Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for August 09, 2006

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR AUGUST 09, 2006

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for August 09,
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

BOLGE / EKSPRES: Coffins of two soldiers, a Jandarma commando
private and a commando private, who were killed by terrorists in
a terrorist attack in Gumushane (see press summary 08/07 and
08/08) on Sunday, were received by people carrying giant Turkish
flags. Mersin Governor Huseyin Aksoy and Mediterrenean Regional
and Garrison Commander attended the funeral ceremonies. Funeral
prayer of one of the soldiers was held at the Haci Bektasi Veli
Cultural Center of the Alevi community.

EKSPRES / EVRENSEL: Fifteen trucks, which entered the
Incirlik Airbase in Adana without cargo load, have left the base
three hours later and allegedly carried war materiel to the NATO
port in Mersin. Special operations team escorted the convoy of
trucks. Trucks reportedly had labels reading 'Explosives' on
them. Trucks unloaded their cargo at the port where Jandarma
teams and NATO forces took high security measures. A
Turkish-flagged frigate approached to the port. Evrensel daily
carried the story on its front page and asked: 'We are asking
this to PM Erdogan: Is the source of Israel's bombs Incirlik
(Airbase)?'

EKSPRES: A local radio station in Adana called Radio Hayat
started airing a non-stop 94-hour 5 minute program against
Israel on August 7 in Adana. Abdurrahman Dilipak, one of the
columnists of Vakit newspaper, who joined the program by phone,
said that small boycotting efforts would turn into bigger
sanctions.

EVRENSEL: Egitim-Sen (Teachers' Union) and EMEP (Party of
Labor) will hold a protest against the 'massacres of Israel' in
Hatay's Dortyol district on Saturday (08/12).

BOLGE / SABAH (GUNEY): Members of Chamber of Civil Engineers
and Chamber of Architects in Adana fired criticism at Adana
Mayor Aytac Durak who had filed complaint against the Seyhan
Municipality and the chambers for ignoring the unlicensed
construction activities and buildings in the province. Chamber
representatives said Adana Municipality, which was directly
answerable for the zoning corruption and growth of unlicensed
buildings in Adana was striving to find associates to blame for
their own wrongdoing.

HURRIYET CUKUROVA: A short circuit in a truck travelling on a
road Sirnak's Silopi district caused the truck to cathch fire
and the truck was completely burned in the end despite hopeless
efforts of the driver.

HURRIYET CUKUROVA: Police conducting raids in three
districts of Sanliurfa found 42 kilograms of hashish and 223,310
hemp roots cultivated in the fields. Five people have been
detained in the anti-drug operations.

HURRIYET CUKUROVA: Hatay has become the new touristic spot
for rich Arab tourists who had to cancel their vacation plans in
Lebanon's Beirut because of the ongoing war.

EVRENSEL: Five young persons in Sirnak who wanted to go on a
picnic were stopped by the security officers and searched later
to be taken to a police station. The youth filed a complaint
with the prosecutor on allegations that that they were
maltreated at the police station.

EVRENSEL: Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir dismissed
allegations published on a website on August 3 that Baydemir met
with Iraqi President Celal Talabani and Kurdish Regional Chief
Massoud Barzani. Never in his life has Baydemir traveled to the
northern Iraq, said the announcement issued by the Diyarbakir
Municipality.

EVRENSEL: Information gathered about journalists, columnists,
executives and employees of pro-Kurdish media outlets are
reportedly being published on ultra-nationalist internet
websites. The names publicized on the websites are reportedly
putting the people in a sensitive and vulnerable position.

EVRENSEL: A Financial Times columnist compared the death toll
caused by Israel's offensive on Lebanon with civilian losses

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"Turkey's operations in Kurdistan" caused and reportedly
complained that Turkey's operations did not attract as much
public notice as Israeli strikes.
REID

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