SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 11, 2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ADANA 000079 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 11, 2007 ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 11, ¶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. HURRIYET: A large anti-PKK public meeting was held in Bitlis's Tatvan district by the "War Veterans and Martyrs Association." Nearly 10,000 people attended the event and people shouted the following slogans, "Down with the PKK", "One country one flag", "Baby killer Abdullah Ocalan." Bitlis Governor delivered a speech during the meeting and people hung Turkish flags all over Bitlis ahead of the meeting. Bitlis Mayor, Bitlis 6th Armored Brigade Command's Brigadier General, Bitlis Security Director and District Mayor attended the demonstration. ¶3. GUNDEM: The daily claims that the Turkish army started a mobilization in southeastern Turkey and issued a de facto state of emergency in Siirt, Sirnak and Hakkari provinces through declaring a "prohibited military security zone." The daily points out that the army recently signed a protocol agreement with civilian intercity bus companies in the southeast with regard to transportation of soldiers in the southeastern region. ¶4. GUNDEM: DTP, in order not to lose votes of the seasonal workers who leave the southeastern region to work in the agricultural fields in the western sections of Turkey, will hire buses and transport the workers to the locales where they are registered and entitled to cast their votes during the election. ¶5. BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY): MHP held a large political rally on Saturday (June 9) in Adana despite the rainy weather. MHP National Leader Devlet Bahceli participated in the rally and was reportedly pleased with the huge crowd that welcomed him in Adana. ¶6. EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY): Hulusi Guvel, CHP's candidate in Adana ranking third in the CHP Adana ticket, claimed that CHP will turn out as the first party in Adana in the July 22 elections. Separately, the daily reports criticisms fired against the AKP Adana ticket and especially the third ranking candidate who is Necdet Unuvar. Sabah's Guney supplement reports Mustafa Attaroglu, AKP Adana Provincial Chairperson, as embarking upon diligent efforts to win 10 seats from Adana during parliamentary elections. �A;¶7. CUMHURIYET: Turan Comez, a lawmaker from AKP, in the face of escalating terrorism activities in the country, proposed that the decision about the U.S.'s use of the Incirlik Airbase in Adana whose deadline is approaching, should be discussed at the parliament ahead of June 23, which is the expiry date for the use of the base by the U.S. According to Comez, Turkey should explicitly state the Turkey's demands from the U.S. about the PKK issue. SECURITY ¶8. HURRIYET / ZAMAN: Turkish Armed Forces announced that a total of 148 terrorists have been rendered ineffective since the beginning of military operations at the onset of spring. In the last one month, namely between May 9 and June 9, the death toll because of the terrorism related attacks reached a total of 42 Turkish people. Twenty-six of these people are security personnel and 16 of them are civilians. A total of 60 people were reportedly wounded. ¶9. CNNTURK ONLINE: Terrorists remotely detonated a mine on a road between Siirt and Sirvan on June 7 as a military convoy was passing and killed four soldiers and wounded six. Two of the killed were jandarma privates. One of them was a jandarma sergeant and the other one was a jandarma senior non-commisoned officer. Funeral ceremonies of the soldiers were held in their hometowns: Osmaniye, Ankara, Gaziantep and Ankara. Many state and government officials, politicians and military figures attended the funeral in Ankara. Some of the people protested Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul as he was paying condolences to the family of the martyr. Siirt Governor's Office announced that 18 people were detained in connection with the incident. ¶10. HURRIYET / CNNTURK ONLINE / CUMHURIYET: Terrorists remotely detonated a mine on a road in Sirnak's Guclukonak ADANA 00000079 002 OF 003 district on June 9 at around 7 p.m. and killed three soldiers in a car two of whom were an infantry lieutenant colonel and an ordnance major. Five soldiers were seriously wounded. It is reported that the soldiers were returning from a village where they had repaired the old parts of a mosque, and, moreover, the lieutenant colonel reportedly had voluntarily preferred to continue his military duties in the southeast. Following the incident, many soldiers were dispatched to the area and an extensive military operation was started. Cobra and Super Cobra helicopters are being used in the operation. The coffins of the soldiers were brought to the airport