SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 05, 2006

UNCLAS ADANA 000101 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 05, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for May 05, 2006. 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 EKSPRES / BOLGE: AKP national headquarters reportedly announced that it would adopt a stance of impartiality for the AKP Adana provincial chairmanship contest. EKSPRES / BOLGE: Fire broke out in an optical shop in Adana because of a bomb that was thrown by unspecified persons. The fire brigade took the fire under control. Material damage was reported. BOLGE: State Minister Nimet Cubukcu will be come to Adana today. Ms. Cubukcu will attend a dinner for the Friendship Initiative of Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline at Hilton Hotel. PM Erdogan will arrive at Adana at 12.00 tomorrow, and depart at 20.15 after attending a series of events. EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Semdinli trial started yesterday. International observers, including an Amnesty International representative, were reportedly not allowed into the courtroom. Due to the reported spatial limitations of the courtroom, 25 intervening attorneys, 5 defendant's attorneys, and five journalists were allowed. A total of 46 people attended the court session. The presiding judge reportedly skipped the part in the indictment concerning Land Forces Commander Buyukanit. FIRAT NEWS AGENCY: Jason E. Bruder, U.S.'s Turkey Desk Officer, and Andy Wilson, Vice-Consul to the American Consulate in Adana, paid a visit to DTP Adana provincial party organization. Issues such as Kurdish language broadcasting, military operations, and pressures on DTP, have reportedly been discussed during the meeting. DTP Party Accountant Kadri Yagmur said that he conveyed his opinions on current issues to the American officials in Kurdish. OZGUR GUNDEM: DTP condemned the recent bombing incident in Hakkari which killed civilians. OZGUR GUNDEM: Police conducted raids on houses in Hakkari's Yenimahalle quarter, following the recent bombing which killed civilians. Governor's Office announced that a total of 16 people have been detained. OZGUR GUNDEM: Police conducted raids on the Beytussebap Municipality and the house of the Beytussebap Mayor in Sirnak on grounds that the mayor was making preparations to hold activities on behalf of PKK. The police claimed that 20 Kalashnikov bullets have been found in the house. OZGUR GUNDEM: DTP Sirnak's First Congress was held with reported joy and happiness. DTP officials reportedly condemned the police raid conducted at the Beytussebap Municipality the previous day. OZGUR GUNDEM: Police and special team members conducted a raid at a house of a person in Adana's Seyhan district. The raid was reportedly conducted because of a tip-off alleging that two suicide bombers have arrived at the city. OZGUR GUNDEM: An armed attack, part of a feud between two families, resulted in the deaths of 3 people in Kars's Kagizman district. OZGUR GUNDEM: Mayors in Silopi district, Sirnak, Cizre district, Idil district; and DTP Idil provincial chairperson and DTP Cizre administrators delivered the invitations of a concert that would be held to support daily Kurdish newspaper called Azadiya Welat (Freedom of Homeland) to local tradesmen. The concert will be held on May 20. EVRENSEL: A Turkish teacher in Diyarbakir held some students hostage in Dicle University's Architecture and Engineering Faculty because of the teacher's reported frustration over a female student who rejected his love. The students were saved as a result of efforts of the police. REID