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Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for June 11, 2007

Published: Mon 11 Jun 2007 11:36 AM
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SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JUNE 11, 2007
1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for June 11,
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. HURRIYET: A large anti-PKK public meeting was held in
Bitlis's Tatvan district by the "War Veterans and Martyrs
Association." Nearly 10,000 people attended the event and people
shouted the following slogans, "Down with the PKK", "One country
one flag", "Baby killer Abdullah Ocalan." Bitlis Governor
delivered a speech during the meeting and people hung Turkish
flags all over Bitlis ahead of the meeting. Bitlis Mayor,
Bitlis 6th Armored Brigade Command's Brigadier General, Bitlis
Security Director and District Mayor attended the demonstration.
3. GUNDEM: The daily claims that the Turkish army started
a mobilization in southeastern Turkey and issued a de facto
state of emergency in Siirt, Sirnak and Hakkari provinces
through declaring a "prohibited military security zone." The
daily points out that the army recently signed a protocol
agreement with civilian intercity bus companies in the southeast
with regard to transportation of soldiers in the southeastern
region.
4. GUNDEM: DTP, in order not to lose votes of the
seasonal workers who leave the southeastern region to work in
the agricultural fields in the western sections of Turkey, will
hire buses and transport the workers to the locales where they
are registered and entitled to cast their votes during the
election.
5. BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY): MHP held a large political rally
on Saturday (June 9) in Adana despite the rainy weather. MHP
National Leader Devlet Bahceli participated in the rally and was
reportedly pleased with the huge crowd that welcomed him in
Adana.
6. EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY): Hulusi Guvel, CHP's
candidate in Adana ranking third in the CHP Adana ticket,
claimed that CHP will turn out as the first party in Adana in
the July 22 elections. Separately, the daily reports criticisms
fired against the AKP Adana ticket and especially the third
ranking candidate who is Necdet Unuvar. Sabah's Guney
supplement reports Mustafa Attaroglu, AKP Adana Provincial
Chairperson, as embarking upon diligent efforts to win 10 seats
from Adana during parliamentary elections.
7. CUMHURIYET: Turan Comez, a lawmaker from AKP, in the face
of escalating terrorism activities in the country, proposed that
the decision about the U.S.'s use of the Incirlik Airbase in
Adana whose deadline is approaching, should be discussed at the
parliament ahead of June 23, which is the expiry date for the
use of the base by the U.S. According to Comez, Turkey should
explicitly state the Turkey's demands from the U.S. about the
PKK issue.
SECURITY
8. HURRIYET / ZAMAN: Turkish Armed Forces announced that a
total of 148 terrorists have been rendered ineffective since the
beginning of military operations at the onset of spring. In the
last one month, namely between May 9 and June 9, the death toll
because of the terrorism related attacks reached a total of 42
Turkish people. Twenty-six of these people are security
personnel and 16 of them are civilians. A total of 60 people
were reportedly wounded.
9. CNNTURK ONLINE: Terrorists remotely detonated a mine on
a road between Siirt and Sirvan on June 7 as a military convoy
was passing and killed four soldiers and wounded six. Two of
the killed were jandarma privates. One of them was a jandarma
sergeant and the other one was a jandarma senior non-commisoned
officer. Funeral ceremonies of the soldiers were held in their
hometowns: Osmaniye, Ankara, Gaziantep and Ankara. Many state
and government officials, politicians and military figures
attended the funeral in Ankara. Some of the people protested
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul as he was paying condolences
to the family of the martyr. Siirt Governor's Office announced
that 18 people were detained in connection with the incident.
10. HURRIYET / CNNTURK ONLINE / CUMHURIYET: Terrorists
remotely detonated a mine on a road in Sirnak's Guclukonak
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district on June 9 at around 7 p.m. and killed three soldiers in
a car two of whom were an infantry lieutenant colonel and an
ordnance major. Five soldiers were seriously wounded. It is
reported that the soldiers were returning from a village where
they had repaired the old parts of a mosque, and, moreover, the
lieutenant colonel reportedly had voluntarily preferred to
continue his military duties in the southeast. Following the
incident, many soldiers were dispatched to the area and an
extensive military operation was started. Cobra and Super Cobra
helicopters are being used in the operation. The coffins of the
soldiers were brought to the airport of Diyarbakir to be
dispatched to their hometowns following a military ceremony held
at 23rd Jandarma Border Division Command in Sirnak. Sirnak
Governor attended the ceremony held at the Command.
