Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for December 1, 2005

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000224

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 1, 2005

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for December 01,
2005. 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

CUMHURIYET / HURRIYET: The statements of Jandarma Chief
Sergeant Ali Kaya, Noncommissioned Officer Ozcan Ildeniz, PKK
defector Veysel Ates, and the bookstore owner Seferi Yilmaz,
about the Semdinli bombing are reportedly contradicting one
another. According to Yilmaz, "He (Ates) ran away from the
bookstore after throwing the bomb in there. I chased him and
told people outside to catch him. In the meantime the bomb had
already exploded. Outside, there were three more people along
with him (Ates). People attempted to kill him. However, we
surrendered [him] to the police. In the notebook (in which a
plan of the bookstore was found), there were nearly 100 names
written down and my name was struck trough. (Note: Ali Kaya
said in his statement that they had drawn the plan of the bombed
bookstore on the day of the incident. End Note.) The list also
included the names of the mayor and clan leaders who have
affiliations with DEHAP (Democratic People's Party)." According
to the statements given by Kaya and Ildeniz, "We parked our car
in front of AKP premises when we came to Semdinli. I, Veysel,
and Ozcan were in the car. We were to meet a person who would
provide information in order to talk with him outside the
district. Following our meeting, the informant would leave us
and we would go to the Prosecutor's Office to submit the report
there. Ozcan needed a break, and as he was leaving the car, a
big explosion took place. As a security officer would normally
do under such a circumstance, I rushed to the spot where the
bombing took place. Veysel also got out of the car and was
coming towards me as I walked 10 meters to see a group of people
looking at Veysel and shouting 'This is a defector'. Everybody
in Semdinli had already known Veysel. Suddenly people gathered
in the place and started shouting 'Give us the defector'. I
cried 'We are security officers; this car is an official state
car.' People started hitting the car; they broke the back
window and hit Veysel. All this lasted for 10 minutes."
According to PKK defector Veysel Ates's first statement given at
the Prosecutor's Office, Ates said "We set off at 8.30 a.m. to
meet the people who would provide us with information. We
arrived at Semdinli. Ozcan would observe ablution and we would
buy a lottery ticket. Before we even got out of the car, we
heard an explosion. People came towards us and started hitting
at us. "

HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET: Officers Ali Kaya and Ozcan
Ildeniz reportedly further said that they have obtained
intelligence that two PKK members were stationed in Semdinli, a
strategic hub point providing access both to Iran and Iraq where
the district's two major clans had close relationships with
Barzani's clan in northern Iraq, to
enhance their organizational capabilities there and to recruit
new members. Reportedly, the two PKK members were raising money
by collecting a "tax" from people. That's why, said the
officers in their statements, they (the officers) started
following Seferi Yilmaz, whom allegedly had ties with this
militia organization formed in Semdinli. The officers, while
dismissing the claims that they had formed an organized crime
network, further said that everything they had been doing was
known by their commanding officers. Cumhuriyet daily claims
that the statements of the officers revealed that they came to
Semdinli on November 7 as well, and their second visit on
November 9 was not a mere coincidence, a fact contradicting the
officers' initial statements given.

HURRIYET: The daily reported that CHP (Republican People's
Party) did not appoint Esat Canan, Hakkari deputy from CHP, to
the Parliamentary Investigation Commission for the Semdinli
Case. Esat Canan was in Semdinli during the incidents, his
announcements kept the incidents on the agenda and his remarks
were broadcasted on Roj TV. While CHP administration said,
"There is no specific reason for not selecting him," Canan said
that not selecting Canan as a commission member would be an
inadequacy on his party's part.

HURRIYET / CUMHURIYET: According to Anavatan (Motherland Party)
National Leader Erkan Mumcu, PM Erdogan's remarks saying, "I
deem either the PKK flags flown or F-16 aircrafts flying low
(over people during a funeral) as wrong actions" is wrongfully
putting the PKK on equal footing with the security forces.

HURRIYET: RTUK (Higher Board for Radio and Television) decided
to lift the stipulation that required a study and assessment of
the audience profile before giving a license to television
companies broadcasting in local languages, including the Kurdish
language. The regulation required will be arranged next week
and Kurdish language broadcasting will be started two weeks
later from today.

CUMHURIYET / SABAH / RADIKAL / OZGUR GUNDEM: A four-person
Ministry of Health delegation went to Malatya to investigate the
diarrhea epidemic case there (see press summary 11/29).
Meanwhile, Malatya's Mayor claimed that the numbers of the
patients having diarrhea in Malatya were exaggerated and the
results of Inonu University's analysis of the case were
politically manipulated. The mayor dismissed the claims that
chlorination was applied insufficiently in the city stored water
(see press summary 11/29). Cumhuriyet and Sabah dailies claimed
that the analysis of the city water supply by the City Hygiene
Administration revealed mixing of sewage water into the potable
water.

OZGUR GUNDEM: Former DEHAP's (Democratic People's Party)
Mardin Provincial Chairperson Cemal Veske claimed that JITEM
members stopped his car the previous night at the entrance of
Mardin's Kiziltepe district and attempted to kidnap him. Veske,
who reportedly barely escaped from the JITEM members, filed a
complaint with the Kiziltepe Prosecutor's Office concerning the
alleged incident.

OZGUR GUNDEM: A Van Centennial University student was
arrested on charges that he made PKK propaganda during a protest
activity held (on an unspecified date) against the Semdinli
case.

OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily reported claims about alleged
oppression shepherds and guerillas' families were subjected to
in two villages of Mardin's Savur district. Separately,
security forces reportedly caught 4 alleged PKK members during a
military operation in Mardin's Derik district. According to
Mardin's Security Directorate, the PKK members were readying an
attack against BOTAS's (Pertoelum Pipeline Corporation) oil
pipeline in the Mazidagi district in Mardin.

OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily reported yesterday that a police
station in a quarter of Tunceli moved from its position there
before clearing mines they planted on the surrounding land.
Tunceli CHP deputy announced that it will bring the case to the
agenda of the Turkish Parliament, because the mined area, being
very close to a Boarding Primary School, would pose grave risks
for children and people.

RADIKAL: Ministry of Justice decided to initiate an
investigation against Van Chief Prosecutor Kemal Kacan for
breaching the secret nature of the investigation, which is
carried out against Van Centennial University Rector Yucel
Askin, through making a press announcement about the
investigation. There are already two ongoing investigations
initiated against Kacan. One of the investigations was opened
because Kacan allegedly said once that half of the attorneys in
Van were PKK affiliated.

SABAH: Hakan Acil, the police officer, who was kidnapped by
terrorists on October 9 on the road to Sirnak's Cizre district,
has not been released for 53 days. Reportedly, a pro-PKK
website of Firat News Agency published statements of Hakan Acil,
who reportedly said that he talked on the phone with his father
a couple of minutes ago and that he was safe and sound. Acil
allegedly further said that he would be released, and that the
Human Rights Association would take him.

CUMHURIYET: The chief doctor of Van Centennial University said
that the health condition of the University's Rector Yucel Askin
was still serious. Reportedly, Askin, aside from his physical
health problems, suffered from psychological problems and was
not responding well to his psychological treatment.

OZGUR GUNDEM: Seventeen children in Sanliurfa's Viransehir
district are now being treated with life support therapies
allegedly because of a disease called Subacute Sclerosing
Panencephalitis (SSPE). Reportedly, the children became ill
after having measles vaccination in October 2003. Increase of
SSPE cases has caused Viransehir Subgovernor to apply to many
universities to call for studies on these cases.
REID

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