SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 10, 2006

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000078 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 10, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for April 10, ¶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 RADIKAL / OZGUR GUNDEM: A scuffle took place over the weekend when a 15-person group, who were members of Erzincan Youth Organization, attempted to hold a sit-in protest in Erzincan against isolation of inmates in the prisons and another 100-person rightist oriented group, angered by the protest activity, attacked the protestors. Police detained three association members. Huseyin Sahin, DTP Erzincan Deputy Provincial Chairperson, has been taken into custody as he was passing by the incident site. He was released later. Police officers blockaded the DTP provincial building. Tension reportedly continued when police used pepper gas against protestors who attempted to hold a press announcement yesterday. Radikal daily reported that 8 people have been wounded during the clash of the two groups. OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily reported allegations that the U.S. provided intelligence information to Turkey for the military operation Turkey carried out in Mus province which resulted in killing of 14 PKK militants on March 24. The daily pointed to Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace's visit to Ankara taking place ahead of the military operation, a situation strengthening the rationale behind such allegations. RADIKAL: The daily reported in its front page coverage that Diyarbakir people have started showing their unwelcome attitude towards the PKK without fear. People, who have kept their businesses open during the violent demonstrations in Diyarbakir, are reportedly no longer afraid to disclose their names publicly. Two students from Dicle University reportedly said that there was no boycott of classes during the incidents; mainly, the students were made to get out of the classes forcibly, said the students. The daily reported tradesmen in Diyarbakir expressing their objection to such incidents taking place in the province. Meanwhile, Deputy Governor of Diyarbakir announced tentative damage assessment results: Damage was done on 612 buildings, which are comprised of 342 businesses, 35 public offices, and 145 homes. 20 businesses were plundered. 22 ATMs have been badly damaged ZAMAN / HURRIYET / RADIKAL / BOLGE / OZGUR GUNDEM: Because of a remotely controlled mine blast that took place on Saturday (04/08) at 1.30 pm, Elazig Provincial Jandarma Command Ali Ergulmez was wounded, and Lieutenant Colonel Ali Yilmaz and the driver (a Jandarma private) of the car they had been driving in have been killed. 8th Army Corps Commander went to the site immediately after the incident to conduct studies there. A large scale operation has been started in the area. (This press summary is from 04/09 edition.) ZAMAN: The daily reported that 9 PKK members, who were caught with 7 kilograms of A-4 explosives in Istanbul, were making preparations to launch terrorist activities in the city. Meanwhile, police unveiled links between those PKK members and a recently caught man called M.S.F., who had reportedly carried out the bombing in the Kusadasi seaside resort which killed 5 people last year. (This press summary is from 04/09 edition.) HURRIYET: The daily cited written statements of a PKK militant who was caught making preparations to launch terrorist activities in Istanbul. According to the PKK defector, the PKK sacrificed 14 militants and victimized them to abuse the situation that would develop following their funerals. ZAMAN: Deputy Prime Minister and State Minister Abdullatif Sener arrived at the Adana Airport and set off for Osmaniye province to attend several ground-breaking ceremonies there. Sener pointed out in Adana that recent developments in the southeastern region should not deter anybody from making investments in the region. (This press summary is from 04/09 edition.) OZGUR GUNDEM: A new women's association has been founded in Hakkari province. The association aims to win women, whose villages were evacuated and who have lost their production capabilities, back into the chain of economic production. OZGUR GUNDEM: Cizre Mayor dismissed allegations of Cizre Subgovernor's Office and Provincial Education Directorate claiming that sanitary quality of the city water was poor and coli form bacteria was found in it. ADANA 00000078 002 OF 002 RADIKAL: Four people, who were detained in connection with the incident of people tearing down a bust of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and hanging it on a bridge in Mardin's Nusaybin district, have been arrested to stand trial later. OZGUR GUNDEM: PKK reportedly dismissed any connection with the blasts that took place in Ordu and Diyarbakir. (Note: An explosion took place in a municipality car in Diyarbakir on Friday. A child and a municipality staff member have been wounded. A person was killed during another blast that took place in the northern Ordu province. Three people have been wounded. End Note.) (This summary is from 04/09 edition.) EVRENSEL: Van Security Directorate seized 227,500 packets of smuggled cigarettes in a car traveling from Hakkari to Van. (This summary is from 04/09 edition.) BOLGE: Quarantine has been imposed in a village of Kurkculer township of Yuregir district in Adana because of rabies detected in dogs. (This summary is from 04/09 edition.) SABAH (GUNEY): PM Erdogan attended the opening ceremony of a new building of the Gaziantep Airport. During the opening ceremony, Erdogan expressed his frustration over why the airport has not been finished since 1998 and attributed the blame to the former governments. REID