Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Calis Beach Forum => Calis Beach Questions and Information => Topic started by: woody on April 03, 2016, 12:09:13 PM
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Myself and a friend are due to stay in the calis area in the next couple of weeks but my friend now tells me that he has be told of security issues regarding British people in that area, i have looked at various websites regarding this but i can’t find anything to substantiate what he has been told so i though i would ask the experts like yourselves who live in the area for your opinions on this.
Kind regards
Woody
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Nothing specific in regard to British in the area woody.
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Thank for that Scunner I thought that would be the case.
woody
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Maybe this is a reference to the US Dept of Defence recalling all non- service personnel from the Mugla area. To my knowledge, there are no US military in the Fethiye / Calis area, or at least not in any numbers. There is a US naval base somewhere around Marmaris, which also happens to be in the Mugla.
I am on the committee of 3C's charity & we liase with the local chief of police regarding our larger events, of which there have been 2 in the last 10 days or so, neither of which seem to have raised any particular concern.
Never say never, but just as it was when I lived in London in the 70's / 80's a question of remaining vigilant
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But even with that recall, the US didn't advise American citizens against travel to Mugla/Izmir - the advice to them is the same as our own FCO advice to Brits travelling to the areas.
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Woody ask your friend for his source next time, that way we can knock it back or listen to it as appropriate. At that moment there is a large amount of crap being talked about or reported in the UK about Turkey in general, with no specific reference to this area. As someone has said already, never say never, but that applies as much in London, Bradford, Leeds, Glasgow, Cardiff as it does here!
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There have been rumours for quite a while and nobody knows how accurate these rumours are. Looking at the increased security at Erasta, I tend to take these rumours serious.
Does that mean I won't go to the Sunday market? No, it doesn't but it does mean that I don't take my 6-year old with me.
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Generally speaking all over Turkey people are trying to avoid crowded places such as shopping centres, public transport, markets, etc.
No matter how rose coloured your glasses are, Turkey is a less safe country at the moment. Threats have been made so it doesn't appear to be over.
Personally I feel that the risk of something happening to me is as likely as me winning the lottery but in the meanwhile I will stay away from places like for example the fish market.
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Ive been in Fethiye town centre 3 times this week. It's so quiet, even on Tuesday, very few cars and people.
The ex pats seem to be shopping as normal though.
I asked a lady in a shop in paspatur where everyone is and she said people not coming, scared bombs, not just tourists, everyone.
I spoke to a guy that runs a breakfast place in Yaniklar yesterday and he said it's even quiet there, and probably very very unlikely anyone would target Yaniklar.
He was contemplating building new kosks and tables, but has decided not to.
Very sad, the economy is going to suffer for sure.
Having sad that, the suns shining, it's gorgeous and I feel safe, although I have found myself looking around at everyone on the dolmus although I have no idea what a terrorist looks like!
Saw quite a few tourists in the market today, funny I used to wonder how the locals knew they were tourists, but they really do stand out when we're in trousers in 24 degrees.
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There have been rumours for quite a while and nobody knows how accurate these rumours are. Looking at the increased security at Erasta, I tend to take these rumours serious.
So on that basis the usual lax security I saw at Dalaman airport last night suggests that I shouldn't take the threat too seriously????
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Contrary to what KKKebab has seen and heard I was down the beach today, and it was busier I would say than normal for this time of year. A number of bars/restaurants were full or had custom and there was plenty of people promenading, and half the places are not even open yet.
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So on that basis the usual lax security I saw at Dalaman airport last night suggests that I shouldn't take the threat too seriously????
I don't know what you mean with the lax security at Dalaman but I have noticed two motor police and one police car cruising the streets of Calis the last couple of days. I've never seen them patrol before so these are indicators for me to be (more) careful.
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What lax security at Dalaman Airport UBT?
Like Brussels, I can walk into huge parts of Edinburgh and Glasgow Airport before any security at all. You can't get far into Dalaman before getting checked these days.
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Looking at the increased security at Erasta,
What increased security?
