SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 15, 2006

UNCLAS ADANA 000146 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 15, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 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 EVRENSEL: Military operations have been continuing in Tunceli's Geyiksuyu township (see press summary). A clash reportedly took place between security officers and PKK members yesterday night. One PKK member has reportedly been killed. HURRIYET: Police arrested 7 people in Kilis, 4 people in Istanbul, 3 people in Mersin and 1 person in Kirklareli in connection with a large-scale narcotics operation carried out in those four cities. 1,970,898 Captagon pills, which would be transferred on the route Bulgaria-Istanbul-Syria via a Turkish intercity bus company, have been seized. OZGUR GUNDEM: Diyarbakir Governor's Office (DGO) rejected Kayapinar Municipality's applications to give Kurdish names to parks in the district on grounds that those names were being used by the PKK. Using such names would stir discrimination among people, according to DGO. OZGUR GUNDEM: DGO have not granted authorization to Goc-Der (Immigrants Association for Cooperation and Culture) to hang posters in Diyarbakir marking Migration Week (June 14-21). The posters reportedly read, "Enforced migration is a tragedy, we do not want to go through other such tragedies." OZGUR GUNDEM: Kurdish hackers reportedly hacked the website of Mersin Governor's Office and put a statement as if uttered by the Mersin Governor Huseyin Aksoy. The statement reportedly said, "I, Turkish Republic's Governor, apologize to the Kurdish people because of the state terrorism we have been applying on Kurdish people." OZGUR GUNDEM: Supreme Court of Appeals reaffirmed the lifetime imprisonment given by Diyarbakir's 4th Heavy Penalty Court against a 21 year-old person on charges that the person threw a Molotov cocktail at a police car in Diyarbakir on December 2004. Attorney of the accused claims that his client was detained as he was walking around the spot of the incident and he was convicted only upon statements given by the police officers. OZGUR GUNDEM: Diyarbakir's 4th Heavy Penalty Court sentenced three people, who were engaged with the task of delivering Kurdish Azadiya Welat newspaper and Ulkede Ozgur Gundem newspaper in Batman, to six years and three months in prison for attempting to gather signatures in a campaign called, "Abdullah Ocalan represents my political will." OZGUR GUNDEM: DTP (Democratic Society Party) invited President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Kurdistan Regional President Massoud Barzani to its first congress to be held in Ankara on June 25. BOLGE / OZGUR GUNDEM / EKSPRES: 270 cleaning services workers, who were laid off by the Seyhan Municipality 38 days ago, staged a sit-in protest activity in Adana for one hour. BOLGE / EKSPRES: Adana's 7th First Instance Court continued to hear the defamation lawsuit PM Erdogan filed against Ceyhan Mayor Huseyin Sozlu. BOLGE: Saban Bas, Chairperson of Adana Chamber of Commerce, said that Iraq International Fair, which was held in Gaziantep, turned out a successful enterprise which brought together both foreign and local companies that would like to carry out business in Iraq. BOLGE / EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY: Transfer of petroleum through Kirkuk-Yumurtalik pipeline has resumed again after a 4-month lapse of inactivity. The petroleum flow through the pipeline was stopped because of sabotage targeting the pipeline in Iraq. SABAH (GUNEY): Jandarma teams seized 95 kilograms of heroin found hidden in sections of a private car in Hakkari's Yukseokova district. SABAH (GUNEY): Twenty-six Iraqis, who entered the country illegally from northern Iraq, have been caught in Gaziantep. REID