Non-governmental organizations and labor and civil servant unions held a demonstration in Ankara's Sihhiye Square to mark the Labor Day on Saturday.

Turkey's Republican People's Party (CHP) deputies Enver Oktem and Ismail Degerli, Free Turkey Party leader Ahmet Turhan Demir, Democratic People's Party leader Tuncer Bakirhan, and members of Free Democracy Party, Labor Party, Workers' Party and Turkish Socialist Workers' Party joined the demonstration.

About 4,000 policemen were mobilized in the capital to maintain order in the day.

In Turkey's commercial capital of Istanbul, leaders of Confederation of Turkish Labor Unions and some unions laid wreath on Taksim Republican Monument as a part of the Labor Day celebrations.

Turkish police detained on Saturday about 35 people who attempted to stage an illegal demonstration at Taksim Square in Istanbul on May Day, Anatolia News Agency reported.

Anatolia said that Turkish police detained about another 100 people, including Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) deputy leader Ali Urkut, who attempted to stage an illegal demonstration in southeastern Diyarbakir province in the day.
 
(Xinhua News Agency May 2, 2004)