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DE RUEHDA #0161/01 1940907
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 130907Z JUL 06
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4224
INFO RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0825
RUEUITH/AFOSI DET 521 ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0772
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0669
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000161
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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JULY 11, 2006
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for July 11, 2006.
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, SECURITY, HUMAN RIGHTS
HURRIYET: A group of PKK members opened fire at a police point
in Sirnak's Idil district with long-barreled automatic guns and
killed two policemen at 10 p.m. yesterday. A large-scale
military operation has been started following the incident.
HURRIYET: A PKK terrorist reportedly surrendered himself to
security officers in Tunceli's Ovacik district.
HURRIYET: Burial place of a 27 year old PKK member, Aziz
Askol, has been found in Kars's Kagizman district upon tip-off
given by shepherds in the area. The autopsy report stated that
the PKK member died as a result of blows in the head with a
stone. However, pro-PKK Firat News Agency reported on May 25
that Askol died in an accident as he fell from rocky cliff
during an operation carried out at night.
ZAMAN: A commemorative ceremony will be held in Van's
Bahcesaray district to mark PKK massacring in July 18, 1993 of
twenty-four people.
EVRENSEL: Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir, district mayors,
union and civic society members commemorated Vedat Aydin, HEP
(People's Labor Party) Diyarbakir Provincial Chairperson, who
was killed in July 9, 1999 after allegedly being kidnapped by
JITEM members.
BOLGE / ZAMAN: PM Erdogan will come to Adana tomorrow to
attend June 13 opening ceremony of Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan (BTC)
pipeline's terminal in Adana's Ceyhan district. Meanwhile,
preparations for the official opening ceremony have reportedly
been finalized. Matt Bryza, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State, who came to Ankara for a two-day visit to hold talks with
senior foreign affairs ministry officials, will attend the BTC
opening later.
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): PM Erdogan will attend the
ground-breaking ceremony of Ilisu Dam in Bitlis on August 5.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Kurdistan National Congress in Brussels
announced May 14 as a day to celebrate Kurdish Language Day.
ZAMAN: Zaman daily cited Tunceli mayor Songul Erol Abdil as
reportedly dismissing the allegations in some media reports
claiming that Abdil demanded to expose those people responsible
for veiling the heads of female folkloric dancers with turbans
as they danced at an opening ceremony held on Saturday in
Tunceli (see press summary 07/10).
ZAMAN / EVRENSEL / HURRIYET: DTP National Chairperson Ahmet
Turk and party assembly member Aysel Tugluk gave their
statements at the Ankara Court Hall because of alleged pro-PKK
propaganda they made during their speeches at a June 25 DTP's
first convention held in Ankara.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Ibrahim Sunkur, DTP Van Provincial
Chairperson, paid a visit to Hangedik village of Van's Caldiran
district which suffered from flooding on July 2. A woman was
killed, 58 houses were ruined and 300 farm animals were killed
in the disaster. Sunkur demanded that authorities urgently
address the problems of the local people living in tents.
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / OZGUR GUNDEM: More than 600 manhole covers
have been stolen in one year in Diyarbakir. The thieves have
reportedly been selling the covers as junk material.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Chairperson of Chamber of Agriculture in
Bitlis's Tatvan district claimed that hoof-and-mouth disease
erupted and it reached a hazardous level in Budakli village.
OZGUR GUNDEM: UN Special Rapporteur for Violence against
Women talked with Kurdish origin women who immigrated to or took
refuge in Holland, and discussed their problems. Holland is the
eleventh country Erturk paid a visit to.
EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Representatives of
non-governmental organizations in Adana convened in Adana's
Egitim-Sen (Teachers' Union) and demanded release of Adana
Newruz committee members in the coming June 13 court hearing and
DTP Chairperson in Mersin during June 11 court hearing.
OZGUR GUNDEM: Jandarma officials, who conducted local
inspections in Dag hamlet of Tunceli's Hozat district upon
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complaints from villagers claiming that a mortar shell landed on
a section close to their settlement area (see press summary
07/07), allegedly mocked the villagers by asking, "Could it be a
meteor rather than a mortar shell?"
RADIKAL / ZAMAN: Hans Jorg Kretschmer, Head of the EU
delegation in Turkey said that village guards have been impeding
the return the to villages project (of Turkey.)
BOLGE / ZAMAN / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): EU Information Bureau
at Adana Chamber of Commerce will hold a "European Folk Dances
Festival" on September 5-9 in Adana.
BOLGE / EKSPRES: Fourteen Turk youths living in Sweden, who
came to Adana upon invitation from Young Communication
Specialists in Cukurova University under the project of
"Building Bridges", paid a visit to the Seyhan Municipality in
the last phase of their visit.
EKSPRES: A short-length documentary film is being shot in
Adana to mark Turco-German friendship. The project is being
sponsored by a Turkish businessman in Germany.
HURRIYET: Ismail Karabucak, member of a well-known family
engaged in industrial business and farming in Adana has been
shot dead as he was traveling from Mersin to Adana's Yuregir
district.
REID