SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 15, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000109 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 15, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for May 15, 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 CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN / RADIKAL / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: A clash reportedly took place between soldiers and PKK members in the Gabar Mountain of Sirnak. Four soldiers and one PKK member were killed. (This summary is from 05/15 editions.) SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE / RADIKAL / HURRIYET / YENI SAFAK: The funeral of a commissioned officer from an infantry commando team who died in the clash in the Gabar Mountain has been held in Osmaniye's Kadirli district. The funeral of a commissioned officer who died at the same clash was held in Diyarbakir's Cermik district the previous day. OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily claimed that at least fourteen soldiers died during clashes that took place in the Gabar Mountain and rural sections of Bingol on May 11 and 12. Separately, Turkish Armed Forces launched a new operation in Agri's Tendurek Mountain. OZGUR GUNDEM: A group of people held a demonstration against the military operations launched by Turkey and Iran at their border areas in Germany's Dortmund city. Meanwhile, the daily reported that Iran has been oppressing the villagers in villages of Kamyaran. ZAMAN / RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / EKSPRES / EVRENSEL / HURRIYET / YENI SAFAK / CUMHURIYET: A fragmental impact time bomb, which exploded in a garage of a house in Erzincan yesterday at 12.30 p.m., killed three children and wounded two more. The garage reportedly belonged to a person who allegedly claimed he was receiving threats from the PKK recently. Separately, an explosion that took place on a railroad between Elazig and Bingol did damage to a cargo train and a section of the railroad. Cumhuriyet daily depicts the explosion damage as minor. (This summary is from 05/15 editions.) 05/16 edition of Ozgur Gundem daily said that the death toll in Erzincan explosion increased to four children as it pointed out an increasing number of attacks targeting children in the region. The funeral of the children has been held in Erzurum, read Radikal and Zaman dailies. EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: International Children's Festival will start in Diyarbakir's Sur district today in memory of 9-year-old and 6-year-old children who died during the demonstrations held in Diyarbakir late in March. Children from Cizre, Adana, Dogubeyazit, Urfa, Batman and Semdinli will attend the activities that will be held today. The brochures of the festival have been prepared in Kurdish and its other dialects as well as in Turkish, in English and in Arabic. (This summary is from 05/15 edition.) 05/16 edition of Ozgur Gundem reported that a 25-person group of children traveling from Tunceli to Diyarbakir for the festival have been stopped by soldiers along the way on grounds that they had no authorization. As a result of telephone calls to the Governor's Office, the children were allowed to travel to Diyarbakir. OZGUR GUNDEM: The indictment of the lawsuit brought against Abdullah Demirbas, Diyarbakir's Sur District Mayor, demanded that the Mayor be discharged from office. The lawsuit has been brought against the mayor because of an article Demirbas presented to the European Social Forum in January 2005 under the title "Municipalities and Local Administrations in Light of a Multi-Language Environment." OZGUR GUNDEM: Fifth International Congress on Disappeared People will start tomorrow in Diyarbakir. YAKAY-DER (Association of Relatives of the Disappeared) and ICAD (International Committee against Disappearances) has undertaken to organize the conference. ZAMAN / SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Police conducted a crackdown on a 13-person criminal group in Adana which was being led by a former police officer discharged from office for abusing the authority invested in him. The gang has provided fake documents to hold firearms as well as guns to rich businessmen. EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE: Abdullatif Sener, State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, attended a conference called "Change in Society and Politics" held by the Chamber of Pharmacies in Adana, and he also attended the opening ceremony of Dream Park in Adana. Journalists in the conference reportedly asked Sener whether he would shift allocation of 15 ADANA 00000109 002 OF 002 trillion YTL to the Adana Municipality which has undertaken the project of a cultural center that would originally be undertaken by Seyhan Municiaplity, to which Sener promised a budget amount of 15 trillion YTL on an unspecified date in past for that same project. Sener said that he did not remember such a promise. Adana Mayor Aytac Durak reminded Sener of his promise. Sener, with a reported stern face, asked to Durak, "Is this what you know about politics?" Bolge daily pointed out to the close affinity of Sener and Ozturk, and the tension between Sener and Durak. (This summary is from 05/15 and 05/16 editions.) HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Van Women's Association will offer 16-week training to women on following topics: human rights, constitution, civil code, feminism, sexuality, children's rights, fertility, violence, and strategies that could be developed against violence. SABAH (GUNEY): A fire that broke out in a forest area in Hatay's Samandag district burned 148 acres of forest land. SABAH (GUNEY): In order to find out about the causes of violence at schools, Egitim-Sen's (Teacher's Union) Diyarbakir branch conducted a study among students which revealed that 200,000 of 257,000 primary school students are addicted to inhalants and drugs in Diyarbakir. OZGUR GUNDEM: Egitim-Sen's Siirt branch has been offering reading-writing and computer courses for children under "Winning the Children Who Have Been Victims of Internal Displacement Back to Society" project. OZGUR GUNDEM: Investigation has begun against DTP founding member Selim Sadak, DTP Nusaybin district chairperson Halim Dag, DTP Mardin deputy provincial chairperson Cebrail Sayar, and DTP member Alaaddin Sinayic on grounds that they delivered Kurdish speeches during the opening of a party building in Mardin's Nusaybin district on April 23. (This summary is from 05/15 edition.) Separately, following a series of investigations against members of the organizing committee of Newruz celebrations on March 21 in Van, the 05/16 edition noted that an investigation has been filed against former DEHAP Van provincial chairperson and his wife allegedly on grounds that they attended the celebrations. ZAMAN: The newly elected provincial chairperson of MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) in Diyarbakir delivered a speech to extend thanks to the party base in Kurdish during the party congress. EVRENSEL: Seyhan Municipality's cleaning services workers in Adana have been continuing their strike (see press summary 05/11). YENI SAFAK / EVRENSEL: The hailing and rains last week did great damage to the cultivated fields in Diyarbakir's Bismil, Dicle and Cinar districts. RADIKAL: GATA military hospital in Ankara has also opened its doors to civilian mine explosion victims. REID