SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 25, 2007

UNCLAS ADANA 000087 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 25, 2007 ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 25, ¶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 / ZAMAN: National Chairperson of Workers' Party, Dogu Perincek, held a political rally in Adana and made anti-U.S. and anti-Incirlik remarks during his address to a crowd of supporters under intense summer heat. ¶3. ZAMAN: The daily observes election trends in Sanliurfa province and reports that AKP, DP, and independent candidates are holding strong positions there. According to the paper, MHP is only influential in the city center. The social structure of the province turns out such that instead of parties, the clans in the province will compete bitterly among each other, because AKP enlisted two clan leaders in its ticket's first and second ranking slots, and DP enlisted another influential clan leader on its own ticket. It is estimated that two DTP-supported candidates will also win seats in the parliament from Sanliurfa. SECURITY ¶4. ZAMAN / SABAH / HURRIYET / BOLGE / GUNDEM: The papers reported on Sunday that two terrorists held a suicide attack at 8 p.m. on Saturday at Karsilar Jandarma station in Tunceli and attempted as they strayed from the main road to drive into the station with an oil tanker as they blew themselves up with explosives. Meanwhile, terrorists located at a firing range in a forest area around the station opened fire. The jandarma retaliated. The papers report that terrorists initially killed the driver of the tanker to seize it. (This is from June 24 edition.) Gundem daily claims on its Monday (June 25) edition that the security personnel opened fire at a tanker as it was traveling towards Ovacik district and passed by a jandarma station. The daily claimed that two civilians in the tanker, one of whom was the driver, were killed in the explosion. Gundem daily claims that the fire that resulted from the explosion at the jandarma station was taken under control later. ¶5. GUNDEM: A tip-off, which claimed that a suicide bomber would blow him/herself up at the Ataturk Dam in Sanliurfa, allegedly caused the authorities to limit the number of visitors to the dam. Sanliurfa Governor, who dismissed suicide bomber rumors, said that they imposed a certain ban on the number of visitors because of the regular security measures taken in the run-up to the elections. ¶6. GUNDEM: The police in Tunceli reportedly started distributing brochures in the province with the following title: "No to Terrorism, Yes to Love and Friendship." The brochures reportedly explained current threats to the society and described ways people could help security forces to resolve those threats. ¶7. ZAMAN / GUNDEM: Two persons, who were allegedly members of Hezbollah in Turkey, were reportedly detained in Van. ¶8. SABAH / ZAMAN / BOLGE: Van Police found 47 pistols, two of which were Glock brand, in hidden sections of a car in Van. The driver of the car turned out to be a village guard and the pistols were being delivered to the PKK. Police are also interrogating another village guard and two PKK members in connection with PKK related arms dealing. CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ¶9. ZAMAN / BOLGE / EVRENSEL / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Eighty-seven people, illegal migrants including Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, were caught by police in two separate operations carried out in Adana. Bangladeshis set off from Iran, arrived in Van on foot and were in transit to Istanbul, reported the daily. CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT ¶10. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Twenty-nine women were recently provided microloans to assist them in self-employment projects in Sanliurfa, said the Mayor of the province (This summary is from June 23 edition). GREEN