Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for November 01, 2006
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TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR NOVEMBER 01, 2006
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for November 01,
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
OZGUR GUNDEM: The subgovernor of Mardin's Dargecit district,
who rejected the names proposed for streets and parks by the
municipality assembly two times on grounds that the names were
unconstitutional and incited separatism, this time gave a nod to
the same proposed names.
3. OZGUR GUNDEM: The daily reports that the documents the
villagers found in the JITEM members' car as they stopped and
searched the car in Sirnak's Uludere district over the weekend
allegedly contained names of Kurds living in the southeastern
region, information about those villagers, license plate
numbers, etc. (see press summary for October 31)
4. OZGUR GUNDEM: Thousands of people attended the funeral
in Batman of three PKK terrorists killed in a section of
Batman's Hasankeyf district on October 22 during a military
operation.
5. EVRENSEL: Members of the intelligentsia will reportedly
issue a call for laying down of arms in the coming week.
SECURITY
6. CUMHURIYET: Security forces seized one hand grenade, a
pistol and bullets found in a car they suspected and followed in
Agri's Dogubeyazit district under an operation to counter PKK
terrorism. Police are now searching two persons in connection
with the incident.
CRIME / LAW ENFORCEMENT
7. ZAMAN / BOLGE / OZGUR GUNDEM: Adana's Second Court of
First Instance continued to try Ceyhan's Mayor Huseyin Sozlu
(from MHP) and two journalists on grounds that they insulted PM
Erdogan during an interview given to a local Adana newspaper on
December 2005.
CULTURE / SOCIETY
8. HURRIYET / SABAH (GUNEY) / OZGUR GUNDEM / EVRENSEL: Heavy
rains affecting the southeastern region caused infrastructure to
collapse in Gaziantep, Diyarbakir, Mersin and Hakkari provinces.
Flooding washed out houses and businesses in the city centers.
The streets were covered with mud in Sirnak's Cizre district,
and a section of a road in between Semdinli and Yuksekova
districts in Hakkari collapsed. A small passenger bus traveling
between Diyarbakir and Mardin were caught in flood waters and 14
people died. Three people died in Diyarbakir's Cinar district
and four people died in Sirnak's Silopi and Uludere districts.
The death toll because of the flooding reached 21. Rains also
badly affected the cotton cultivated in the fields decreasing
the quality of the cotton produced in the Cukurova region.
GREEN