Cablegate: Se Turkey Security Incidents: November 23-30, 2009

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DE RUEHDA #0075/01 3360725
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 020725Z DEC 09
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4810
INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 1352
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 1117
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 1419

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ADANA 000075

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/EUR, DS/IP/ITA, INR AND EUR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ASEC PTER PINR CASC TU
SUBJECT: SE TURKEY SECURITY INCIDENTS: NOVEMBER 23-30, 2009

1. The following security incidents for the period of November
23-30, 2009, were compiled by the security assistant at
Consulate Adana from RSO sources, to include Turkish security
contacts, government officials and media. The RSO uses the
information to determine the security situation and trends of
violence and crime throughout Turkey. The RSO shares the
information with the country team and visas viper coordinator.

2. Military operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK) as reported by the Turkish General Staff:

A. Weapons, ammunition, and equipment seized:

Sirnak - 11.26.09: 1 pistol (9 mm), 2 magazines, 26 rounds of
ammunition, 2 Kalashnikov magazines, 60 rounds of Kalashnikov
ammunition, 1 pair of binoculars, 2 cell phone memory cards,
various logistical equipment.

Batman - 11.26.09: 1 hand grenade, an IED made of 50 grams of
C-4.

Diyarbakir - 11.25.09: An IED made of mortar ammunition.

Sirnak - 11.25.09: 2 Kalashnikov rifles, 9 magazines, 2 hand
grenades,1 pair of binoculars, 1 flash drive, 1 voice recorder.

Sirnak - 11 .25.09: 1 wireless radio.

B. PKK members captured or surrendered:

Sirnak - 11.25.09: Security forces killed 2 PKK members.

3. Media reports related to PKK and pro-Kurdish organizations:

A. Anti-PKK operations:

Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) anti-PKK operations in SE Turkey
continue. Many armored vehicles, military personnel and
ammunition deployed to Sirnak, Hakkari, Diyarbakir, Igdir,
Batman and Siirt.

N. Iraq - 11.28.09: TAF artillery teams bombed the Zap District;
no casualties reported.

N. Iraq - 11.29.09: Pro-PKK ANF web site reported that Turkish
war jets made low-altitude flights over N. Iraq.

N. Iraq - 11.24.09: TAF artillery teams bombed Haftanin area.

Hakkari - 11.24.09: TAF continue to withdraw military teams from
the border lines.

B. Arrests:

Hakkari - 11.30.09: Security forces detained 4 people on the
suspicion of terrorism.

Diyarbakir - 11.30.09: Security forces detained 5 people on the
suspicion of terrorism.

Sirnak - 11.27.09: Two people were arrested on the charge of
"being a member of a terror organization."

Sanliurfa - 11.26.09: Seven DTP members were sentenced for a
cumulative 18 years in prison on the charge of "violating
restrictions on marches and demonstrations."

Sirnak - 11.26.09: Security forces detained 1 person on the
suspicion of terrorism.

Diyarbakir - 11.26.09: Four people who threw eggs on a CHP bus
were sentenced to a cumulative 5 years in prison on the charge
of "violating restrictions on marches and demonstrations."

Siirt - 11.25.09: Security forces detained 8 people on the
suspicion of terrorism. 3 were later arrested on the charge of
"carrying out an illegal demonstration on behalf of the PKK."

Adana - 11.24.09: Security forces detained 8 members of the
pro-leftist "Public Houses" on the suspicion of terrorisms.

Sanliurfa - 11.24.09: Security forces arrested 4 administrators
of the pro-Kurdish MEYA-DER (Mesopotamia Culture Center) and DTP
on the charge of "making propaganda for the PKK."

Siirt - 11.24.09: Security forces detained 7 people on the
suspicion of terrorism.

Diyarbakir - 11.24.09: DTP Mayor of Greater Municipality Osman
Baydemir is on trial on the charge of "making propaganda for the

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PKK."

Van - 11.23.09: DTP administrator of Ercis and a former
administrator of Van were sentenced to 2 years in prison on the
charge of "making propaganda for the PKK."

C. Other media stories about PKK:

Hakkari - 11.30.09 and 11.29.09: PKK sympathizers in Yuksekova
gathered on November 30 to protest Abdullah Ocalan's prison
conditions. Police intervened with batons, tear gas and
pressurized water and demonstrators responded with stones and
Molotov cocktails. Turk Telecom's building was stoned. A
police vehicle and a branch of a bank were attacked with Molotov
cocktails. Clashes continued into the night. At least 6
demonstrators were wounded. The previous day, PKK supporters in
central Hakkari clashed with security forces. Police intervened
with tear gas, batons and pressurized water and demonstrators
responded with stones and Molotov cocktails.