of Diyarbakir to be dispatched to their hometowns following a military ceremony held at 23rd Jandarma Border Division Command in Sirnak. Sirnak Governor attended the ceremony held at the Command. ¶11. HURRIYET / ZAMAN / GUNDEM: In a conflict between the security forces and the terrorists in Bitlis's Mutki district, a terrorist was killed. Separately, security forces, upon receiving a tip-off that terrorists would attack a highland area in Mus, launched an operation in the area and exchanged fire with the terrorists they encountered. A terrorist was killed and two others were caught alive. Two female civilians, who were caught in the terrorists' fire, were wounded. The Gundem daily claims that the village guards opened fire at a house they alleged were hiding PKK members and wounded those aforementioned women. Separately, a village guard died in a conflict that erupted between security forces and terrorists in Diyarbakir's Kulp district. ¶12. CNNTURK ONLINE: A soldier, who stepped on a mine planted by the PKK near a border area in Hakkari, was seriously wounded. Separately, a civilian health official stepped on a mine in Tunceli's Pulumur district and was wounded in his leg. ¶13. HURRIYET / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): The website of the Turkish General Staff announced that the security forces checking a rough terrain area in Sirnak yesterday morning (June 9) identified and rendered safe a pressure-sensitive explosive device planted in the ground by the terrorists. Hurriyet's Cukurova supplement reports that jandarma in Osmaniye held an anti-PKK operation and detained a person in a district of the province. The detainee was convinced to show the place where 10 kilograms of C-4 explosives were hidden. CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ¶14. HURRIYET ONLINE: Anti-smuggling branch of the Turkish Police in Gaziantep examined many gas stations in the province and seized 32,770 liters of smuggled diesel oil and 250 liters of smuggled gas in nine separate gas stations. Prosecution process was started against the owners of the businesses. ECONOMY ¶15. ZAMAN: Turkey's biggest and the world's second biggest shipyard will be constructed on 800,000 square meter land at the Yumurtalik Free Trade Zone of Adana. The groundbreaking ceremony will be held on July. CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT ¶16. HURRIYET / BOLGE: Kadir Inanir, a well-known Turkish actor, uttered a few remarks at the stage as he was about to give the award for The Best Actress during the final awards ceremony for Adana's Altinkoza (Goldenboll) Film Festival. Inanir said that he deeply appreciated the support Adana Mayor Aytac Durak was extending to the film festival. Inanir, as he appreciated Mr. Durak, stirred controversy when he further described governors as not longstanding figures in a province, as compared to the Adana Mayor Durak who reportedly never quit Adana and continued his work to date. Adana Governor, who went up the stage to present an award, expressed his resentment in his following response, "I was invited to present award, but I may not be an appropriate person to give an award since I am only temporary governor here. But, like how Kadir Inanir rendered his name eternal through his work, I will render my name eternal, and leave afterwards." This contoversy was broadcast live on state-run national TRT 2 TV. ¶17. BOLGE / EKSPRES: A 30-person group protested recently escalating terrorism in the country in the Ataturk Park of Adana. People waved Turkish flags and shouted the following slogans, "Down with hands intervening in the duty of the Turkish Army", "Martyrs shall not die, and, the country shall not be ADANA 00000079 003 OF 003 divided." ¶18. BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY): Seyhan Municipality opened a Martyrs' Park in a section of Seyhan district in Adana. Adana Governor Ilhan Atis; Adana deputies from AKP; Adana Mayor Aytac Durak; Seyhan Mayor Azim Ozturk; Emine Kurt, Chairperson of Association for Families of Martyrs and Disabled Veterans, and Murat Caner, war veteran, attended the park's opening ceremony which was carried out in sorrow because of the recent death toll in the southeastern region. ¶19. RADIKAL / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Youth and Sports Directorate in Hakkari organized a Sports Festival at a highland area at 3700-meter altitude in Hakkari. The area was reportedly opened to public use for three years. Despite news about military operations going on in the southeast, young people of Hakkari were able to have a great time during the festival which had been defunct for 20 years because of terrorism. ¶20. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) : A graduation ceremony was held and seventy-three students graduated this year from Tarsus American High School in Tarsus district of Mersin. GREEN