SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 4, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000074 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 4, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for April 04, ¶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: Because of terrorist activities surfacing in the southeastern Turkey, 141 archeologists, faculty members and students did not come to Batman's ancient Hasankeyf district for excavations that was to be launched on April 1. HURRIYET: Mahsun Mizrak, who has disappeared in Diyarbakir three days ago, has been found in the morgue of the Diyarbakir state hospital. With Mizrak's death, death toll in Diyarbakir rose to 10. HURRIYET: Six people, who were caught as carrying Molotov cocktails as they were conducting an illegal demonstration in Van on Saturday, have been arrested. HURRIYET / SABAH: U.S. on April 3 condemned bombings by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that killed four people in Istanbul. State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said in the April 3 statement that the United States also regretted the loss of life as a result of violent protests by PKK sympathizers in southeast Turkey and in Istanbul. Meanwhile, Sabah daily reported that DTP had also released a statement to condemn the bus attack in Istanbul and the ongoing protest activities in the southeast. HURRIYET: The government embarked upon efforts to change the Anti-Terror Bill. The new bill will envisage the following changes: 1- Demonstrators attacking police with stones and sticks will be given prison sentence, 2- People attacking homes and businesses, and vandalizing public property will pay damages done and will be given prison sentence, 3- People carrying the flag, banner or logo of the terrorist organization, or posters of Abdullah Ocalan may receive serious penalties, 4- terrorists may be buried at the same location they were killed in order to prevent spark of violent demonstrations, 5- foundations, political parties, civil organizations sponsoring terrorist activities, or media institutions making propaganda of same activities may receive serious penalties, 6- police may be invested with new authorities, such as resorting to detention upon suspecting a terrorist activity so that preventive measures could be taken. HURRIYET: CHP leader Deniz Baykal criticized government's 'policy of leniency' in responding to reports demanding disciplinary action against Van Prosecutor Ferhat Sarikaya. EKSPRES / BOLGE: Mustafa Kebude announced that he would run for chairmanship of AKP Adana provincial party organization during the party's May 6 congress. EKSPRES / BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY): Mehmet Cebe, Adana Security Director, made an announcement to mark the 161st anniversary of foundation of the Turkish Police Organization. BOLGE: State Minister Nimet Cubukcu will come to Adana today to attend opening ceremonies of Seyhan Municipality's Orphanage, Rotary's Center for Society and a Women's Center. Cubukcu will pay a visit to the Governor's Office, Municipality and AKP headquarters. BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY): Mufti of the Adana province made a call to people to be aware and sensitive about recent tension that started in the southeast Turkey. SABAH (GUNEY): Yumurtalik's Sea Products Cooperative in Adana filed a complaint against Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) project. A Yumurtalik court overturned complainants' indemnification request for repairing the damage done to local fishermen. Attorney of the cooperative said that if a higher court further overturned their appeal, they would file a complaint with the European court. HURRIYET ONLINE: PM Erdogan responded to DTP Co-Chairperson's request for appointment as he was talking to his party's group meeting at the parliament and assessing the situation in southeast Turkey. Erdogan made a call to Turk, "Declare PKK as a terrorist organization; then we can meet." HURRIYET ONLINE: Foreign Minister and Chairperson of Higher Board for Anti-Terrorism, Abdullah Gul, held a meeting with the representatives of press and said that some mayors acted irresponsibly during social unrest that developed in the southeastern region. According to Gul, however, most of the ADANA 00000074 002 OF 002 people of the region did not allow the PKK to deceive people. Gul said that he received no requests from DTP Co-Chairperson Ahmet Turk to meet in order to discuss the issues in the southeast. Reportedly, Ahmet Turk had earlier claimed that DTP heard no response from Gul following DTP's request for an appointment. OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily claimed that nearly 1000 people have been detained during protest activities that took place in Diyarbakir and 400 people have been arrested. The daily claimed that 89 of the arrestees were children. Security officers allegedly used several torture methods against children. Attorney Cengiz Analay from Diyarbakir Bar Association said that children have not been given any food for four days, officers spit on the stale bread before they gave it to children, detainees have been forced to give statements against Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir, detainees have allegedly been left naked, and washed with cold water, etc. The daily claimed that a detainee has fallen unconscious and was hospitalized because of alleged use of torture against him during questioning in Diyarbakir. OZGUR GUNDEM: DTP Ceylanpinar Provincial Chairperson Halit Kahraman and senior party members have been detained following the incidents that developed in Sanliurfa's Ceylanpinar district. People in Ceylanpinar did not open their businesses and police reportedly pressed tradesmen to open their businesses. OZGUR GUNDEM: Officers from Gazinatep Security Directorate's Anti-Terror Branch and special team members conducted raids at houses in Gaziantep and detained 12 people. OZGUR GUNDEM: 33 out of 41 detainees in the Batman province have been arrested. Reportedly, six of the arrestees are minor age. OZGUR GUNDEM: DTP Siirt Provincial Chairperson Murat Avci made a press announcement and said that he and Diayrbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir have been made targets of hostility. Upon DTP Co-Chairperson Ahmet Turk's statements saying that Avci would be referred to party disciplinary committee for giving instructions to Siirt people during the funeral of PKK terrorist Kenan Demir (see press summary 03/30) not to open their businesses or attend schools throughout that day, further stated that he (Avci) would for sure abide by the decisions taken by his party organization. OZGUR GUNDEM: Dead bodies of six of 14 terrorists, who were killed in Bingol and Mus on March 24 and who were being kept at Malatya State Hospital have not bee given to their families yet. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): A 62-person delegation from Adana went to Germany's Essen province to establish business ties with the city. Chairperson of Adana Chamber of Industry, Umit Ozgumus, said that a German delegation would visit Adana in September. ¶2. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): A reported article in a newspaper in Russia voiced a possible measure that Russian authorities may take regarding their fruits and vegetable imports from Turkey because of high levels of remnants of fertilizers in the products. REID