Author Topic: State of emergency extended for further three months  (Read 2487 times)

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Offline JohnF

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State of emergency extended for further three months
« on: October 05, 2016, 11:19:27 AM »
As was totally expected the current state of emergency has been extended for a further three months.  Not unreasonable some might think, given that France has had an extended state of emergency due to concerns over domestic terrorism.

However, what is concerning is how these extraordinary powers have been used to to carry out purges in the civil service, the Polis, the military, education, the media and the judiciary - another thirteen thousand Polis sacked and now being investigated for "links to terrorism" just this week.  There have been various figures bandied about relating to the total number of folks detained, suspended or dismissed as a result of these post coup purges, anywhere from 98,000 (semi officialish figure) up to 200,000 (unofficial figure).  Its got to the point that many schools in the east of the country are closed - they simply don't have any teachers left.

A few facts are clear though - there are 32,000 folks locked up with no imminent prospect of a trial.  That figure includes 110 journalists who in the main are guilty of nothing more than writing the facts and giving their opinion.  Over 250 companies turning over billions of shoeboxes per annum have been seized and taken into government control, close to 140 media outlets (TV stations, newspapers, magazines etc) have also been seized and subsequently silenced, hundreds of schools, colleges, universities and hospitals have been seized and closed down - this isn't a fight against terrorism anymore, this is a "lets get rid of or silence anyone who doesn't agree with us" campaign. 

Unfortunately all that sh1t is just peripheral.  Its noise. 

As it stands, the ruling party can do what they like, literally.  They could ban bananas tomorrow and by Friday you'd be eating apple splits.  That's the way government works under a state of emergency.

To the wee man, this is the opportunity he's been waiting for, he told the country's muhtars this week that the state of emergency could last for up to a year.  I don't think there is much doubt in many folks minds what his end game will be.  He told parliament this week that the only way forward for Turkey is a new constitution and we know what style of future presidency he has in mind.

The effect on the Turkish economy is marked.  The international credit agency Moodys downgraded Turkeys status to "junk", the lira has gradually crept back to over three to the dollar and the governments economic forecasts have gone right out the window.  The only bright light on that front is that inflation has dropped slightly, sitting around 7.3% just now. 

All this crap going on has made me wonder what the future holds for Turkey, mainly for the guy in the street not the ex pats with pensions and foreign passports.  They can enjoy the sun shining, the cold beer and the cheap cost of living for as long as they want, but if things go really pear shaped then its off to the next place, so to speak. 

Tourism has played a large part in keeping food on the table and a roof over folks heads for the past twenty years or so, and the extraordinarily poor season this year has affected thousands of families, not just along the coast but in Istanbul also.  Keeping the country under a state of emergency is not going to help, the US still state "U.S. citizens should still carefully consider the need to travel to Turkey at this time." 

What will 2017 bring?  Will a cheap lira be enough to tempt folks (who don't own holiday homes) to Turkey given the political situation? 

JF

PS: Yeah I know, its a bit of a rant BWTF.









Offline JohnF

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Re: State of emergency extended for further three months
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2017, 10:45:34 AM »
Well, we're almost five months into 2017 and what has it brought us?

Despite some positive signs around the resorts locally, tourism is still way down.  Tourism related businesses are struggling to pay rents, staff and in some cases even put food on their family's table.  When I posted the above, the lira was sitting at 3.88 to the quid, it's now 4.64.  Still not enough to tempt the sun seeking hordes back it seems.  Overall, not good.

The latest "purge" figures make scary reading - the number of ordinary folks sacked due to them having links to "terrorist organisations" now stands at 138,147.

The number of folks who have been detained or arrested now stands at 153,234.

These figures include 8,271 academics, some high profile university professors, some just plain old teachers.  Over 2,000 schools, universities and other educational establishments have been closed - some kids in the south east of the country haven't had a school to go to for months.  Not that that's really the problem, even if they had the school they wouldn't have a teacher to take lessons!

The judiciary are the backbone of a law abiding democratic country and, under a presidential system, provide the necessary checks and balances to avoid a dictatorship.  Well, there's over four thousand of them (and local prosecutors) who are now unemployed.

With the arrests last week at the Sözcü newspaper, it beings the total number of media outlets seized/closed up to 149.  The latest total of journalists imprisoned is now 231.

A statement made by the wee fella a couple of days ago seem to suggest that he enjoys the freedom to do what he likes under the state of emergency:

“A state of emergency was declared in France when 15 terrorists arose. In my country, the state was attempted to be brought down. We have 249 martyrs and 2,193 veterans. How can you ask about the removal of the state of emergency? It will not be removed. Until when? Until we reach peace and prosperity,” Erdoğan said at the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) third extraordinary convention assembled to elect himself as the party chairman after a three-year break.

So, I wonder what the second half of 2017 will bring...

JF
 

Offline Colwyn

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Re: State of emergency extended for further three months
« Reply #2 on: May 23, 2017, 13:06:06 PM »
This report by Al Monitor - http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/02/turkey-academics-purges-collapse-of-academia.html - notes the irony of the situation in universities. In the 1930s and 40s many German academics sought refuge from Nazism by escaping to Turkey: now many Turkish academics are reversing the flow.

Offline kevin3

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Re: State of emergency extended for further three months
« Reply #3 on: May 23, 2017, 14:45:23 PM »


  The State of Emergency decree will be lifted when political opposition has been neutralised. 




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