1. ZAMAN / CUMHURIYET / SABAH (GUNEY): PM Erdogan was
not able to resist the demands of MPs on the Incentive Law.
Erdogan announced that the scope of the Incentive Law will be
expanded and thirteen more cities will be included in the new
system. PM Erdogan further added that MPs should make no further
demands about the Law. On the other hand, Sabah (Guney) reports
that the AKP Gaziantep Provincial Chairperson said that
Gaziantep should be included in the incentive package of the GoT
and that they will strive to include Gaziantep within the scope
of the Incentive Law. Gaziantep and five other cities were very
recently removed from the incentive list of the government.


2. OZGUR GUNDEM: The Van Commercial Commodity Exchange
Office and the Training Center for Service-Sector Occupations
announced that courses on silver manufacturing will be offered
under the EU funded "Active Workforce Project". The courses aim
to train unemployed youth, former prisoners, physically
handicapped people and the unskilled labor force in order to
assist them in finding occupational opportunities in silver
manufacturing.


3. BOLGE / TURKIYE: According to Umit Ozgumus, the Presiden

of the Adana Chamber of Industry, the Incentive Law will bring
no beneficial outcomes for the economy of the country. Ozgumus
said that the Law paves the way for providing unfair competitive
advantage to one city over another, and may cause a the loss of
a great deal of business in the latter. Ozgumus proposes that
the government annuls the Incentive Law, and launch a new
incentive system that soundly assesses the export potential of
cities and gives priority to the ones, which can substitute
imports and draw foreign exchange to the country.


4. SABAH / ZAMAN / MILLI GAZETE / CUMHURIYET / TURKIYE: The
Government (of Turkey) is trying to please the farmers. Sami
Guclu, the Minister of Agriculture, announced that the GoT is
going to improve the agricultural incentives comprehensively.
According to the new enhancements, high premium subsidies for
cattle breeding will be provided and the farmers that utilize
more agricultural technologies will be receive more subsidies.
The GoT (of Turkey) will announce the whole package of
agricultural incentives -including tax reductions and payment
installments on many items, such as fuel oil, fertilizers,
cotton premium prices and electricity debts, etc.- on January

10.



REID