Cablegate: Southeast Turkey Press Summary for May 09, 2007

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PINS PGOV PHUM TU
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR MAY 09, 2007

1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for May 09,
2007. 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:

2. BOLGE / EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY): CHP Adana provincial
party organization started first of its meetings concerning the
election agenda together with the district chairmen of the
party. MHP Adana Provincial Chairperson Yilmaz Tankut resigned
from his office which is a required action for candidates
working at public offices, to run in the upcoming election.
Former Provincial Director of Environmental Issues also resigned
from her office to run in the next election period for CHP.
Mete Aslan, District Mayor of Iskenderun in Hatay, is reported
as giving up the idea of declaring candidacy because the people
of Iskenderun reportedly did not want him to resign. The
dailies cite some other names resigning from offices: some
doctors working at several state hospitals of Adana, some
professors working at Cukurova University, an AKP executive
board member, a member of provincial administration, chairperson
of MUSIAD's (Independent Businessmen Association) Adana chapter,
etc.

3. SABAH / EVRENSEL / GUNDEM: DTP National Chairperson
Ahmet Turk, during a speech he delivered at a 2-day meeting of
DTP in Diyarbakir, harshly criticized The Turkish General Staff
for issuing a warning on April 27 on its internet site during a
period of presidential election process. Turk branded the
warning an open declaration of a military coup. Turk further
said that the political parties in Turkey failed to defend the
essential principles of democracy. Turk noted that Turkish
society was divided into camps, namely secularist and
non-secularists, and this was an outcome most desired by the
statutory forces. Turk claimed that they wanted to emerge as a
third force who would uphold democratic values.

4. HURRIYET: The daily reports claims that Ahmet Turk,
National Chairperson of DTP, and Sirri Sakik, former DEP deputy
and current Vice-Chairperson of DTP, paid a visit to Murat
Karayilan, PKK's leader residing in the Qandil Mts. of the
northern Iraq last week to discuss the election strategy of DTP.
Circles close to DTP reportedly say that DTP, at the end of
the ongoing 2-day meetings in Diyarbakir, is strong leaning
toward fielding independent candidates. Those circles also
claimed that such an outcome would be declared to Abdullah
Ocalan with a visit that would be paid to him.

5. EVRENSEL / GUNDEM: Cizre Mayor Aydin Budak (from DTP)
was arrested towards the end of March because of a speech he
made during Newroz celebrations in Cizre on March 21 (also see
press summary for April 4). The first hearing of the court was
held yesterday and Budak is reportedly facing 7.5 years of
prison sentence. Despite that his court-ordered release during
the trial process, since Budak is standing trial on another
court case that ordered his arrest, it was decided that he not
be released. A crowd reportedly waited outside the court hall
to extend support to Budak, and brief tension erupted when
police attempted to disperse the crowd.

6. GUNDEM: A faculty member of the Divinity School at
Dicle University resigned from his office to run as a candidate
of DTP in Adiyaman during elections.

7. GUNDEM: The daily reports on its front page that it
has been 15 days since Abdullah Ocalan was confined in a special
cell as a penalty in the prison at which he was being kept.
Ocalan reportedly told his attorneys that the confinement
started on April 25 and would last 20 days. The penalty was
given reportedly because Ocalan "had the members of the PKK
trained, and, made propaganda of the terrorist organization."

ECONOMY

8. ZAMAN / BOLGE / EVRENSEL: Nearly 1000 workers at the
port of Mersin, upon learning that privatization agreement would
be signed on May 11 (see press summary for May 8), gathered at
the port and called for active protest against the privatization
of the port.

CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT

9. GUNDEM: The daily claims that a female PKK member,

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who was allegedly executed by security forces as she was
allegedly caught without weapons in Hatay's Hassa district on
May 5 (see press summary for May 7), was buried in Mardin's
Mazidagi district and the funeral was held under intense control
of the police. The funeral car was stopped as it set off from
Hassa, and, police checked identities of the people in the
convoy that followed the funeral car. As the convoy reached
Mazidagi the police stopped the convoy and temporarily seized
the identity cards of the people until the end of the funeral.
At the cemetery, the police reportedly took footage of the
people who attended the funeral.

10. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): A nine-year-old 3rd grade student
from Mersin's private TED High School ranked third in the World
Inter-School Chess Competition which was held in Greece between
April 26 and May 6.
GREEN

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