SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 13, 2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000019 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY 13, 2007 ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for February 13, 2007. 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 ¶2. GUNDEM: Municipality Assembly members from DTP at the (AKP ruled) Municipality of Siirt harshly criticized Mervan Gul, the mayor of Siirt, for not solving the infrastructural problems of the province and for turning the city into a province "covered with mud." ¶3. GUNDEM: People are holding protest activities in Sirnak's Cizre and Silopi districts, in Siirt, in Mardin's Derik district and in Agri's Dogubeyazit district ahead of February 15, a day which marks eight anniversary of Abdullah Ocalan's arrest. SECURITY ¶4. ZAMAN: An extensive military operation has reportedly been started against 350 terrorists in Ovacik district of Tunceli. Two Cobra helicopters bombarded two separate sections in Ovacik. ¶5. ZAMAN: A suspicious bag alarmed Turkish police in Mersin who sealed off the area around the bag which was found out to have included cell phones, batteries, cables, and a magnet. Police started an investigation. ¶6. BOLGE: Police apprehended three people in Mersin for making preparations to conduct terrorist activities for the PKK. ¶7. SABAH: Silopi police caught a woman PKK terrorist at the Habur Border Gate as she attempted to cross border to travel to northern Iraq. CRIME / LAW ENFORCEMENT: ¶8. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / BOLGE: Two brothers, who migrated to Mersin's Tarsus district from Diyarbakir to escape from the blood feud which targeted them, were ambushed and fired on at the Tarsus train station two days ago. One of the brothers died at the hospital. ¶9. BOLGE: A 34-year-old cashier stole 35,000 YTL and 400,000 USD from the Fortis Bank Branch in Adana where he worked. Police started an investigation to catch the thief. ¶10. SABAH (GUNEY): Police caught 33 foreign nationals hidden in a truck in Mersin's Silifke district. ¶11. SABAH (GUNEY): The police have still not been able to identify the perpetrator(s) in the killing of a 10-year-old boy who died when a bullet from an unknown source hit him as he was playing in the street in a section of Adana on February 8. ECONOMY ¶12. GUNDEM: Diyarbakir deputy from AKP in Mardin told the audience in press announcement held at the Provincial Authority that a "Micro Credit Project" for women would soon be implemented in the province. CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT ¶13. ZAMAN / GUNDEM / EVRENSEL / SABAH / RADIKAL: Pursuant to the bird flu case that erupted in Batman's Gercus district, quarantine has now been imposed on a village and its five hamlets in Diyarbakir's Silvan district when officials suspected the unusual deaths of birds there. Authorities started culling birds there. Meanwhile, no bird flu has been detected in patients who were brought from Batman to Diyarbakir for medical examination. ¶14. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): New and bigger pipes have been installed in the network of Adana's Catalan Dam which provides potable water for the city. The new pipes will enable the city to have more water and cooler water in the summer. Governor Cahit Kirac, Mayor Aytac Durak, and Ayhan Zeynep Tekin Boru, Adana deputy from AKP, conducted studies at the construction ADANA 00000019 002 OF 002 area. ¶15. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Hatay Governor Ahmet Kayhan announced that the airport construction in Hatay will be completed in August or September in 2007. ¶16. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / SABAH (GUNEY): A lot has been drawn and Yuregir Mayor Omer Topcu distributed 50 free bicycles to the 50 workers of the Yuregir Municipality in Adana. ¶17. GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: Children from Children's Assembly in Diyarbakir Sur Municipality made a press announcement and protested children as being enrolled into military service in parts of the world to mark the February 12 Red Hand Day against the use of children as soldiers in wars. ¶18. GUNDEM: It is reported that the person who immolated himself on February 9 in Diyarbakir was protesting the illegal crime rings and corruption in the society. The person, who was severely burned, was hospitalized in Balcali Hospital of Adana. ¶19. HURRIYET: Mersin's Chamber of Industry and Commerce will be holding annual literary competitions on December 18 to promote the city's reputation nationwide, to positively affect the social structure of the city and to raise awareness about the importance of literature. ¶20. HURRIYET: PM Erdogan attended the ceremony held in Kahramanmaras to celebrate liberation of the city from occupation 87 years ago. Sabah daily reports that Erdogan broke a record and simultaneously opened 750 facilities in the province. GREEN