Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ADANA137
2006-06-12 06:19:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Adana
Cable title:
SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 08, 2006
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000137
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 08, 2006
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 08, 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
YENI SAFAK / ZAMAN / BOLGE / EKSPRES: The dailies carried
recent news articles of the mainstream newspapers (see press
summary 06/08) about the reported presence of 90 nuclear bombs
in the Incirlik Airbase in Adana, and discontent of the people
living in the Incirlik district on hearing such news. Zaman
daily also cites a report of the European Council (EC) saying
that Incirlik Airbase was used as a platform for transportation
of the arrested terrorism suspects. EC has blamed 14 countries
for disregarding such illegal operations of the U.S.
BOLGE: Turhan Comez, Balikesir deputy from AKP, criticized
dismissal from AKP of Fuat Gecen, Hatay deputy from AKP, for
voicing allegations about irregularities of AKP deputies with
public tenders in Hatay (see press summary 06/07).
SABAH / RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET: Concerning killing of Selahattin
Aksu and his daughter in Mardin's Kiziltepe district on June 3
(see press summaries 06/05, 06 and 07),officials from Mardin
chapter of Human Rights Association (HRA) said that it was too
early to make comments on the incident, but there was not much
similarity between the killing of Ahmet and his son Ugur Kaymaz
in November 2004 in Kiziltepe and that incident. DTP and HRA
sent delegations to Kiziltepe.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Ahmet Ertak, Sirnak Mayor, and Emrullah Cin,
Mayor of Sanliurfa's Viransehir district, gave their statements
at Sirnak's Chief Prosecutor's Office for sending along with 56
mayors (from DTP) in the southeastern region a letter to the
premier of Denmark in support for the pro-PKK Roj TV.
YENI SAFAK: The report of the EU permanent members' meeting on
June 6 reportedly had concerns over the issues in the
southeastern Turkey, Cyprus issue, the role of military in
Turkish politics, the ongoing judicial process for the Semdinli
case. As regards to the cultural rights, the report found it
pleasing that Kurdish language broadcasting was started.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Pursuant to the court decision that imposed a
ban on disclosure of information concerning the Semdinli case
through media, the daily alleged that authorities banned access
to some websites delivering such information over Internet.
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily reports that clashes
between military and the terrorist organization taking place in
Bingol and Sirnak's Gabar Mountain has intensified recently.
The daily reported that five soldiers have been wounded in two
separate clashes in those areas. Separately, the number of
village guards who do not want to take part in the military
operations and who want to lay down arms has reached to fifty
only in May, reports the daily. The daily claims that a
military officer uttered threatening remarks to the village
guards who refused to take part in a clash in Hakkari's Semdinli
district.
SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE / EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: A group of
attorneys from the Adana Bar Association gathered in front of
the Court Hall of Adana and demanded release of Ali Bozan,
Attorney and Chairperson of DTP's Mersin Chapter, who was
arrested last month on grounds not specified by the daily.
EVRENSEL: Ankara Chapter of Human Rights Association announced
that arbitrary implementations of the jail administrations have
allegedly been oppressing people. Kurdish origin inmates were
reportedly being discriminated against and their Kurdish letters
were being omitted by the board monitoring the content of the
letters. If the letters were to be translated, the jail
authorities were demanding the translation fee from the inmates.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Quarantine has been imposed on a village and a
hamlet in Van's Gurpinar district when rabies was detected in a
sheep that was bitten by a wild fox.
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Hakkari Municipality (DTP)
launched a three-day cleaning campaign in the city which aimed
to incorporate people's efforts in works undertaken by the
municipality which are allegedly carried out despite
obstructions (from unspecified sources).
EVRENSEL: Mehmet Ali Azun, who was reportedly taken by two
civilians from his home on May 17 in Diyarbakir's Baglar
quarter, has disappeared since then.
ADANA 00000137 002 OF 002
EVRENSEL: Anti-terror teams have reportedly been recording the
names, telephone numbers and business information of the
tradesmen and business owners in Hakkari's Semdinli district
upon authorization obtained from the prosecutor's office.
ZAMAN: Ministry of Energy has included petroleum theft from
pipelines within the scope of its struggle against fuel-oil
smuggling, an issue the ministry has been concerned with due to
its connection to national security matters and to financing of
terrorists.
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): A 47 years old person from Diyarbakir,
who was convicted two years before of killing his wife four
years ago in the name of honor in Adana, applied to benefit from
the new Turkish Penal Code in hope for a decrease from his life
time imprisonment. The second court ruling has also sentenced
him to life in prison.
SABAH (GUNEY): The tender for clearing the land from mines in
the border area with Syria has been cancelled and postponed to a
later date on grounds that satisfactory competitive conditions
have not been achieved in the tender.
YENI SAFAK: A fire broke out in the mined territory at the
border area with Syria. Intermittent explosions took place as
fire fighting teams were trying to extinguish the fire.
BOLGE: The friendship monument erected in Syria's Lazkiye
province was named after the Mayor of Antakya in Hatay province.
YENI SAFAK: During a visit of the district mayors of Gaziantep
paid to the Mayor of Aleppo in Syria, mayors stressed the
importance of the friendship between Gaziantep and Aleppo
provinces.
