SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE, 13, 2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ADANA 000082 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE, 13, 2007 ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 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. BOLGE / CNN ONLINE / HABERLER.COM / EKSPRES: Roger C. Rigaud, Vice-Consul to the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, during a talk he gave at Adana Chamber of Commerce on "Non-Immigrant Visas to the U.S.", told the audience that the rumours alleging that the U.S. was not issuing visas since 9/11 were not true. Rigaud said that they were actually striving to issue more visas. Rigaud, when asked about the number of Turkish people going to the U.S. since 9/11, said that the number of people decreased from 90,000 to 40,000 since 9/11, but they believed economic concerns were the chief cause of this outcome. ¶3. CUMHURIYET / HURRIYET ONLINE / GUNDEM: Diyarbakir's 6th Heavy Penalty Court continued to hear the case of 10 defendants, including DTP Diyarbakir Deputy District Chairperson Musa Farisogullari, because of the violent demonstrations that took place in Diyarbakir between 28 and 31 March. The prosecutor demanded 10 years of prison sentence against Farisogullari "for being a member of a terrorist organization." ¶4. GUNDEM: PKK reportedly claimed that the actor behind the societal tension escalating recently in Turkey was the Turkish Armed Forces which was allegedly using the media to reach this goal. PKK said that they were not taking and would not take any action besides self-defence if/when attacked. According to the terrorist organization, Turkey was deepening the crisis on the Kurdish issue through internet memorandums, internal military operations and cross-border bombardments. If the army were to cease its military operations, the tension would then subside, said the PKK. ¶5. GUNDEM: "Independent Candidates of A Thousand Hopes" met with the electoral base, reports the daily. Independent candidates in Diyarbakir will continue their election campaigns in four different election zones in the province. In the first election zone, which is the Baglar District, Aysel Tugluk will run her campaign; in the 2nd zone, which covers Bismil and Cinar districts and a few other quarters, Akin Birdal will run his campaign; in the 3rd zone covering Surici district which also includes Silvan, Hazro, Lice and Kulp districts, Gultan Kasinak will run her campaign. In the 4th zone covering Kayapinar district which also includes Ergani, Cermik, Cungus and some villages, Selahattin Demirtas will run his election campaign. Van province is divided into three election zones. Fatma Kurtulan will run in city center and Bostanici quarter; Saim Kartal will run in Ercis, Caldiran, Muradiye districts and some villages; Ozdal Ucer will run in Catak, Gevas, Edremit, Gurpinar, Baskale, Saray and Ozalp districts. The daily further provides information about independent candidates in Siirt, Batman and Malatya. ¶6. HURRIYET: The daily reports controversies going on in Van district concerning parties' nomination lists. The first ranking candidates in MHP's, CHP's and DYP's and Motherland Party's tickets reportedly frustrated many part members. The daily reports that first ranking candidates of DYP and Motherland Party were parachuted. Former Van deputy from CHP, Mehmet Kartal, who is a member of Buruki clan which covers 110 villages in Van, is frustrated that he was not able to find room in the CHP party ticket: 110 villages equal a loss of 30,000 votes in Van for CHP. In 2002 elections, AKP deputies won 6 seats and CHP won 1 seat in the Van province. ¶7. BOLGE: The CHP provincial party organization, during a meeting they held yesterday to assess the current situation in the runup to the elections (see press summary for June 12), decided that they would hold a press announcement on Thursday (June 14) with their election candidates. Adana CHP also announced its decision to take part in the public meeting that will be held in Adana's Pozanti district to condemn terrorism. ¶8. BOLGE: Kanal A, a local TV station in Adana, hosted two former Adana deputies, one from AKP and one from CHP, namely Abdullah Torun and Ziya Yergok, and they discussed why the former deputies were left out of the local party tickets formed for the upcoming parliamentary elections. SECURITY ADANA 00000082 002 OF 003 ¶9. HURRIYET ONLINE: Feyzullah Arslan, former Antalya security director who resigned from his office to get nominated to run in the elections, was not included in the DP party ticket. Arslan was recently appointed as the new Adana Security Director, a seat which had remained empty for about a month after the former security director retired