GOOD MORNING--TURKEY PRESS SCAN ON MAY 29

HURRIYET

--BUGGING TREMOR

The news that the office of Onder Sav, the secretary general of Republican People's Party (CHP), was bugged sent shock waves across Turkey. CHP will submit a censure motion against Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

For the allegations that Sav's office was bugged, CHP chairman Deniz Baykal asked where the constitution and state were. "Neither a government executive nor a state official has called us so far," Baykal said.

--BUGGING IS A VIOLATION

Interior Minister Besir Atalay defined bugging as illegal, and said bugging, which hampered personal freedom, could not be approved. "We condemn this incident, which is like a violation," he also said. Atalay said that he had asked the authorities to investigate the allegations.

MILLIYET

--HE BECOMES PRESIDENT DESPITE BULLETS

Mustafa Birden, who had been injured in the bloody attack against Council of State two years ago, was elected the new president of the top administrative court of Turkey--Council of State.

Birden received 50 votes. After being elected as the president, Birden said, "It was a thing of the past. Every problem is solved if you are friendly with people and society," while commenting on the attack.

--BAYKAL ACCUSES GOVERNMENT IN BUGGING SCANDAL

CHP chairman Deniz Baykal claimed that CHP Secretary General Onder Sav's office was bugged by officials. Interior Minister Besir Atalay denied the claims.

Ankara was turned upside down when the conversation between Sav and Ali Serindag, former Governor of Black Sea province of Bolu, appeared in Vakit newspaper.

"Technological capabilities are systematically being used against a section of our citizens by certain gangs that are nested in the state," Baykal said.

SABAH

--MONITORING CONTROVERSY

The allegations that CHP was being monitored stirred Ankara. The prosecutor's office started an inspection on the allegations. CHP leader Deniz Baykal said Onder Sav's conversation was monitored by the security forces and was serviced to daily newspapers. He said they would file a censure motion.

The Minister of Interior denied allegations. Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat of Justice and Development Party (AKP) said if Baykal couldn't prove the allegations he would be a slanderer.

--FIVE TURKS WERE MURDERED IN THE U.S.

Five members of a Turkish family were found dead in their residence in California in the U.S. Manas Ucar was shot dead along with his wife, wife's mother and twin daughters' bodies who were found rotting as the incident is believed to have happened 2-3 weeks ago. As the autopsies have not concluded, it is still not clear whether the five-member family was murdered or it was a murder suicide.

VATAN

--BUGGING GANG IS WITHIN THE STATE

Republican People's Party (CHP) chairman Deniz Baykal said CHP Secretary General Onder Sav was bugged by a gang that nested within the security forces of the state, and leaked out conversations to Vakit newspaper. Baykal said, "Technological facilities are used systematically against some citizens by certain gangs nested within the state," referring to the government. Baykal also said his party would submit a censure motion against the government.

--"GHAZI" PRESIDENT TO COUNCIL OF STATE

Mustafa Birden became the new president of the Council of State. Birden had survived the armed attack against the Council of State with severe injuries two years ago. The first words of Birden after he was elected the president were: "Our first target is to abide by Ataturk's principles and reforms."

CUMHURIYET

--GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED MONITORING

CHP decided to file a censure motion against PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan after CHP SG Onder Sav's conversation with a former governor was serviced to Vakit daily newspaper.

CHP leader Deniz Baykal said they were witnessing an unprecedented incident in Turkish political life and CHP was being monitored by security forces under the control of the government. Baykal said everybody knew about the F-type structuring in the police department.

After the ruling AKP came to power and the transformation in the police department, illegal monitoring scandals increased. Conversations of Turkish Armed Forces personnel were published on Youtube. Alleged voice recordings of Former Chairman of the Higher Education Board Prof. Erdogan Tezic were also published. Telephones of many daily newspapers were tapped and conversations were serviced to pro-government news organizations.

--CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENTS OF BABACAN

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan addressed European Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee. Answering a question on the religious freedoms of minorities in Turkey, Babacan said, "not only non-Muslim minorities, but also the Muslim majority have problems regarding religious freedoms."

RADIKAL

--BAYKAL: GOVERNMENT BUGS CHP

CHP chairman Deniz Baykal held the government responsible for the "bugging" of CHP Secretary General Onder Sav's office.

In an interview with Radikal, Baykal said, "of course government is behind what has been going on".

--FIRAT: ALLEGATIONS ARE PARANOIA

Ruling AKP Deputy Chairman Dengir Mir Mehmet Firat said CHP chairman Deniz Baykal was trying to overshadow the "southeastern move" meeting of the government. Firat described the allegations of bugging which have come to the agenda in the recent days, as "paranoia".

YENI SAFAK

--HIGHER EDUCATION BOARD TO FURTHER INCREASE STUDENT CONTINGENTS AT UNIVERSITIES

Higher Education Board (YOK), which will increase student contingents at universities by 42,000 in 2008-2009 academic year has decided to create contingents for 50,000 more students next year.

YOK Chairman Yusuf Ziya Ozcan, said with the extra cadre of 5,000 tutors promised by PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan they would assign one tutor per 10 students for the extra contingents.

--ARCELIK WANTS TO BUY GENERAL ELECTRIC

Arcelik is interested in buying the electrical household appliances of world giant General Electric (GE). A senior official of GE said, "Whoever purchases this group with an annual turnover of $7.2 billion will become the giant of this sector."