All they have done at the Erasta is stop the loophole of bypassing security by walking through the coffee shops.I still didnt get my bag searched when I went in last week.
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.I still didnt get my bag searched when I went in last week.
Nor did I 10 days ago
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Perhaps, unlike the UK, security at the airports, shopping centres etc are profiling passengers or visitors prior to entry to high-risk areas using less obvious methods. They maybe working on the theory that "Yabancis" or people who are obviously tourists are less likely to be terrorists. This gives them the resources to concentrate on those more likely to be a risk.
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Indeed the entrance through the coffee shops have been closed. One entrance to the elevators in the garage has security again but main thing is that they're checking cars inside and out. They look inside the vehicle and you have to open the boot so they can check which includes looking in the space for the spare wheel. The man in front of me had to unload his boot which happened to be full with sacks of fire wood. The security guy checked each bag.
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To be honest, I don't want to think about possible threat for Fethiye but some things do make me wonder. For example the fact that the race for life got cancelled/postponed. It was supposed to be held on May 1st but police decided against it.
Since I have never won the jackpot, I seem to be "unlucky" so no problem.
I came back from the Sunday market five minutes ago and two times I was scared but that was because they were taking the poles down and a few didn't go down the way there were supposed too lol
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To be honest, I don't want to think about possible threat for Fethiye but some things do make me wonder. For example the fact that the race for life got cancelled/postponed. It was supposed to be held on May 1st but police decided against it.
Your doing it again, seeing issues that aren't there. Race for Life was postponed because some ijiot forgot that it was Labour Day and there would be a clash with Labour day events.
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The problem with giving people warnings about potential risks to safety is that there will always be some who know better. Good luck to those people.
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"Labour Day events" is a nice euphemism.
Reality is that Turkey has a long long history of violent incidents on Labour Day.
Here a link to a video from last year's in Istanbul. You might want to take a moment to read the comments...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jwsjJ7je_kk
Like I've written before, I don't really want to contemplate on a possible threat to Fethiye, Antalya, Bodrum or wherever but unfortunately I won't be surprised if something does happen.
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Last year I took a small rebate plane in our suitcase as I needed to ease a bedroom door in our apartment.No probs at stansted security,but on the return journey at Dalaman I was called to one side at the scanner ,the case was opened and a man delved around and found the tool which I had put inside one of my trainers. He then asked me what it was so not sure if he would understand I made some planing motions and he nodded ,smiled and I repacked the case.
At least it was checked.
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They are very strict on plane security at the airport Badge :D
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That was plane stupid. ;)
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:D
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On a serious note, thanks for the info' Dutchie. Like KKOB said the authorities are probably using profiling to look
for suspects and non Turks may not feel under the same scrutiny. It's good to know it is being taken seriously.
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So you spoke to him in plane English and he understood. ;)
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There are regulations in Turkey about boarding the plane. But there are also rules about planing the board.
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Not you agrain.
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Last year I took a small rebate plane in our suitcase as I needed to ease a bedroom door in our apartment
Hey Geoff - we know how you lads from the East End "ease things back" - bet you took the old trusty lump hammer as well :-)"
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The decision about Race for Life being postponed on 1st May wasn't because of fears in Fethiye, the Polis said that being 1st May and with tensions across the country generally there was a POSSIBILITY that they could be needed elsewhere.
Easy to criticise those trying to make a difference and raise money for cancer equipment which any one of us might need to use here, we weren't idiots, when we set the date there was no need for concerns, in fact at that time the Polis said it was fine.
It was felt that as its a bank holiday many Turkish people who couldn't take part last year due to work commitments would have a chance to attend.
Since then there have been bombs in parts of Turkey and threats from the TAK.
Things change all the time, no need to be offensive.
Which beach did you see lots of people at UBT, that's good to hear.
Maybe Fethiye is empty because the weather is fab and they've swapped the town for the beach.
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Fethiye Polis have just announced the installation of 28 "state of the art" CCTV cameras ostensibly for monitoring traffic violations. They are inviting tenders for an additional 66 - info courtesy of Fethiye Times
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Easy to criticise those trying to make a difference and raise money for cancer equipment which any one of us might need to use here
Well said kayakebab !!!!.