Adana - 11.30.09: PKK members in the Kurkculer Prison have
started a hunger-strike to protest Abdullah Ocalan's prison
conditions.

Siirt - 11.30.09: PKK supporters attacked 2 vehicles with
Molotov cocktails.

Sirnak - 11.30.09: Security forces killed 1 PKK member. Anti-PKK
operations continue in the region.

Diyarbakir - 11.30.09: Several NGOs, including Pro-Kurdish
TUHAD-DER and MEYA-DER made a press statement to protest
Ocalan's prison conditions.

Mersin - 11.30.09 and 11.29.09: PKK supporters attacked a police
station for the second time in 2 days. On November 30, nearly
200 PKK supporters attacked the station with Molotov cocktails,
fireworks and stones. Police opened fire in the air and used
tear gas and pressurized water to disperse demonstrators. The
previous day, almost 400 PKK sympathizers attacked the same
station with Molotov cocktails, fireworks and stones. Police
opened fire in the air and intervened with tear gas and armored
vehicles. Protesters set fire to a municipal kiosk and damaged
parked vehicles and nearby shops. Security forces detained many
people. 2 demonstrators were wounded by bullets. Illegal street
demonstrations continued for long hours in throughout the city.

Tarsus in Mersin - 11.29.09: PKK sympathizers clashed with
security forces.

Siirt - 11.29.09: Security forces intervened in a PKK
demonstration protesting Abdullah Ocalan's prison conditions;
security forces detained at least 20 people.

Sanliurfa - 11.29.09: PKK supporters gathered to protest
Abdullah Ocalan's prison conditions and to commemorate the
anniversary of the foundation of the PKK. Demonstrators chanted
slogans in favor of PKK and Ocalan and set fire to trash barrels
and tires. Police intervened with tear gas, batons and armored
vehicles and PKK supporters responded with stones and Molotov
cocktails.

Diyarbakir - 11.29.09: KCK stated that they had no connection
with the Molotov cocktail attack against the pro-Hezbollah
Sura-Der Union building in Diyarbakir.

Batman - 11.29.09: PKK supporters attacked Turk Telecom's
building with Molotov cocktails; no injuries reported.

Yuksekova in Hakkari - 11.29.09: Hundreds of PKK sympathizers
gathered to protest Ocalan's prison conditions and to
commemorate the anniversary of the foundation of the PKK.
Demonstrators threw stones and Molotov cocktails and blocked the
Diyarbakir-Hakkari-Van highway to traffic. Security forces
detained many people. At least 2 people were wounded.

Adana - 11.29.09: PKK supporters set fire to a privately-owned
cargo vehicle.

Diyarbakir - 11.28.09: PKK supporters attacked an AK Party
district building and pro-Hezbollah Sura-Der Union building with
Molotov cocktails. Security guards posted at AK Party's
building opened fire on assailants, wounding one of them. Two
days later, nearly 1000 members of the pro-Hezbollah Islamic
Union protested the PKK action, bearing Hezbollah banners and
chanting anti-PKK slogans. No clash or arrest occurred.

11.28.09 - Van: Iranian troops killed a Kurdish fuel smuggler.
According to pro-PKK web site ANF, 38 Kurdish smugglers have
been killed since July by Iranian and Turkish troops, possibly

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due to cross-border efforts to decrease PKK-linked smuggling
activities.

Hakkari - 11.28.09: PKK sympathizers attacked an armored police
vehicle with axes and stones. PKK supporters held illegal street
demonstrations in 11 separate parishes of the city and clashed
with security forces.

Mersin - 11.27.09: PKK supporters in snow masks attacked a
branch of the Turkish postal service with 4 Molotov cocktails;
no injuries reported.

Sirnak - 11.27.09: Thousands gathered to protest Abdulah
Ocalan's prison conditions and to commemorate the anniversary of
the foundation of the PKK. Demonstrators chanted slogans in
favor of PKK and Ocalan. No clash or arrest occurred.

Batman - 11.27.09: Security forces intervened in an illegal PKK
demonstration with batons, tear gas and pressurized water. One
person heavily wounded.

Hakkari - 11.27.09: Security forces intervened in a PKK
demonstration with batons, tear gas and pressurized water.
Demonstrators responded with Molotov cocktails, fireworks and
stones.

Hakkari - 11.27.09: DTP officials visited the graves of 4 PKK
members who were killed almost 2 months ago in a clash with TAF
in the Kazan area.

Adana - 11.26.09: TNP anti-terror teams arrested 1 PKK member of
Syrian origin.

Malatya, Elazig and Batman - 11.26.09: NGOs held press
statements to protest alleged lynch attempts against DTP
members.

