Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for August 22, 2006

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TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 22, 2006

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for August 22,
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

YENI SAFAK / OZGUR GUNDEM: PKK claimed responsibility for the
explosion that took place on the natural gas pipeline of BOTAS
(Turkish Pipeline Corporation) in Agri's Taslicay Township over
the weekend (see press summaries for August 20, 21).

HURRIYET ONLINE: Anti-terror teams in Istanbul caught three
terrorists in Istanbul and found 9 kilograms of plastic
explosives and six electrical fuses during the searches made at
their houses.

ZAMAN / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / OZGUR GUNDEM / YENI SAFAK: A
clash reportedly broke out between Turkish soldiers and a
15-person group which attempted to cross the border illegally
from Syria to Hatay. A 23-year-old Syrian national died during
the clash. The other members of the group escaped to Syria.
Police found 14 pitchers of fuel oil (800 liters), 43 pistol
bullets, five packs of cigarettes and two whiskey bottles.

ZAMAN: The PKK terrorist, who was caught with a fake
passport at the Ataturk Airport of Istanbul on August 18, has
been arraigned and arrested.

ZAMAN / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE / EKSPRES /
HURRIYET: A fire broke out in a village of Adana's Yuregir
district yesterday at noon. The firefighters undertook great
efforts until late in the evening to control the fire, and
authorities had to evacuate one village, which was under risk.
247 acres of forest land were burned during the fire.
Meanwhile, fire broke out in three locations in a district of
the Kahramanmaras province because of a lightning strike.

SABAH (GUNEY) / RADIKAL: The highest temperature of the
year has reportedly been recorded in Sanliurfa as 120 degrees
Fahrenheit. Radikal daily, however, reported that the
temperature was 122 degrees Fahrenheit in the Antalya province.

OZGUR GUNDEM: It is reported that soldiers allegedly burned
56 acres of forest land in Diyarbakir's Dicle district while the
military operations were going on in that region.

EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: The increased military operations
and the conflict situation in the southeastern region thwarted
the Return to Villages Project in the east. Most of the people,
who returned to villages, had to leave their villages again
throughout June and July, reported the daily.

EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM / CUMHURIYET: September 1 World
Peace Day will be celebrated with a public meeting at Caglayan
Square of Istanbul. The theme of the public event will
reportedly be "Peace in Turkey and the Middle East, Peace for
the Peoples." DTP Istanbul party organization has kicked off
efforts to organize the event. DTP (Democratic Society Party),
EMEP (Party of Labor), SDP (Socialist Democracy Party), ODP
(Freedom and Solidarity Party), Goc-Der (Association for
Imigrants' Solidarity and Culture), Democratic Alevi Initiative
and women's organizations will take part in the event.

EVRENSEL: Unidentified people attacked party building of DTP
in Bursa with stones and Molotov cocktails late at night
yesterday.

OZGUR GUNDEM: The health condition of the mayor of Siirt's
Kurtalan district (from DTP), who had an accident as he was
traveling to Ankara, has been getting better. The mayor was
seriously wounded and was under intensive care for a while (see
press summary for August 20).

OZGUR GUNDEM: Two female journalists of DIHA (Dicle News
Agency) are reportedly still kept under arrest. The journalists
were reportedly arrested on February 15 in Mersin as they were
following several public events marking the anniversary of
arrest of Abdullah Ocalan by Turkish forces. The journalists
were arrested on grounds that "they were members of the
terrorist organization and were engaging in terrorist
activities" and "they kept possession of explosives."

OZGUR GUNDEM: The people in Hakkari's Semdinli district

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complained that the Umut Bookstore, which was bombed on November
9 last year, has continued to stay closed during the two and a
half month period in which the owner of the bookstore has been
under arrest till today.

OZGUR GUNDEM: The Association of Retired Non-Commissioned
Officers made an announcement and reportedly said that holding
talks with a U.S. coordinator on PKK issues would reportedly
amount to mingling of the U.S. in the internal matters of the
country.

BOLGE: Thirty-seven Syrian nationals, who entered the
country illegally, have been caught in Mersin's Silifke
district. The Syrians were reportedly trying to go to Italy
through Cyprus.

RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET: Germany reportedly started deporting
Syriacs in the country, who went from Turkey to Germany for
different reasons and who sought asylum there in the past (see
press summary for August 21). A seven-member family, who went
to Germany 11 years ago, returned to the Uckoy township in
Mardin's Midyat district. Three other families, who were also
deported, returned to Istanbul.

RADIKAL: Turkish National Police conducted a research on the
honor killings that took place in the last six years in Turkey.
According to the police's report, most of the honor killings
took place in the western provinces of Turkey. However, a
reported interesting finding was that the perpetrators were
people whose hometowns are from the southeastern or eastern
provinces.

RADIKAL / CUMHURIYET: According to Iranian police, Iranian
forces reportedly arrested nine people, four of whom were PKK
terrorists, during a clash that took place between terrorists
and Iranian forces at the border area with Turkey.
REID

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