from office. ¶10. CUMHURIYET / HURRIYET: The coffin of Jandarma Commanda Corporal Ahmet Bilgic, who was killed in Erzincan's Kemah district in a shootout with the PKK (see press summary for June 12),was brought to his hometown in Tokat. Nearly 10,000 people attended the funeral despite the rainy weather, reports the Hurriyet daily. People shouted anti-PKK slogans and slogans against the government. During his talk at the funeral, the Tokat Provincial Jandarma Commander, while expressing his sorrow, gave the news that the unit to which the corporal was registered was continuing its military operations and they were able to kill three of the terrorists who killed the corporal. Meanwhile, an angry person tore apart the wreath which an AKP district municipality sent to the funeral. ¶11. HURRIYET ONLINE / HABERLER.COM: The PKK's alleged ceasefire announced yesterday lasted for only a few hours, as PKK members reportedly opened fire at a jandarma post located at the Munzur Mountains in Tunceli at around 1.30 p.m. yesterday. Security personnel at the jandarma station retaliated; however, the terrorists fled the scene. No casualties were reported. ¶12. HURRIYET ONLINE / GUNDEM: Around 10 PKK members attacked a marble quarry owned by a Turkish businessman named Halis Toprak, in Diyarbakir's Hani district. Terrorists gathered the quarriers to a place and burned three vehicles after pouring gas on them. The terrorists told the people that they should not continue operating the quarry. Terrorists ran away after repeating PKK-related propaganda. Jandarma teams launched an operation in the direction that the terrorists had run. ¶13. CNN ONLINE: With military operations in the region continuing, units from the Ikizce 23rd Division Command in Sirnak conducted a large-scale military exercise in the Cudi Mountain employing tanks and artillery. ¶14. GUNDEM: Children playing outside discovered some ammunition, including projectiles of varying calibers, in a plastic bag in the water under a bridge in the Hekimhan district of Malatya. ¶15. GUNDEM: On June 8 two people, reportedly clad in military uniforms, stopped a car on a road 200 metres away from a jandarma point in Van's Baskale district and extorted 5000 YTL and two cell phones from the passengers. The two passengers followed the thieves as they fled the scene and identified them later to file a complaint with the jandarma. However, the daily alleges that the suspects were released by the jandarma authorities a day after they were caught. CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ¶16. BOLGE: Police found 21 kilograms of heroin in Malatya and detained five people in connection with the drug find. ¶17. CUMHURIYET: Police searched a house in Nurdagi district of Gaziantep and found 67 kilograms of hashish in its bathroom. 47,952 roots of Indian hemp were found planted in the house's garden. ECONOMY ¶18. BOLGE / EKSPRES: The chairperson of the Chamber of Agriculture announced that this year's watermelon produce, in quality and abundance, pleased the farmers in the Cukurova region. The chairperson added that available exporting capability for this produce balanced the prices in the market, and the farmers were also pleased with current watermelon market prices. CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT ¶19. BOLGE / EVRENSEL: Atilla Gulsar, Deputy Education Director of Adana, said that the project initiated by the ILO (International Labor Organization) and Turkish Ministry of Labor in Adana's Karatas district for "Ending the Child Labor Caused ADANA 00000082 003 OF 003 by Seasonal Agricultural Work in the Fields in Karatas through Winning the Children Workers Back to the Education System" was working well. Gulsar, who was visited by the Project Coordinator and a group of students yesterday (June 12) which marked the International Day to Fight Against Child Labor, said that the project was successful and should be continued. ¶20. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / BOLGE / EKSPRES: Fevzi Acevit, president of Adana's main festival organizer company, said that 14th Altinkoza (Golden bowl) Film Festival was very successful and a total of 60,000 people watched films during the festival between June 4 and 11. ¶21. GUNDEM: A DTP Women's Assembly was founded in Hakkari's Yuksekova district. A meeting was held to announce the founding of the assembly. A total of 200 people including the Yuksekova District Mayor, members of DTP women's assemblies in Semdinli and Cukurca districts, a DTP central party women's assembly member, members of Mothers for Peace Initiative, Free Citizens Initiative members, and others attended the meeting. ¶22. GUNDEM: A 30-year-old woman committed suicide at her home by hanging in Mardin's Derik district. GREEN