VZCZCXRO6810
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHDA #0049 0960529
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060529Z APR 07
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4486
INFO RUEUITH/AFOSI DET 521 ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 1032
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0888
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 1089
UNCLAS ADANA 000049
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 04, 2007
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for April 04,
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
BOLGE: Despite the court verdict which issued that the term
of office of the mayor of Karatas district in Adana should be
discontinued on grounds that his assembly membership was already
dropped before he took up office in the days that followed the
murder of the Karatas mayor last September, Karatas mayor
refuses to leave his seat and still continues to hold office.
CHP Adana provincial party organization will file a petition
with the Adana Governor's Office today to demand enforcement of
the court verdict.
EVRENSEL: Thousands of people protested the arrest of Cizre
Mayor Aydin Budak (from DTP) in front of the mayor's office in
Sirnak's Cizre district. Budak was recently arrested reportedly
on grounds that he made a speech that drew attention to the
health condition of Abdullah Ocalan during Newroz celebrations
in Cizre on March 21. People also held a sit-in protest on the
main road nearby the mayor's office. Many of the people in town
did not open their businesses throughout the day. The daily
also reports that four municipality assembly members, including
the deputy district mayor, were detained later, as well.
RADIKAL / EVRENSEL / ZAMAN: Diyarbakir Prosecutor's Office
called for 15 years prison sentence against 53 of 56 mayors in
the southeastern region because of the letter Diyarbakir Mayor
Osman Baydemir sent on behalf of the other mayors to Denmark's
Prime Minister Rasmussen in December 2005 in support of the
broadcasts of pro-PKK Roj TV in Denmark. (Note: Radikal daily
noted that the court called for a 10 year prison sentence.)
SECURITY
HURRIYET: As a result of a joint operation carried out by
Turkish and Syrian security forces within the territory of Syria
before PM Erdogan's trip to Damascus, six terrorists and the
leader of the PKK located in Syria, were captured and arrested.
CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / RADIKAL: A total of 227 foreign
nationals, who have illegally entered the country on foot
through Turkey's border with Iran, were caught and arrested by
jandarma teams in Van's Baskale district. Forty of them are
Afghanis, 144 of them are Pakistanis, 42 of them are
Bangladeshis and one of them is from Iraq.
GREEN