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Viewing cable 07ADANA65, SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 01, 2007

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07ADANA65 2007-05-02 05:35 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Consulate Adana
VZCZCXRO2797
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHDA #0065/01 1220535
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 020535Z MAY 07
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4512
INFO RUEUITH/AFOSI DET 521 ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 1058
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0911
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEILB/NCTC WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 522 INCIRLIK AB TU
RUETIAA/DIRNSA FT MEADE MD
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1115
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000065 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 01, 2007 
 
1.      This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for May 01, 
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 / EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY):        Adana Governor Ilhan 
Atis, during a meeting with primary school inspectors, reminded 
that the Turkish Republic was a secular and social state that 
observed the rule of law.  Atis said that the inspectors should 
ensure the children are being raised in a system that encouraged 
positive thinking and science as well as placing importance on 
Turkish values and traditions.  Atis warned the inspectors that 
they should not show tolerance to people at schools who are 
engaging in anti-secular activities. 
 
3.      HURRIYET:       Provincial chairmen of the DTP (Democratic 
Society Party) and SDP (Socialist Democracy Party) held a joint 
press announcement in Istanbul, criticized the statement issued 
by the Office of Chief of Staff over the weekend, and extended 
support to the government. 
 
4.      GUNDEM: Prosecutors have been actively working, 
reports the daily, to open court cases and investigations 
against DTP for a while.  Ayhan Karabulut, DTP provincial 
chairperson in Batman, have been facing 29 years of prison 
sentence in a court case opened because of a press announcement 
Karabulut made, which criticized the police's reported harsh 
attitude during the violent unrest that took place in Diyarbakir 
on March 30, 2006.   The court case is brought on charges of 
being a member of the terrorist organization and damaging public 
property. 
 
5.      GUNDEM: Turkish employers who have trade relationships 
in northern Iraq are reportedly worried about a possible 
cross-border military operation that the Turkish Army could 
conduct in northern Iraq.  Employers are of the opinion that 
economic interests are being disregarded by military authorities 
as they are finding military solutions to address political 
issues. 
 
6.      GUNDEM: Police, who summoned 22 of the 33 people to 
the security director's office in Diyarbakir's Bismil district 
to take their statements because of an investigation opened 
against them for violating the law on holding demonstrations, 
detained the people when they arrived at the security director's 
office.  DTP's Bismil district chairperson is among the 
detainees. 
 
7.      GUNDEM: The readers of the Kurdish Azadiya Welat 
newspaper and Gundem newspaper in Siirt reportedly filed a 
complaint against the Turkish Chief of Staff Yasar Buyukanit. 
Spokesperson of the group said that the remarks of Buyukanit 
were harming the democratic state and the rule of law. 
 
8.      SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE:  Serdar Seyhan, CHP Provincial 
Chairperson in Adana, made a call to everybody to take part in 
the May 1 Labor Day March in Adana.  Separately, Seyhan 
announced the party's candidate who will be running for the in 
ections that will determine the new mayor of Adana's Karatas 
district.  Seyhan told journalists that he will talk with 
Governor Atis about the issue of ensuring the security of the 
votes and election officials during the election on May 2 (see 
press summary for April 27). 
 
SECURITY: 
 
9.      GUNDEM: Unidentified people threw a Molotov cocktail 
at the DTP provincial party building in Eskisehir.  A small fire 
broke out and material damage was reported following the 
incident. 
 
10.     GUNDEM: According to the daily, a total of nearly 68 
military operations were conducted in April in the southeastern 
region.  The daily points out to the death toll that resulted 
from that military activity. 
 
CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT 
 
11.     HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    Jandarma teams searched a truck 
and caught 53 people who entered the country illegally in Van's 
Baskale district.  39 Afghan, 11 Bangladeshi and 3 Pakistani 
nationals will be deported soon. 
 
ADANA 00000065  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
12.     SABAH (GUNEY):  Jandarma teams cracked down on drug 
dealers at a jandarma check point in Gaziantep and found 54,000 
Captagon pills worth 1-million-YTL in a car that attempted to 
flee the scene.  Nine people have been detained. 
 
CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT 
 
13.     EKSPRES / BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY):        A section of the 
Ceyhan-Kirikkale pipeline in Adana's Pozanti district was 
damaged by heavy machinery accidentally during construction 
going on in a section of a highway over the weekend. A small 
scale explosion took place and fire ensued when oil leaked from 
the pipeline.  Authorities immediately stopped the flow of oil 
in the pipeline and the fire was taken under control by the 
firefighters.  Today's local papers report that authorities 
prevented the oil from spilling into the Seyhan River. Sabah 
reports that the spill is threatening the Seyhan Dam. 
 
14.     EVRENSEL / GUNDEM:      The heavy rain that fell the 
previous day caused flooding in some sections of Sirnak's Cizre 
and Silopi districts. 700 houses and 270 business incurred 
material damage in Cizre.  Kizilay (Turkish Red Crescent) sent 
tents, blankets, beds and heaters to the areas that were 
affected.  There is currently power outage in the district and a 
crisis desk has been established by the Cizre Municipality. 
People in the two districts are trying to remove the water from 
their houses with the help of municipality teams.  A DTP 
delegation conducted studies at the sites in Cizre hit by the 
disaster. 
 
15.     GUNDEM / EVRENSEL:      Nearly one hundred forty-five 
people were poisoned by gas that spread after an explosion took 
place at a 400-liter chlorine tank of the municipality water 
network system in Sanliurfa's Suruc district over the weekend. 
Suruc subgovernor announced that an investigation will take 
place and a report about the event will be prepared. 
 
16.     GUNDEM: Hundreds of people reportedly attended the 
funeral ceremonies held separately for two PKK members in 
Sirnak's Beytussebap and Ulukisla districts.  PKK members were 
killed during operations on April 28 in Beytussebap. 
 
17.     GUNDEM: Four mayors (from DYP) resigned from their 
parties in Kahramanmaras on grounds that the mayors were not 
happy about the policies DYP pursued about the presidential 
elections. 
 
18.     EVRENSEL / GUDNEM:      The dailies advertised big 
celebratory messages of the Diyarbakir Mayor and district mayors 
marking the May 1 Labor Day. 
GREEN