The equipment bought using the proceeds of last year's magnificent effort will make a huge difference.
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Hold on, I think somebody must be pressing the over-sensitive button here. So here are my over sensitive replies.
Did I say anything bad about Race for Life? Did I denegrate in some way the work put in for the event and money raised.? Let's be clear the topic here is security in this area, and I am more than a little kissed off by some people keep coming here and saying or implying that there are bigger risks on security here in Fethiye/Calis than in other places, by pointing to spurious examples of one kind or another. It seems I have to keep rattling on, but the risks here are probably no more than London, Paris, Brussels or indeed most other European towns or cities.
KKOB in case you haven't noticed this is the Calis BEACH forum, so when i talk about the beach I think you can safely assume it is Calis Beach.
H that was an interesting, but ill informed comment from you .... I know what the event was about, what money was raised, and what the money was for ..... particularly as I did help out for most of the day with the Race itself last year, that's before the race started and after it had finished.
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I believe the way you described us was ijits. So if that means I'm over sensitive then so be it.
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Oh, and If you're going to abbreviate my name, I'm not KKOB.
I'm well aware of what forum it is, and the beach stretches a long way, personally I've only seen a few people in Nil and that's about it.
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H that was an interesting, but ill informed comment from you .... I know what the event was about, what money was raised, and what the money was for ..... particularly as I did help out for most of the day with the Race itself last year, that's before the race started and after it had finished.
I am intrigued UBT as to what part of my comment (observation) was ill informed.
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Although I agree with you H and kayakebabab that Race for Life do a brilliant job and it is a cause very close to my heart, I also was a bit concerned when I heard that Race for Life was due to take place on May Day this year, not just because of the latest bombings but because May Day is notorious for demonstrations. Having being in Istanbul staying just outside Taksim Square on May Day a few years ago when there were demonstrations, riot polce and water cannons on every corner and clouds of CS gas it was quite scary and an experience that I would not wish to repeat. In the present climate with tensions running as they are and peoples general concerns over security, I think it was a very wise decision to seperate the events and postpone the race until later in the month. Whether this was due to the fact that the Police may be needed else where to deal with problems or just to damp down any possibllity of any potential trouble or high spirits locally does not matter, it was a good call by whoever made it. Do you have a new date for the race yet? I really hope it will be as successful as last year and raise loads of money for a very worthwhile cause.
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There's no date yet, I think it's a case of see what happens on May 1st and assess tensions across the country, although the Turkish RFL committee members, including the Honorary Consul himself felt that there had never been May Day Issues in Fethiye.
This is simply because of what could happen elsewhere given the escalation since that date was discussed.
The polis are going to decide after 1st May whether a later date in May would be possible, which to me makes it unlikely to be until the Autumn now, as there simply wouldn't be time to register everyone and be ready in just a few days.
This hasn't been banded around too much, for several reasons, which is why no explanation was given on Facebook. No one wants to cause Chinese whispers or mass panic.
The reality is we just don't know if things are going to get worse.
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KKOB in case you haven't noticed this is the Calis BEACH forum, so when i talk about the beach I think you can safely assume it is Calis Beach.
I think you need to have a bit of a word with yourself UBT. I haven't mentioned THE BEACH !
I think I probably mentioned THE WAR once, but I got away with that.
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My first email from the FCO on Turkey travel advice describes itself as an update and, as I recall, shows a slight change in wording from the original version but no substantive change to the advice. [I do wonder what the legal/political situation might be if the UK Government advised British people not to visit Turkey because of dangers but that it is quite safe for the EU to send refugees back there].
Over 2,500,000 British nationals visit Turkey every year. It’s generally safe to travel but you should take additional safety precautions. You should be alert to your surroundings and remain vigilant in crowded places popular with tourists.
