SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 05, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000194 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 05, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for September 5, ¶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: General Chief of Staff announced that Abubekir Polat, a soldier of Kurdish origin, had leaked information and enabled the PKK to carry out its attack on September 1, which killed two soldiers at Jandarma Battalion Command of in Hakkari's Cukurca district. The soldier, who was caught soon after the incident, reportedly said that he had escaped from his military unit when he guessed that PKK would carry out an attack upon information he leaked. A total of seven soldiers died in one day in separate attacks of PKK in Sirnak, Hakkari and Van, reported the daily's 09/03 edition. HURRIYET ONLINE / FIRAT NEWS AGENCY: A clash broke out between security officers and a suspected car in a village of Batman's Kozluk district. An 8-year-old girl in another car that was caught in the crossfire died because of the bullet wounds she incurred. The girl's mother and brother were wounded. The people in the suspected car were able to run away. Jandarma launched operations in the area to catch the fugitives. Firat News Agency claimed that three civilians were killed in the crossfire. HURRIYET ONLINE: Sixteen municipality assembly members from AKP in Siirt resigned from their posts as a sign of a protest against appointment of former deputy mayor of Istanbul's Fatih district as the deputy mayor of Siirt Municipality. Total number of municipality assembly members from AKP decreased to 5 in Siirt. The rest of the assembly is comprised of 8 members from DTP and one member from SHP. OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: Following the U.S, which designated its special envoy for countering PKK terrorism, Turkey will reportedly determine its special coordinator on the issue this week. It is claimed that the retired general Fevzi Turkeri, who was the former Jandarma National Commander, will undertake that task. HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: An explosion that took place in Van's Catak district killed a policeman and a municipality employee. Sixteen people have been wounded. Van Chapter of Human Rights Association condemned the incident. OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily reported that 76 students at Van Centennial University have been dismissed from school, or suspended briefly allegedly because the students danced folk dances accompanied by Kurdish music during the spring festival. OZGUR GUNDEM: Construction in order to expand a section of a road between Van and Hakkari has been going on. Construction teams have been using explosives which caused a 2.9-magnitude tremor was also detected by Seismic Studies Institute of Bosporus University in Istanbul. OZGUR GUNDEM: Tunceli Municipality started to demolish barracks that were built by the people in the city center. The people, who built the barracks to house their small businesses, are not resisting the operations of the municipality, and are waiting for the municipality to show them places to conduct their businesses. HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: The first hearing of the case filed with the European Court by former DEHAP (Democratic People's Party) on the national election threshold of Turkey will be held today. According to Hurriyet daily, the Turkish government will argue its case by saying that the national election threshold did not take effect to put any particular political party to a disadvantaged position. OZGUR GUNDEM: DTP Chairperson Ahmet Turk made a call to the government and said that the KKK's (Confederalism of Kurdistan) declaration for peace should be heard by the government officials. OZGUR GUNDEM: People demonstrated against the ban imposed by Yuksekova Subgovernor's Office on peace festivities that would be held in Yuksekova to mark September 1 Peace Day. ADANA 00000194 002 OF 002 SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE: An international Culture and Arts Festival will be held in Mersin starting September 8. CHP National Leader Deniz Baykal will take part in the festival's opening ceremony. EVRENSEL: People held a public meeting called "Peace in Turkey and in the Middle East - Freedom for Peoples" yesterday in Adana. During the demonstration people also protested the recent deliberations in Turkey over contributing to UN troops in Lebanon. GREEN