GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON JULY 7

HURRIYET

--XINJIANG MASSACRE

Protests that began on Sunday turned into a massacre after police reacted violently in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in China. Up to 156 Uighur Turks were killed. Bodies were all over the streets of capital city Urumchi.

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East Turkistan Culture and Solidarity Association Chairman Seyit Tumturk said the riots started when Chinese men molested Uighur girls working at a toy factory.

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Around 300 Uighurs were killed in the unrest, he said.

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Protests have spread to Kashgar in the northwestern part of the region, and demonstrations were also held in Kashgar, but police intervene to end them.

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--FOUR WORKERS KILLED

A minibus, carrying workers to a construction of a dam near Silopi town of the southeastern province of Sirnak, passed over a mine in the early hours of Monday. Four workers were killed in the blast, nine others were injured.

 

The injured workers were all from the same family.

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--"WE WILL FOLLOW DINK CASE"

Vincent Niore said he attended Monday's hearing of the Hrant Dink case to represent the Paris Bar. He also referred to the chairman of the Brussels Bar standing beside him and said, "From now on, we will set up delegations together with Europe's other bars and follow the case."

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MILLIYET

--SAMAST THREATENS DINKS

Tensions escalated at the tenth hearing of the Dink case. Hitman Ogun Samast, who quarreled with Hrant Dink's brother Orhan Dink in the court house, threatened him and said, "Wait for another five years and you shall see." Witness Nesse Havva said, the day of the assassination, the hitman who killed Hrant fled the scene together with another person. The suspect, Erhan Tuncel, claimed that he would reveal important information regarding the assassination if the court allowed him to make use of the witness protection program.

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--PKK MINE KILLS, ROAD CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

A minibus carrying workers to a road construction site for a dam in the Silopi town of Sirnak, ran over a mine planted by PKK terrorists. The mine blast killed four workers and injured nine others. One of the injured workers, Zeki Dere, told that they had been passing along the road three or four times a day recently which suggests the mine was planted not long ago.

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SABAH

--COLONEL CICEK RETURNS TO WORK

Colonel Dursun Cicek, who was arrested following his interrogation by prosecutors carrying out the "Ergenekon" investigation and then released, returned to work on Monday. Colonel Cicek was released after he was detained for 18 hours and returned to work at the General Staff Headquarters.

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--4 WORKERS KILLED IN MINE BLAST IN SILOPI

Four workers were killed and nine others were wounded when a mine exploded in Silopi town of the southeastern province of Sirnak on Monday. A land-mine exploded when a minibus carrying workers drove over the mine. The workers were working on a road construction.

 

VATAN

--PRESIDENT LIKELY TO APPROVE BUT ALSO CAUTION

President Abdullah Gul is expected to approve the law that allows the trial of military personnel in civil courts. Gul has to announce his decision within 48-hours. It was asserted that he will approve the law at midnight, but also warn the government to "ease concerns" it has toward the military.

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--FULL SUPPORT TO TURKEY FROM SPAIN FOR EU

Following British Foreign Secretary David Miliband's remarks as "Turkey is a chance for the EU, not a threat," Spain also offered its support to Turkey. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero said his country would take over the rotating EU presidency at the beginning of 2010 and added that he clearly supported Turkey's EU bid.

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CUMHURIYET

--WORKERS STICK TOGETHER

Revolutionary Labor Unions Confederation, or DISK, announced that it would support the one-hour strike of Turkey Labor Unions Confederation, or Turk-Is, with the participation of all its members in the public sector. Other Labor union Confederations, like KESK and Hak-Is, condemned Premier Tayyip Erdogan's attitude. DISK's Chairman Suleyman Celebi said Erdogan was trying to solve the problem by creating tension, adding that this was a move against all the workers.

 

KESK Chairman Sami Evren said the government would step back if all labor unions combined the separate bargaining processes with the government.       Â

 

All workers member to the labor unions under the roof of Turk-Is, will strike for one-hour, as a warning, in the morning to protest the uncompromising attitude of the government showed during the public sector collective bargaining talks.

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--PRESIDENT HAS TWO CHOICES

President Abdullah Gul is expected to announce his decision regarding the amendment allowing the trial of soldiers by civilian courts. Gul will either ratify the law, or veto it. Justice and Development Party officials believe Gul will ratify the law.

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RADIKAL

--NEWS FROM PATRIARCH

Patriarch Kirill of the Moscow Orthodox Church held meetings with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Head of the Religious Affairs Department Ali Bardakoglu in Ankara. Patriarch Kirill said that he received information that Heybeliada seminary could be opened.

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--MASSACRE IN XINJIANG

At least 140 people were killed in riots in China's northwestern Xinjiang region. More than 800 people were injured in riots in Urumchi late Sunday. The riots followed Sunday's peaceful demonstrations protesting a fight between Uighur and Han Chinese workers at a toy factory late June. Two Uighur workers were killed in the strife. Officials said that death toll could rise.

 

YENI SAFAK

--SAMAST WAS NOT ALONE

The surprise witness in the case for Hrant Dink's assassination, M.H. claimed that hitman and suspect, Ogun Samast, was not acting alone during Hrant's assassination.

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The female witness said, "Samast was not alone. There was another one with him. They fled together. That person could be Yasin Hayal." Samast has denied the claims.

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--ARCELIK AND VESTEL AMONG 250 GIANTS

According to the 2009 Global Powers of Production Industry report by Deloitte, Arcelik and Vestel made it to the list of 250 biggest producers of the world. The report said the era of strong and lucrative companies was a thing of the past.