Terrorism
The threat from terrorism remains high. Terrorist groups, including Kurdish groups, Daesh (formerly referred to as ISIL) and far left organisations, continue to plan and carry out attacks. Further attacks are likely. Terrorist groups, including Daesh and the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK), have publicly threatened to attack tourist sites in Turkey. You should take extra care in public places – particularly those visited by foreigners. Be vigilant, follow the advice of local security authorities, monitor media reports and keep up to date with this travel advice.
On 12 January 2016 there was a suicide bomb attack against tourists in Sultanahmet in Istanbul in which 10 people died. On 19 March 2016 a similar attack against tourists on Istiklal St in Istanbul killed 4 people.
On 17 February 2016 a large bomb attack near a military barracks on Eskisehir Road in Ankara killed 28 people. On 13 March 2016, a similar attack killed over 30 people at Kizilay Square in central Ankara.
Attacks are likely to target the Turkish state, civilians and demonstrations. Nevertheless, it’s increasingly likely that some attacks will also target western interests and tourism, as they did in Istanbul on 12 January and 19 March 2016. To date most attacks in Turkey have taken place in the south and east of the country and in Ankara and Istanbul.
Turkish authorities have successfully disrupted attack planning in the recent past. The Turkish authorities have said that security has been tightened in response to recent attacks. Nevertheless, further attacks are likely, could be indiscriminate and may target or affect places visited by foreigners.
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There is an article in todays Hurriet Daily News regarding the PKK and 8 other terror groups forming an umbrella group
calling itself the HBDH, led by the PKK, and they are going to start a propaganda war, organise acts of terror, and
" target foreign nationals across Turkey in order to attract the attention of the International Media."
I cant get a link up, perhaps someone else can. They have chosen Duran Kalkan as their leader.
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http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/newly-formed-pkk-initiative-to-target-turkish-cities-conduct-political-propaganda-report.aspx?pageID=238&nID=97276&NewsCatID=341
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Cheers Keith. So little regard for the life of human beings.
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One of the big problems with running a website like this is that while we do have strong connections with people of influence locally in Fethiye - and the people close to them, it is impossible to know what to do with the information we hear.
If we pass it on we are scaremongering, kicking tourism when it is down, negative...
If we keep it to ourselves and something awful does happen (God forbid) we would be irresponsible, hiding bad news, putting the resort before people's safety...
If anyone can sort that one out please share their thoughts, as 13 years into the job I have no idea what we are expected to do.
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I think all you can continue to do is to be honest. People need to be aware, forearmed is forewarned and all that.
I'm addicted to Twitter now, I don't post, but search keywords every day and see what's going on.
I'm particularly glued to anything to do with Preet Brahara and the Zarrab case at the moment.
I think that case could be the key to the future of certain people.
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Keith
I think kayakebab is spot on. I think you must have some tough calls sometimes. I wouldn't want it.
kayakebab
I agree with your first and last sentences totally. Woody asked a question out of security uncertainty.
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One of the big problems with running a website like this is that while we do have strong connections with people of influence locally in Fethiye - and the people close to them, it is impossible to know what to do with the information we hear.
If we pass it on we are scaremongering, kicking tourism when it is down, negative...
If we keep it to ourselves and something awful does happen (God forbid) we would be irresponsible, hiding bad news, putting the resort before people's safety...
If anyone can sort that one out please share their thoughts, as 13 years into the job I have no idea what we are expected to do.
It's fairly simple in my view. We continue to report/post what we know in a fair and truthful manner - a concept completely alien to the current Turkish government (sorry, couldn't resist that one).
Honesty can only be construed as being negative by those who have something to hide. (© JohnF 2016)
JF
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I've been a member for only two years but I was reading the posts for a long time before that (I'm not much of a "joiner" really) and have always found it to be a wholly fair and honest account of what's happening.
Of course, people's opinions are theirs to post and argue about but matters of actual fact have been handled in as professional a manner as possible.
I have never considered the editing to promote scaremongering; neither has it presented a one - eyed view of things.
It's been an exemplary and independent administration of an excellent forum of which you should be most proud.
Long may it stay this way.
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Hear-hear, well said Stuart T. :)