SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 08, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000178 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 08, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for August 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 HURRIYET / ZAMAN / SABAH: Nedim Seven, a senior member of the PKK, was caught in an operation Dutch police conducted at the border area with Belgium last week. Turkey, who listed Seven in wanted notice, has launched efforts for Seven to be returned to Turkey. HURRIYET / ZAMAN / SABAH / YENI SAFAK: After receiving a tip-off that terrorists were seen in an area between two districts of Sivas, security forces conducted an operation there and killed one terrorist. Separately, a terrorist attempting to place an explosive on a road in Sirnak's Uludere district died when the explosive went off. Meanwhile, teams of jandarma command found 10 kilograms of A-4 explosives in an area near a road in Agri's Taslicay district. Sabah daily reported that three soldiers were wounded because of a mine blast in rural sections of Hakkari's Yuksekova district. EVRENSEL / YENI SAFAK: A rocket attack was carried out on a police check point located at the entrance of Hakkari's Semdinli district late at night the previous day. No casualties were reported. YENI SAFAK: Jandarma teams seized a total of 31 unlicensed pistols, twenty of which were of Glock brand, in the fuel tank of a car in Sirnak's Uludere district, announced the Sirnak Governor's Office. EKSPRES / CUMHURIYET: Per August 6, marking the 61st anniversary of atom bomb attack on Hiroshima, the spokesperson of Global Peace and Justice Commission (GPJC) in Adana said, as he pointed out the nuclear bombs allegedly kept at Incirlik airbase, that nobody was willing to live in a place jeopardized by the threat of nuclear bombs. GPJC members will hold a protest as they ride their bicycles to the gate of the airbase on August 24 at 12.30. EVRENSEL: Sultanbeyli district municipality (AKP) in Istanbul stopped construction of a Cemevi (Alawi worshipping place) whose ground-breaking was held on April 8 on grounds that the construction area was a basin for water supply. Alawi community considered that move as a pretext for hindering Cemevi construction because the municipality has allegedly been ignoring 28,000 unlicensed buildings in Sultanbeyli. BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY) / ZAMAN: Adana Mayor made a call to district mayors to fight against unlicensed construction operations in the province. The mayor accused the Seyhan Municipality bureaucrats for attempting to misguide the Seyhan Mayor about a controversial building whose construction has been completed. Adana Mayor claims that the building can only be legal when it gets demolished. Sabah Guney daily commented on the tension between the two municipalities and reported that two municipalities in fact shared the blame on unlicensed constructions in the province. RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN / HURRIYET / EVRENSEL: Two masked terrorists raiding the house of a non-commissioned officer of Jandarma Intelligence in Sirnak's Beytussebap district killed the officer and wounded his son. RADIKAL / BOLGE / EKSPRES: Dead bodies of two soldiers, who died in a terrorist attack in Gumushane (see press summary 08/07),have been received by their families in Mersin. Reportedly, the number of soldiers who died in terrorist attacks and whose hometowns were Mersin increased to 9 in the last three months. YENI SAFAK / EVRENSEL: Human Rights Association, Democratic Society Party and EMEP (Party of Labor) issued a written statement to denounce a court decision imposing a 15-day ban on Ozgur Gundem daily's publication and dissemination. OZGUR GUNDEM ONLINE: Istanbul 12th Heavy Penalty Court lifted the ban on Ozgur Gundem upon appealing of the newspaper with the same court against its decision. The newspaper will appear on shelves back again on Thursday. ADANA 00000178 002 OF 002 CUMHURIYET / ZAMAN / RADIKAL / SABAH: Two deputies resigned from SHP (Social Democratic People's Party) allegedly because SHP has said that the Kurdish issue is a reality for Turkey that must be recognized. The deputies criticized the party for not being "sensitive about terror issues and national unity." RADIKAL / YENI SAFAK: A 50-person group in Van which was mostly comprised of women and children held a protest in front of the municipality because of lack of water in Yenimahalle quarter of the city. REID