REID
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 08, 2006
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 08, 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
YENI SAFAK / ZAMAN / BOLGE / EKSPRES: The dailies carried
recent news articles of the mainstream newspapers (see press
summary 06/08) about the reported presence of 90 nuclear bombs
in the Incirlik Airbase in Adana, and discontent of the people
living in the Incirlik district on hearing such news. Zaman
daily also cites a report of the European Council (EC) saying
that Incirlik Airbase was used as a platform for transportation
of the arrested terrorism suspects. EC has blamed 14 countries
for disregarding such illegal operations of the U.S.
BOLGE: Turhan Comez, Balikesir deputy from AKP, criticized
dismissal from AKP of Fuat Gecen, Hatay deputy from AKP, for
voicing allegations about irregularities of AKP deputies with
public tenders in Hatay (see press summary 06/07).
SABAH / RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET: Concerning killing of Selahattin
Aksu and his daughter in Mardin's Kiziltepe district on June 3
(see press summaries 06/05, 06 and 07),officials from Mardin
chapter of Human Rights Association (HRA) said that it was too
early to make comments on the incident, but there was not much
similarity between the killing of Ahmet and his son Ugur Kaymaz
in November 2004 in Kiziltepe and that incident. DTP and HRA
sent delegations to Kiziltepe.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Ahmet Ertak, Sirnak Mayor, and Emrullah Cin,
Mayor of Sanliurfa's Viransehir district, gave their statements
at Sirnak's Chief Prosecutor's Office for sending along with 56
mayors (from DTP) in the southeastern region a letter to the
premier of Denmark in support for the pro-PKK Roj TV.
YENI SAFAK: The report of the EU permanent members' meeting on
June 6 reportedly had concerns over the issues in the
southeastern Turkey, Cyprus issue, the role of military in
Turkish politics, the ongoing judicial process for the Semdinli
case. As regards to the cultural rights, the report found it
pleasing that Kurdish language broadcasting was started.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Pursuant to the court decision that imposed a
ban on disclosure of information concerning the Semdinli case
through media, the daily alleged that authorities banned access
to some websites delivering such information over Internet.
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily reports that clashes
between military and the terrorist organization taking place in
Bingol and Sirnak's Gabar Mountain has intensified recently.
The daily reported that five soldiers have been wounded in two
separate clashes in those areas. Separately, the number of
village guards who do not want to take part in the military
operations and who want to lay down arms has reached to fifty
only in May, reports the daily. The daily claims that a
military officer uttered threatening remarks to the village
guards who refused to take part in a clash in Hakkari's Semdinli
district.
SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE / EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: A group of
attorneys from the Adana Bar Association gathered in front of
the Court Hall of Adana and demanded release of Ali Bozan,
Attorney and Chairperson of DTP's Mersin Chapter, who was
arrested last month on grounds not specified by the daily.
EVRENSEL: Ankara Chapter of Human Rights Association announced
that arbitrary implementations of the jail administrations have
allegedly been oppressing people. Kurdish origin inmates were
reportedly being discriminated against and their Kurdish letters
were being omitted by the board monitoring the content of the
letters. If the letters were to be translated, the jail
authorities were demanding the translation fee from the inmates.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Quarantine has been imposed on a village and a
hamlet in Van's Gurpinar district when rabies was detected in a
sheep that was bitten by a wild fox.
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Hakkari Municipality (DTP)
launched a three-day cleaning campaign in the city which aimed
to incorporate people's efforts in works undertaken by the
municipality which are allegedly carried out despite
obstructions (from unspecified sources).
EVRENSEL: Mehmet Ali Azun, who was reportedly taken by two
civilians from his home on May 17 in Diyarbakir's Baglar
quarter, has disappeared since then.
ADANA 00000137 002 OF 002
EVRENSEL: Anti-terror teams have reportedly been recording the
names, telephone numbers and business information of the
tradesmen and business owners in Hakkari's Semdinli district
upon authorization obtained from the prosecutor's office.
ZAMAN: Ministry of Energy has included petroleum theft from
pipelines within the scope of its struggle against fuel-oil
smuggling, an issue the ministry has been concerned with due to
its connection to national security matters and to financing of
terrorists.
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): A 47 years old person from Diyarbakir,
who was convicted two years before of killing his wife four
years ago in the name of honor in Adana, applied to benefit from
the new Turkish Penal Code in hope for a decrease from his life
time imprisonment. The second court ruling has also sentenced
him to life in prison.
SABAH (GUNEY): The tender for clearing the land from mines in
the border area with Syria has been cancelled and postponed to a
later date on grounds that satisfactory competitive conditions
have not been achieved in the tender.
YENI SAFAK: A fire broke out in the mined territory at the
border area with Syria. Intermittent explosions took place as
fire fighting teams were trying to extinguish the fire.
BOLGE: The friendship monument erected in Syria's Lazkiye
province was named after the Mayor of Antakya in Hatay province.
YENI SAFAK: During a visit of the district mayors of Gaziantep
paid to the Mayor of Aleppo in Syria, mayors stressed the
importance of the friendship between Gaziantep and Aleppo
provinces.
REID