SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JULY 14, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000164 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JULY 14, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for July 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 OZGUR GUNDEM / YENI SAFAK: A public unrest has been triggered in Sirnak's Silopi district when local people learned that a person they caught, whom they thought to be a member of an organ mafia and whom they allegedly caught as attempting to kidnap a girl, would be released by police. When three thousand people gathered in front of the Silopi Court of Justice and reportedly engaged in vigilantism, police intervened and used gas bombs to disperse the crowd. Sporadic clashes have reportedly taken place with people. The turmoil continued until late in the day. HURRIYET ONLINE: PKK members detonated a mine remotely as soldiers in a military vehicle were traveling on a road in Bitlis at 6.30 p.m. yesterday and killed five soldiers in the car. Four soldiers have been wounded. HURRIYET ONLINE: An explosion took place as a vehicle carrying food to the soldiers was passing on a road in Hakkari's Daggol quarter at 6 a.m. today. A soldier in the vehicle and a passer-by have been wounded. HURRIYET ONLINE: Sirnak's Cizre Mayor has given his statement to the Cizre Chief Prosecutor's Office in response to allegations that he "praised the terrorist organization" during a speech he delivered in a June 16 cultural event in Cizre. Within the scope of the investigation, the Mayor will have to go to the police station weekly to prove that he is not absent. HURRIYET ONLINE: A catastrophe has been barely evaded when a truck transporting fuel from Hatay's Iskenderun district to Iraq had a rollover accident in Sanliurfa. No casualties have been reported. OZGUR GUNDEM: A father, whose son reportedly died in a December 2005 roll-over accident in Hakkari's Semdinli district as he was serving his military term, allegedly insulted PM Erdogan during the funeral ceremony of his son. The court action brought against the father for his alleged insults sentenced him to 11 months and 25 days in prison. HURRIYET ONLINE: Jandarma Command Teams in Sanliurfa seized seven million hemp roots in a field in one of the hamlets of Sanliurfa. RADIKAL / EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM / YENI SAFAK: European Court of Human Rights admitted the case filed by Volunteers for Hasankeyf Association against the Ilisu Dam envisaged to be built in Batman. The dam waters will submerge the ancient city. OZUR GUNDEM: DTP Kars Provincial Chairperson criticized local AKP, CHP, DYP and Motherland party organizations for staying indifferent to the meeting that will be held to demand reopening of the border gate at Dogukapi of Kars province. OZUR GUNDEM: Five people, who attended the burial ceremony in Diyarbakir's Bismil district of a person who died in Maxmur Refugee Camp in Iraq, have been sentenced to one month in prison for shouting slogans in support of Abdullah Ocalan and the PKK. BOLGE: Several non-governmental organizations held a march in Adana to protest Israel's offensive against Palestinian people. BOLGE / EKSPRES: Court action brought against BTC (Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Project) by local fishermen has been postponed to October 5 in yesterday's hearing. BOLGE: Fire that broke out in a landfill area in Hatay's Belen district spread to a near-by forest area. EVRENSEL: Six members of the 2006 Newruz committee of Adana have been released by the Adana 6th Heavy Penalty court in yesterday's hearing following a three-month imprisonment (see press summary 07/11). EVRENSEL: Tunceli Securiy Directorate delivered brochures in the province carrying the motto "Tunceli police are your police" and requesting from people to inform police about suspicious people "wearing clothes incongruent with the season" or "displaying nervous behaviour", reported the daily. EVRENSEL: EMEP (Party of Labor) local party organization held ADANA 00000164 002 OF 002 a solidarity dinner event in Tunceli which was also attended by Tunceli Mayor Songul Erol Abdil. EMEP provincial chairperson said that people should unite against AKP's fundamentalist and CHP's chauvinist policies. REID