Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for September 05, 2006

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR SEPTEMBER 05, 2006

This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for September 5,
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

HURRIYET: General Chief of Staff announced that Abubekir
Polat, a soldier of Kurdish origin, had leaked information and
enabled the PKK to carry out its attack on September 1, which
killed two soldiers at Jandarma Battalion Command of in
Hakkari's Cukurca district. The soldier, who was caught soon
after the incident, reportedly said that he had escaped from his
military unit when he guessed that PKK would carry out an attack
upon information he leaked. A total of seven soldiers died in
one day in separate attacks of PKK in Sirnak, Hakkari and Van,
reported the daily's 09/03 edition.

HURRIYET ONLINE / FIRAT NEWS AGENCY: A clash broke out
between security officers and a suspected car in a village of
Batman's Kozluk district. An 8-year-old girl in another car
that was caught in the crossfire died because of the bullet
wounds she incurred. The girl's mother and brother were
wounded. The people in the suspected car were able to run away.
Jandarma launched operations in the area to catch the
fugitives. Firat News Agency claimed that three civilians were
killed in the crossfire.

HURRIYET ONLINE: Sixteen municipality assembly members from AKP
in Siirt resigned from their posts as a sign of a protest
against appointment of former deputy mayor of Istanbul's Fatih
district as the deputy mayor of Siirt Municipality. Total
number of municipality assembly members from AKP decreased to 5
in Siirt. The rest of the assembly is comprised of 8 members
from DTP and one member from SHP.

OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: Following the U.S, which
designated its special envoy for countering PKK terrorism,
Turkey will reportedly determine its special coordinator on the
issue this week. It is claimed that the retired general Fevzi
Turkeri, who was the former Jandarma National Commander, will
undertake that task.

HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: An explosion that took place in
Van's Catak district killed a policeman and a municipality
employee. Sixteen people have been wounded. Van Chapter of
Human Rights Association condemned the incident.

OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily reported that 76 students at Van
Centennial University have been dismissed from school, or
suspended briefly allegedly because the students danced folk
dances accompanied by Kurdish music during the spring festival.

OZGUR GUNDEM: Construction in order to expand a section of a
road between Van and Hakkari has been going on. Construction
teams have been using explosives which caused a 2.9-magnitude
tremor was also detected by Seismic Studies Institute of
Bosporus University in Istanbul.

OZGUR GUNDEM: Tunceli Municipality started to demolish
barracks that were built by the people in the city center. The
people, who built the barracks to house their small businesses,
are not resisting the operations of the municipality, and are
waiting for the municipality to show them places to conduct
their businesses.

HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: The first hearing of the
case filed with the European Court by former DEHAP (Democratic
People's Party) on the national election threshold of Turkey
will be held today. According to Hurriyet daily, the Turkish
government will argue its case by saying that the national
election threshold did not take effect to put any particular
political party to a disadvantaged position.

OZGUR GUNDEM: DTP Chairperson Ahmet Turk made a call to the
government and said that the KKK's (Confederalism of Kurdistan)
declaration for peace should be heard by the government
officials.

OZGUR GUNDEM: People demonstrated against the ban imposed by
Yuksekova Subgovernor's Office on peace festivities that would
be held in Yuksekova to mark September 1 Peace Day.

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SABAH (GUNEY) / BOLGE: An international Culture and Arts
Festival will be held in Mersin starting September 8. CHP
National Leader Deniz Baykal will take part in the festival's
opening ceremony.

EVRENSEL: People held a public meeting called "Peace in Turkey
and in the Middle East - Freedom for Peoples" yesterday in
Adana. During the demonstration people also protested the
recent deliberations in Turkey over contributing to UN troops in
Lebanon.
GREEN

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