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Viewing cable 02ADANA409, SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY,

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
02ADANA409 2002-12-09 16:08 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Consulate Adana
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ADANA 0409 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU IZ ADANA
SUBJECT:  SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, 
          DECEMBER 5-7, 2002 
 
 
1.  This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for 
December 5-7, 2002.  Please note that Turkish press 
reports often contain errors or exaggerations; 
AmConsulate Adana does not vouch for the accuracy of 
the reports summarized here. 
 
 
POLITICS, SECURITY, HUMAN RIGHTS 
-------------------------------- 
 
 
2.  MILITARY BUILD-UP AT INCIRLIK 
(Hurriyet)  Ammunition, medical materials and food are 
being piled up at Adana's Incirlik Air Base due to the 
proposed U.S. operation against Iraq.  Nearly 30 cargo 
planes landed at Incirlik beginning on December 4, 
compared to nearly eight cargo planes earlier.  Between 
200 and 300 U.S. soldiers arrived at the base, while 
military equipment / materials brought in by C-5, C-17, 
Boing 747 and DC-10 cargo planes were being transported 
to warehouses. 
 
 
3.  ADANA AIRPORT RE-OPENING MAY BE DELAYED 
(Hurriyet/Milliyet)  Adana Mayor Aytac Durak said he had 
conveyed his concern that the repair project for the 
Adana Airport would not be completed on a timely basis 
to the State Airports Administration (DHMI) director 
general, Mahmut Pekin.  Durak added Pekin had told him, 
"Don't worry, we will complete the project on time 
unless there is rainfall."  Durak indicated he had 
replied that there could be rainfall in this season, 
which might delay the completion of the project. 
 
 
4.  PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS WILL BE RENEWED IN SIIRT 
(Hurriyet/Milliyet/Dunya/Milli Gazete/Sabah)  The Higher 
Election Council (YSK) declared parliamentary elections 
will be renewed in Siirt on February 9.  YSK had 
cancelled the November 3 parliamentary elections in 
Siirt.  Ten per cent national threshold will be applied 
in elections to be held on February 9 as well.  In 
answer to journalists' questions, YSK President Tufan 
Algan said 18 political parties and the Independent 
candidate would participate in these elections unless 
political parties other than AK Party and CHP, which 
passed the threshold, chose not to participate. 
 
 
5.  SIIRT MP ASKED TO RETURN HIS DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT 
(Milliyet)  Fadil Akgunduz, aka "Jet Fadil," who was 
elected as a Member of Parliament from Siirt, was asked 
to return his diplomatic passport following the 
cancellation of parliamentary elections in Siirt. 
 
 
6.  F-TYPE PRISONS CONFORM TO EU STANDARDS 
(Milliyet/Bolge/Turkiye)  Adana Chief Public Prosecutor 
Cemal Sahir Gurcay claimed transition to F-type prisons 
had helped bring terror incidents in prisons under 
control, which was also confirmed by reports issued by 
European delegations making inspections in Turkish 
prisons.  "There may, of course, be some complaints 
(regarding F-type prisons), but one has to pay attention 
to which sectors these complaints come from," Gurcay 
added. 
 
 
7.  SUSPENSION OF EREN KESKIN PROTESTED IN ADANA 
(Evrensel)  The Adana chapter of the Human Rights 
Association (HRA) issued a press release protesting the 
suspension of HRA national vice president Eren Keskin by 
the Turkish Bar Associations Union (TBB) and the 
Istanbul Bar Association for year due to an interview 
with a magazine eleven years ago.  The HRA described the 
suspension as "tragi-comic," claiming a state security 
court had decided to discontinue with the case. 
8.  VILLAGE GUARDS CONCERNED AFTER ABOLITION OF OHAL 
(Turkiye/Sabah)  Nearly 70,000 village guards are now 
concerned they might lose their jobs following the 
abolition of the State of Emergency (OHAL) in the 
Southeast.  A chief village guard complained they had 
fought for years but had no social security. 
 
 
9.  BISMIL (DIYARBAKIR) VILLAGE GUARDS INDICTED 
(Evrensel)  Diyarbakir Prosecutor Abdi Cengiz concluded 
his indictment in connection with the killing of three 
returnees and injury of another four returnees to 
Bismil's (Diyarbakir) Ugrak village.  Under Articles 448 
and 463 of the Turkish Criminal Code (TCK), Cengiz 
demanded that ten village guards be sentenced to up to 
24 years imprisonment for the killings and injuries. 
 
 
10.  CAPTAGON AND ECSTACY 
(Milliyet/Turkiye/Hurriyet/Dunya)  Mersin police, in 
collaboration with Gaziantep police, seized a total of 
4030 Captagon and Ecstasy pills during two separate 
operations.  Three suspects were arrested.  Seized 
pills' market value was estimated at USD 40,000. 
 
 
ECONOMIC AND AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS 
-------------------------------------- 
11.  INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENTS REVIVING IN ADANA 
(Dunya)  Adana Chamber of Industry President Umit 
Ozgumus said seven firms had been given incentive 
certificates for investments totaling TL 13 trillion 
(approx. USD 8.4 million) over the past month.  Ozgumus 
predicted capital savings of USD 1.8 billion deposited 
in Adana banks would soon turn into investments with 
implementation of the "Urgent Action Plan" declared by 
the government. 
 
 
12.  INCOME PER CAPITA UP IN THE SOUTHEAST 
(Sabah)  Income per capita rose from USD 600 to USD 
1,500 in the Southeast due to irrigated farming 
beginning in 1995.  Prior to irrigation USD 600 of 
products were obtained from one hectare versus USD 1,661 
in 1995, when irrigated farming began, and then to 1,543 
in 2001.  Annual income rose from USD 49 million in 1995 
to USD 172 million in 2001.  Irrigated farming expanded 
to 116,000 hectares in the Sanliurfa and Harran 
(Sanliurfa) Plains.  Irrigated farming was carried out 
in only 30,000 hectares in 1994. 
 
 
13.  OIL EXTRACTION 
(Hurriyet)  The Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) is 
extracting 300 barrels of oil daily from Ozluce-1 well 
near Malabadi along the Batman-Diyarbakir provincial 
border.  A TPAO official said it was premature to say 
anything about the reserve. 
 
 
14.  VAN CAT RESEARCH CENTER NOW A TOURIST ATTRACTION 
(Cumhuriyet)  Two thousand five hundred tourists have 
visited the Van Cat Research Center at Van's Centennial 
University this year. 
 
 
15.  GASKI ROBBED 
(Evrensel)  Muhtar Ozturk, who was in charge of 
Gaziantep's Sehrekustu chapter of the Gaziantep Water 
and Sewage Administration (GASKI), was robbed by three 
women he had invited in for a chat.  The robbers 
pretended they had come in to pay their water bills. 
After Ozturk let them in, one woman poured boiling water 
from the oven on him, while the other two women hit him 
with sticks.  When Ozturk fainted, the robbers tied 
Ozturk's hands and feet to his desk and ran away, taking 
with them all the collected money. 
HOLTZ