11. HURRIYET / ZAMAN / GUNDEM: In a conflict between the
security forces and the terrorists in Bitlis's Mutki district, a
terrorist was killed. Separately, security forces, upon
receiving a tip-off that terrorists would attack a highland area
in Mus, launched an operation in the area and exchanged fire
with the terrorists they encountered. A terrorist was killed
and two others were caught alive. Two female civilians, who
were caught in the terrorists' fire, were wounded. The Gundem
daily claims that the village guards opened fire at a house they
alleged were hiding PKK members and wounded those aforementioned
women. Separately, a village guard died in a conflict that
erupted between security forces and terrorists in Diyarbakir's
Kulp district.
12. CNNTURK ONLINE: A soldier, who stepped on a mine planted
by the PKK near a border area in Hakkari, was seriously wounded.
Separately, a civilian health official stepped on a mine in
Tunceli's Pulumur district and was wounded in his leg.
13. HURRIYET / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): The website of the
Turkish General Staff announced that the security forces
checking a rough terrain area in Sirnak yesterday morning (June
9) identified and rendered safe a pressure-sensitive explosive
device planted in the ground by the terrorists. Hurriyet's
Cukurova supplement reports that jandarma in Osmaniye held an
anti-PKK operation and detained a person in a district of the
province. The detainee was convinced to show the place where 10
kilograms of C-4 explosives were hidden.
CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
14. HURRIYET ONLINE: Anti-smuggling branch of the Turkish
Police in Gaziantep examined many gas stations in the province
and seized 32,770 liters of smuggled diesel oil and 250 liters
of smuggled gas in nine separate gas stations. Prosecution
process was started against the owners of the businesses.
ECONOMY
15. ZAMAN: Turkey's biggest and the world's second
biggest shipyard will be constructed on 800,000 square meter
land at the Yumurtalik Free Trade Zone of Adana. The
groundbreaking ceremony will be held on July.
CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT
16. HURRIYET / BOLGE: Kadir Inanir, a well-known Turkish
actor, uttered a few remarks at the stage as he was about to
give the award for The Best Actress during the final awards
ceremony for Adana's Altinkoza (Goldenboll) Film Festival.
Inanir said that he deeply appreciated the support Adana Mayor
Aytac Durak was extending to the film festival. Inanir, as he
appreciated Mr. Durak, stirred controversy when he further
described governors as not longstanding figures in a province,
as compared to the Adana Mayor Durak who reportedly never quit
Adana and continued his work to date. Adana Governor, who went
up the stage to present an award, expressed his resentment in
his following response, "I was invited to present award, but I
may not be an appropriate person to give an award since I am
only temporary governor here. But, like how Kadir Inanir
rendered his name eternal through his work, I will render my
name eternal, and leave afterwards." This contoversy was
broadcast live on state-run national TRT 2 TV.
17. BOLGE / EKSPRES: A 30-person group protested recently
escalating terrorism in the country in the Ataturk Park of
Adana. People waved Turkish flags and shouted the following
slogans, "Down with hands intervening in the duty of the Turkish
Army", "Martyrs shall not die, and, the country shall not be
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divided."
18. BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY): Seyhan Municipality opened a
Martyrs' Park in a section of Seyhan district in Adana. Adana
Governor Ilhan Atis; Adana deputies from AKP; Adana Mayor Aytac
Durak; Seyhan Mayor Azim Ozturk; Emine Kurt, Chairperson of
Association for Families of Martyrs and Disabled Veterans, and
Murat Caner, war veteran, attended the park's opening ceremony
which was carried out in sorrow because of the recent death toll
in the southeastern region.
19. RADIKAL / HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Youth and Sports
Directorate in Hakkari organized a Sports Festival at a highland
area at 3700-meter altitude in Hakkari. The area was reportedly
opened to public use for three years. Despite news about
military operations going on in the southeast, young people of
Hakkari were able to have a great time during the festival which
had been defunct for 20 years because of terrorism.
20. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) : A graduation ceremony was
held and seventy-three students graduated this year from Tarsus
American High School in Tarsus district of Mersin.
GREEN
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