Turkey wide - 11.26.09: Pro-PKK web site ANF claimed at least 39
lynching attempts have been carried out against Kurdish people
in the past 4 years.

Diyarbakir - 11.25.09: Thousands gathered and held a press
statement to protest Abdullah Ocalan's health conditions.
Demonstrators chanted slogans in favor of PKK and Ocalan. No
clash or arrest occurred.

Sanliurfa - 11.23.09: Many PKK supporters gathered to
commemorate the foundation anniversary of the PKK. The group
blocked the roads to traffic and burned trash barrels.
Demonstrators chanted slogans in favor of PKK and Ocalan.
Security forces intervened with batons, tear gas, and
pressurized water and PKK supporters responded with stones and
Molotov cocktails. The clashes continued for almost 2 hours.

Hakkari - 11.23.09: Hundreds of people clashed with security
forces to protest the attack against DTP members in Izmir.
Demonstrators chanted slogans in favor of PKK and Ocalan, set up
barricades, burned trash barrels, and threw stone and Molotov
cocktails to security forces. Police intervened with batons,
pressurized water, and tear gas. Security forces detained at
least 5 people.

N. Iraq - 11.23.09: Pro-PKK web site ANF reported that 521
people joined in PKK in the past 5 months.

4. Media reports on significant crime or security incidents:

Adana - 11.30.09: Passersby found the corpse of a girl near the
Seyhan River.

Sirnak - 11.30.09: Passersby found the corpse of a girl in the
mountains.

11.28.09: Oil exports to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey resumed on
Saturday after a week-long interruption caused by sabotage to a
pipeline in northern Iraq.

Malatya - 11.27.09: 4 people were killed in a fight between 2
groups following a business deal gone sour.

Sanliurfa - 11.27.09: Security forces seized 1 Kalashnikov
rifle, 5 magazines and 40 rounds of ammunition.

Turkey wide - 11.27.09 through 11.30.09: Security forces
captured 292 counterfeiters in 176 separate operations conducted
in 52 provinces.

11.26.09: Turkish police seized 7.75 million counterfeit music
CDs and movies and 1.6 million pirated versions of bestseller
books over the past three years. Police and ministry officials

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have launched more than 9,500 operations against counterfeit
rings in the country. More than 10,000 people were arrested in
these operations on the suspicion of possessing, producing or
distributing counterfeit trademarked items. Statistics showed
that there was a decline in the production of knock-off CDs
since 2007. 2.22 million illegal copies were confiscated in
2007, 1.5 million the next year and 890,000 so far in 2009. The
rest of the bootleg items, around 3.6 million copies in the last
three years, were DVDs. Statistics revealed illegal production
of pirated books.

11.25.09: Turkey's Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation
(MKEK) has sold 10,302 handguns since the beginning of this
year. While 8,225 of those handguns were made in Turkey, the
remaining 2,077 were imported from different countries.

11.25.09: The International Day for the Elimination of Violence
against Women was marked with protests, press meetings and
statements from women's groups and human rights groups across
the country. Speaking at an event in Adana, the head of the
Adana Bar Association's women's rights commission said that 25
percent of women in Turkey were victims of violence and 75
percent of those individuals were subject to violence from their
spouses. She also said that one out of every four females under
the age of 18 were victims of sexual violence.

Diyarbakir - 11.24.09: A person was found dead in Silvan
District. The motive is unknown.

11.24.09: Security forces detained 42 people in simultaneous
anti-smuggling operations conducted in Ankara, Mardin, Sanliurfa
and Konya.

Gaziantep - 11.23.09: 1 person killed and 1 person wounded in a
firefight between 2 groups. Security forces detained 6 people in
the operation.

5. Illegal immigrant arrests:

11.20.09 through 11.30.09: Security forces captured and deported
333 illegal immigrants from: Aegean Coast, Adana, Agri,
Balikesir, Canakkale, Van Sanliurfa, Hatay, Edirne, Hakkari,
Izmir, Aydin, the Mediterranean region and the borders of Syria,
Greece, and Iran. Security forces detained 8 Turks who were
assisting the illegal immigrants.

6. Counter-narcotic operations:

Van - 11.26.09: Security forces seized 2 kilograms of heroin and
50 kilograms of hashish. 4 people were detained in the
operations.

Osmaniye - 11.23.09: Security forces seized 1 kilogram of
hashish, 1 unregistered pistol and 15 grams of cannabis in
simultaneous operations conducted in Osmaniye, Adana, Gaziantep
and Hatay. 11 people were detained in the operations.

Van - 11.23.09: Security forces seized 22 kilograms of hashish
and detained 1 person.
DARNELL

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