[86SOFIA3382] ROUND-UP OF BULGARIAN TURKS

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  date: 8/11/1986 11:49 refid: 86SOFIA3382 origin: Embassy Sofia classification: CONFIDENTIAL destination: 86SOFIA3170|86SOFIA3356 header: R 111149Z AUG 86 FM AMEMBASSY SOFIA TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5906 INFO AMEMBASSY ANKARA DIA WASHDC  C O N F I D E N T I A L SOFIA 03382    SIPDIS    E.O. 12356: OADR  TAGS: PHUM, PINR, BU, TU  SUBJECT: ROUND-UP OF BULGARIAN TURKS    REF: (A) SOFIA 3356, (B) SOFIA 3170    1.  C - ENTIRE TEXT.    2.  EMBOFF CALLED AUGUST 8 ON XXXXXXXXXXXX, TO SEEK CONFIRMATION OF AND  ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON A REPORTED RECENT ROUND-UP AND  ARREST OF ETHNIC-TURKISH BULGARIANS (REF A).  WITHOUT  REFERENCE TO REF A REPORT, EMBOFF STEERED DISCUSSION OF  OTHER TOPICS (SEPTELS) AROUND TO WHETHER THERE HAVE BEEN  SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN RECENT WEEKS REGARDING  BULGARIAN TURKS.  IN HIS RESPONSE, XXXXXXXXXXXX MADE NO  REFERENCE TO A SUDDEN WAVE OF ARRESTS.  -  3.  IN FURTHER CONVERSATION, XXXXXXXXXXXX DID REFER TO  BULGARIAN TURKS RECENTLY RELEASED FROM BELENE ISLAND  PRISON AND THEN EXILED TO KYUSTENDIL AND VRATSA  (EVIDENTLY THE CASES ALSO MENTIONED BY SOURCE OF REF A).  CONFIDENTIAL    SIPDIS    CONFIDENTIAL    SIPDIS    PAGE 02        SOFIA  03382  111320Z    HE SAID THAT NO SPECIFIC TERM OF YEARS FOR SUCH EXILE  HAD BEEN STATED. IN ENSUING DISCUSSION OF WHETHER BULGARIA  WAS PURSUING A POLICY OF RESETTLING SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS  OF ETHNIC TURKS, XXXXXXXXXXXX INDICATED HIS BELIEF THAT  SUCH FORCED RESETTLEMENTS ON A LIMITED SCALE HAD BEEN  CARRIED OUT SINCE EVEN BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE  1984-85 NAME-CHANGING CAMPAIGN.  HE SAID THAT ON A 1985  TRIP TO XXXXXXXXXXXX, HE WAS TOLD BY ETHNIC TURKISH  CONTACTS THAT TWO HUNDRED FAMILIES (PROBABLY 800-1000  PEOPLE) HAD BEEN UPROOTED FROM THE TURKISH QUARTER OF  THAT CITY AND RESETTLED ELSEWHERE.  HE HAD BEEN SHOWN  THE VACANT HOUSES OF SOME OF THE FAMILIES INVOLVED.  HE ALSO REFERRED TO A MORE RECENT CASE OF A YOUNG ETHNIC  TURK WHO, ALONG WITH OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS, WAS FORCIBLY  RESETTLED FROM THE PLOVDIV AREA AFTER ATTEMPTING TO  CONTACT THE TURKISH CONSULATE IN PLOVDIV.  -  4.  COMMENT.  XXXXXXXXXXXX DIRECT CONTACT WITH  ETHNIC TURKS WORKING INVOLUNTARILY OUTSIDE THEIR PLACE  OF ORIGIN REMAINS LIMITED TO TWO CASES (REF B).  THUS  ALTHOUGH A POLICY OF RESETTLING ETHNIC TURKS, ESPECIALLY  "TROUBLE-MAKERS," IS PLAUSIBLE AND WAS INDEED  THREATENED IN A 1985 INTERVIEW GIVEN BY BULGARIAN  ACADEMY OF SCIENCES CHAIRMAN ANGEL BALEVSKI, WE CANNOT  YET CONFIRM THAT SUCH A POLICY HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED  IN MORE THAN POSSIBLY ISOLATED CASES.  A CURRENT SERIES  OF TRIPS BY EMBOFFS TO "NON-TURKISH" REGIONS OF  BULGARIA MAY PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO INQUIRE WHETHER  ANY MOVEMENT OF ETHNIC TURKS HAS OCCURRED.    5.  XXXXXXXXXXXX   SIPDIS    CONFIDENTIAL    SIPDIS    PAGE 03        SOFIA  03382  111320Z    XXXXXXXXXXXX     CONFIDENTIAL    SIPDIS 

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