KURDS, AND PKK, CONTINUE TO SPREAD WEST

C O N F I D E N T I A L ADANA 0470


E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: PINS PTER TU
SUBJECT: KURDS, AND PKK, CONTINUE TO SPREAD WEST

REF: ADANA 0468


1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT


2. RECENT REPORTING FROM ADANA AND OTHER POSTS IN
TURKEY HAS FOCUSSED ON THE MASS MIGRATION OF KURDS
FROM THE SOUTHEAST INTO THE LARGE CITIES OF THE WEST.
AN ITEM IN THURSDAY'S ADANA PRESS SUMMARY SHOWS HOW
KURDISH MIGRATION IS ALSO PUTTING THE SQUEEZE ON
TURKISH RESIDENTS IN SMALLER TOWNS BORDERING ON THE
TRADITIONAL KURDISH AREAS -- AND BRINGING WITH IT THE
PKK.


3. ACCORDING TO A "MILLIYET" ITEM ON SEPTEMBER 9
(PARA 5, REFTEL),PKK MILITANTS ATTACKED THE
SUMERBANK (A GOVENMENT-OWNED COOPERATIVE) YARN MILL
IN THE TOWN OF PERTEK ON THE NIGHT OF SEPT 6, KILLING
THE MILL'S PLANNING CHIEF AND A SECURITY GUARD. THE
MILITANTS THEN TORCHED THE MILL. SECURITY TROOPS
REPORTEDLY ARRIVED AS THE MILITANTS WERE LEAVING, AND
KILLED ONE. THE REST PRESUMABLY ESCAPED. PERTEK, A
TOWN IN TUNCELI PROVINCE ABOUT HALFWAY BETWEEN
TUNCELI AND ELAZIG ON THE NORTH SHORE OF THE KEBAN
RESERVOIR, HAS BEEN ALMOST WHOLLY POPULATED BY ETHNIC
TURKS SINCE THE ARMENIAN RESIDENTS WERE REMOVED OR
EXTERMINATED DURING WORLD WAR I. THE MOTHER OF ONE
OF CONSULATE ADANA'S EMPLOYEES HALES FROM PERTEK, AND
THE EMPLOYEE KNOWS THE TOWN, AND WAS A DISTANT
RELATIVE OF ONE OF THE MEN KILLED IN THE YARN MILL
ATTACK.


4. ACCORDING TO THE EMPLOYEE'S RELATIVES, THERE HAD
BEEN NO SIGNS OF KURDISH UPRISING VIOLENCE IN THE
TOWN UNTIL THIS SUMMER, AND THE ATTACK ON THE MILL
WAS THE FIRST ATTACK EVER INSIDE THE TOWN. THE ONLY
OTHER PREVIOUS INCIDENT, ALSO THIS SUMMER, INVOLVED
GUNMEN -- PRESUMABLY KURDISH MILITANTS -- FIRING DOWN
ON A NEARBY JANDARMA STATION FROM SURROUNDING HILLS.
THE ATTACK ON THE MILL, HOWEVER, WAS DIRECTED AGAINST
A GOVERNMENT-OWNED FACTORY, AND INCIDENTALLY, THE
ONLY MAJOR EMPLOYER IN TOWN.


5. FROM THE TIME OF THE ARMENIAN REMOVALS UNTIL THE
LAST 4 OR SO YEARS, PERTEK HAD REMAINED ALMOST
EXCLUSIVELY TURKISH. IN THE LAST 4 YEARS, LARGE
NUMBERS OF ZAZA KURDS FROM TUNCELI HAVE MOVED INTO
THE TOWN, BOUGHT PROPERTY AND BUILT HOUSES, ALL
APPARENTLY HOPING TO ESCAPE THE VIOLENCE IN AND
AROUND TUNCELI. THE NUMBERS OF KURDS AND TURKS IN
PERTEK ARE NOW ABOUT EQUAL, OR PERHAPS EVEN WEIGHTED
SLIGHTLY IN FAVOR OF THE KURDS. THE TWO GROUPS DO
NOT MIX, AND KEEP THEIR DISTANCE FROM EACH OTHER.
KURDISH MEN DO NOT, FOR EXAMPLE, GO TO TURKISH TEA
HOUSES, AND VICE VERSA.


6. EVEN BEFORE THE PKK FOLLOWED THE KURDISH
MIGRANTS, MANY ETHNIC TURKS HAD ALREADY LEFT PERTEK,
CITING THE OTHER PROBLEMS THE KURDISH MIGRANTS
BROUGHT WITH THEM. HOWEVER, OUR EMPLOYEE'S RELATIVES
HAVE RESISTED, HAVING THEIR ROOTS AND BUSINESSES IN
TOWN. IT WILL BEAR WATCHING WHETHER THIS ATTACK, AND
THE RESULTING JOBLESSNESS, WILL ACCELERATE THE
TURKISH FLIGHT FROM SMALL TOWNS LIKE PERTEK.


7. COMMENT: IN THE PAST MONTH OR SO, THE TURKISH
PRESS HAS REPORTED GREAT GOVERNMENT SUCCESS IN THE
SOUTHEAST, CITING FIGURES OF OVER 1000 PKK
FATALITIES. THESE REPORTS ARE PRESUMABLY BASED ON
TGS PRESS RELEASES, WHICH PROBABLY HAVE MORE
PROPAGANDA THAN NEWS VALUE. BUT WHILE THE TGS IS
CLAIMING VICTORY IN THE AREAS AROUND HAKKARI, SIRNAK,
AND DOGUBEYAZIT, THE PKK CONTINUES TO STRIKE IN OTHER
PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST. AS THIS AND OTHER ATTACKS
SHOW, THE MILITANTS CAN EVEN VENTURE INTO NEW AREAS.


8. FURTHER COMMENT: ALTHOUGH THE PRESS REPORTS
REFERRED TO THE ATTACKERS AS PKK MILITANTS, AND THERE
IS NO EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY, TUNCELI PROVINCE HAS
BEEN A BASE FOR THE TURKISH WORKERS AND PEASANTS
LIBERATION ARMY (TIKKO). IT IS POSSIBLE THAT TIKKO
ELEMENTS CARRIED OUT THE ATTACK, BUT THE LARGER AND
MORE NOTORIOUS PKK GOT THE CREDIT. END COMMENTS.


WARREN