SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 14, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000140 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 14, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 14, 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 HURRIYET / ZAMAN / EVRENSEL / SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE: A 19-year-old person, who allegedly planned to place a bomb at the municipality building in Mersin's Tarsus district yesterday at noon, returned back to the street after he was reportedly discouraged by the metal detector at the gate of the building. The man put the bomb in front of a bookstore 80 meters away from the municipality. People noticing the suspicious person caught him and called the police who safely detonated the bomb and arrested the man. Evrensel daily claimed that the person, who was already being followed by the police, was caught red-handed. ZAMAN / RADIKAL / EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Semdinli case defendants placed a demand for the court to issue non-jurisdiction over the case, to refer it to a military court (since defendants were military personnel),and to expand the scope of the investigation at yesterday's hearing. Van Third Heavy Penalty Court overturned such demands. Whereas the defendants' attorneys claimed that there were attempts to reach a verdict "in haste" for the case, the litigants claimed defendants were trying to prolong the suit. Nearly 10 intelligence officers were again present at the courtroom, but no foreign observers attended yesterday's hearing. Litigants' attorneys reiterated claims that Semdinli bombing was a product of an "organized act", and "its verdict will set an example to circles resorting to illegal methods in resolving the Kurdish issue." The court hearing has been adjourned to June 19. ZAMAN / EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Dogubeyazit provincial chairperson of DTP (Democratic Society Party) in Agri has recently been sentenced to one year in prison and a 500 YTL fine (approx. 300 USD) on charges that 50,000 forms, including the statement "I regard Ocalan as representing my political will", were found in the chairperson's office. EVRENSEL: Hatay deputy from ANAP (Motherland Party) submitted a question to the Turkish Parliament on how much real estate property has been sold to which foreigners at what price since 2003 in Hatay. EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Two families in Pinar village of Tunceli reportedly had to leave their houses and move to another village because of the intense security measures taken at the area following PKK's attack on a military convoy in Tunceli's Geyiksuyu village (see press summary 06/12). OZGUR GUNDEM: Diyarbakir's Gun TV commented on recent news presented on media portraying RTUK (Higher Board of Radio and Television) as removing time restrictions for cultural program broadcasts in different languages and dialects. Gun TV broadcasting director said that such regulations had already been existent on the current regulations, and media was presenting what is already existent as a new development. The director further said that if 45-minute time restriction on TV programs and the requirement about Turkish subtitles were abolished, then it would be a new story to tell. OZGUR GUNDEM: DIHA (Dicle News Agency) made a written announcement and objected to arrest of one of its journalists based on a written announcement given by a PKK defector in Tunceli (see press summary 06/13). DIHA announced it an unacceptable implementation that the journalist had been kept at the Jandarma command and his house had been searched for hours. Meanwhile, an employee of the Ozgur Gundem daily, who was detained by Jandarma officials in Elazig's Maden district, was released. She was reportedly detained for delivering a book authored by Abdullah Ocalan to people. OZGUR GUNDEM: Amnesty International's (AI) Turkey Representative, which was reportedly established in 2002 in Turkey, held a meeting in Malatya to form an Initiative Group there. OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily claims that there had been an increase in Turkish military's setting wooded areas on fire as temperatures increase in the region and the military operations get more frequent. The last example the daily cited was the fire allegedly caused by Turkish military in the Cudi Mountain of Sirnak. BOLGE / EKSPRES / ZAMAN: The fire which broke out in Adana's Imamoglu district destroyed 123 acres of forest land, ADANA 00000140 002 OF 002 said General Director of Forests. Authorities are searching the causes of the fire. Separately, a fire broke out in Adana's Kozan district and damaged 98 acres of forest land. CUMHURIYET / BOLGE / EKSPRES: The committee organizing the Spring Festival (May 8-13) at Cukurova University in Adana denied allegations circulating on some media that a stand was set up during the festival where posters of Abdullah Ocalan were hung. REID