Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|
06ADANA147 | 2006-06-19 12:07:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Consulate Adana |
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000147
SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 19, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 19, 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: The fourth hearing of the Semdinli case will be held today at Van's Third Heavy Penalty Court (see press summary 06/14). One of the defendants, Non-commissioned officer Ali Kaya, will not be able to attend the hearing due to a reported pulmonary disease, for which he is being treated in Ankara. Kaya did not attend the previous hearing as well. This recent development is an omen for prolonging the case and delaying the verdict, according to some circles. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): The efforts put forth by the rector of the Cukurova University in Adana to found an engineering faculty in Osmaniye have reportedly produced results. Council of Ministers have recently approved the decision and submitted it for the approval of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. OZGUR GUNDEM: Pro-Islamist newspaper Vakit has reportedly been leading a campaign encouraging hostility among people against Cukurova University and its rector (see press summary 06/14) by claiming that posters of terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan were hung at a stand at the university during the Spring Festival held in May. OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: Each day, these dailies have been reporting separate stories of people who have been forced to migrate, or on conditions or problems of cities that had to absorb those migrants, in order to mark the Migration Week (June 14-21) (see press summary 06/15). One of the dailies reported that Diyarbakir's Kayapinar district has been among those spots that received huge migration in the recent decades (see press summary 06/15). In another article, Goc-Der (Immigrants Association for Cooperation and Culture) reportedly claimed that the migration issue itself was a Kurdish issue. EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: A group of people in Ankara held some activities to commemorate the killing of 17 Maoist and Communist MKP-HKO terrorists in Tunceli's Ovacik district on June 17, 2005. BOLGE / EKSPRES: Twenty-six Syrians and Georgians, who entered the country illegally to go to Cyprus, have been caught in Adana's Karatas district. EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: The dailies point out that many schools in the southeastern region are situated side-by-side with military quarters. Parents of the students in a high school in Diyarbakir's Hani district are reportedly disturbed because of the garrison command located next door to the high school. There have reportedly been several cases in which female students were harassed by the soldiers who use the schoolyard to get into the command. OZGUR GUNDEM: Turkish Military has reportedly been continuing to deploy more soldiers and weaponry in Tunceli allegedly following the attack carried out by PKK members last week on a military vehicle in the Geyiksu township (see press summary 06/12). ZAMAN / RADIKAL / OZGUR GUNDEM / CUMHURIYET: A remote controlled bomb placed on a railroad in Mus exploded and damaged eight cars of a cargo train and a twenty-meter section along the railroad. Zaman daily separately reported that three PKK members have been killed in a clash in Tunceli. OZGUR GUNDEM: DTP (Democratic Society Party) will issue clear messages about its social peace project during it's first-ever congress to be held on June 25 in Ankara. Meanwhile, Salih Yildiz, Yuksekova Mayor (from DTP) said that they did not care about the lawsuit brought against the mayors of the region for the December 2005 letter sent to Denmark's Prime Minister Adders Fogh Rasmussen in support of pro-PKK Roj TV. Yildiz said that Rasmussen called them to say how sorry he was about the situation. EVRENSEL: According to the daily, Ministry Of Justice sent a circular to all notaries in Turkey and required them not to use or translate the term "Kuzey Irak" (Northern Iraq) in any of the official documents they may generate. EVRENSEL: 15,000 people reportedly took part in an event held by the Federation of Alawi Unions in Germany on June 17 in Cologne. Chairperson of the federation said that Alawis have been oppressed by various authorities in power for hundreds of ADANA 00000147 002 OF 002 years. RADIKAL: A municipality in Istanbul's Umraniye district for the first time granted the title deed of a 2000-square-meter plot of land in Umraniye, which was already allocated as land for building a Cemevi (Alawi worshipping place) in the zoning plans of the municipality, to a cultural Alawi association in order to build a Cemevi. Alawis will hold a celebration to mark this development on July 8. BOLGE / EKSPRES: A new course introduced at the Lifelong Learning Center of Adana's Cukurova University will teach how to grow Spirulina algae and will reportedly create new job opportunities for people. REID |