Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for July 14, 2006

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SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR JULY 14, 2006

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for July 14, 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

OZGUR GUNDEM / YENI SAFAK: A public unrest has been triggered
in Sirnak's Silopi district when local people learned that a
person they caught, whom they thought to be a member of an organ
mafia and whom they allegedly caught as attempting to kidnap a
girl, would be released by police. When three thousand people
gathered in front of the Silopi Court of Justice and reportedly
engaged in vigilantism, police intervened and used gas bombs to
disperse the crowd. Sporadic clashes have reportedly taken
place with people. The turmoil continued until late in the day.

HURRIYET ONLINE: PKK members detonated a mine remotely as
soldiers in a military vehicle were traveling on a road in
Bitlis at 6.30 p.m. yesterday and killed five soldiers in the
car. Four soldiers have been wounded.

HURRIYET ONLINE: An explosion took place as a vehicle carrying
food to the soldiers was passing on a road in Hakkari's Daggol
quarter at 6 a.m. today. A soldier in the vehicle and a
passer-by have been wounded.

HURRIYET ONLINE: Sirnak's Cizre Mayor has given his statement
to the Cizre Chief Prosecutor's Office in response to
allegations that he "praised the terrorist organization" during
a speech he delivered in a June 16 cultural event in Cizre.
Within the scope of the investigation, the Mayor will have to go
to the police station weekly to prove that he is not absent.

HURRIYET ONLINE: A catastrophe has been barely evaded when a
truck transporting fuel from Hatay's Iskenderun district to Iraq
had a rollover accident in Sanliurfa. No casualties have been
reported.

OZGUR GUNDEM: A father, whose son reportedly died in a
December 2005 roll-over accident in Hakkari's Semdinli district
as he was serving his military term, allegedly insulted PM
Erdogan during the funeral ceremony of his son. The court
action brought against the father for his alleged insults
sentenced him to 11 months and 25 days in prison.

HURRIYET ONLINE: Jandarma Command Teams in Sanliurfa seized
seven million hemp roots in a field in one of the hamlets of
Sanliurfa.

RADIKAL / EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM / YENI SAFAK: European Court
of Human Rights admitted the case filed by Volunteers for
Hasankeyf Association against the Ilisu Dam envisaged to be
built in Batman. The dam waters will submerge the ancient city.

OZUR GUNDEM: DTP Kars Provincial Chairperson criticized
local AKP, CHP, DYP and Motherland party organizations for
staying indifferent to the meeting that will be held to demand
reopening of the border gate at Dogukapi of Kars province.

OZUR GUNDEM: Five people, who attended the burial ceremony
in Diyarbakir's Bismil district of a person who died in Maxmur
Refugee Camp in Iraq, have been sentenced to one month in prison
for shouting slogans in support of Abdullah Ocalan and the PKK.

BOLGE: Several non-governmental organizations held a march
in Adana to protest Israel's offensive against Palestinian
people.

BOLGE / EKSPRES: Court action brought against BTC
(Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Project) by local fishermen has
been postponed to October 5 in yesterday's hearing.

BOLGE: Fire that broke out in a landfill area in Hatay's
Belen district spread to a near-by forest area.

EVRENSEL: Six members of the 2006 Newruz committee of Adana
have been released by the Adana 6th Heavy Penalty court in
yesterday's hearing following a three-month imprisonment (see
press summary 07/11).

EVRENSEL: Tunceli Securiy Directorate delivered brochures in
the province carrying the motto "Tunceli police are your police"
and requesting from people to inform police about suspicious
people "wearing clothes incongruent with the season" or
"displaying nervous behaviour", reported the daily.

EVRENSEL: EMEP (Party of Labor) local party organization held

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a solidarity dinner event in Tunceli which was also attended by
Tunceli Mayor Songul Erol Abdil. EMEP provincial chairperson
said that people should unite against AKP's fundamentalist and
CHP's chauvinist policies.
REID

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