Dozens held in Turkish 'coup plot'

[Savonarola]

Dozens held in Turkish 'coup plot' 



Former heads of the air force and the navy were among those arrested on Monday [Reuters]

More than 40 people have been arrested in Turkey in connection with an alleged military plot to undermine the government and trigger a coup, the prime minister has said.

"This morning our security forces began a detention process. As of now, more than 40 people have been detained," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

Former heads of the air force, navy and other senior officers were among those detained, local media reported.

The swoop follows reports of several alleged plots in the past year which have strained relations between the ruling AK Party and the military.

The CNN-Turk and NTV news channels said police arrested Ibrahim Firtina, former air force chief, Ozden Ornek, the former navy chief and at least five other retired top officials.

Those held were taken to Istanbul for questioning by anti-terror police.

'Psychological campaign'

Firtina and Ornek were linked to a purported 2003 plot to discredit the AKP government, a plan revealed by the liberal Taraf daily in January.

The plan, codenamed "Sledgehammer", involved bombing two Istanbul mosques and escalating tensions with Greece by forcing Greek jets to down a Turkish plane over the Aegean Sea.

The act would have been an attempt to show the Turkish government as inept, according to documents obtained by Taraf.

The Turkish army said the documents were discussed in a seminar on war-time contingency plans, but denied they represented a coup plot.

The allegations have caused Basbug to complain of a "psychological campaign" to smear the army and warn of a possible "confrontation between institutions".

Prosecutors so far have charged more than 400 people in the case, including soldiers as well as academics, journalists and politicians.

Turkey's secular military has ousted four governments since 1960, proof to many that it has been the real power in the country since Mustafa Kemal
Ataturk set up the republic from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.

Under EU pressure, however, Erdogan has dramatically curtailed the military's power and reinforced its place under civilian rule, while also bolstering democratic institutions.

On Sunday, the prime minister announced new plans to overhaul the judiciary and the Constitution, a legacy of the 1980 military coup.

Spellus, do you need someone to post bail? 

Just kidding, but can you give us any insight into what's happening there?

[Grallon]

Doesn't the turkish army consider itself the guardian of Attaturk's legacy (the secular republic)?  I think there's a history of 'coups' where the army intervenes to prevent the government from threatening that legacy.  With islamists in power I'm surprised this hasn't happened sooner.




G.

[Savonarola]

Doesn't the turkish army consider itself the guardian of Attaturk's legacy (the secular republic)?  I think there's a history of 'coups' where the army intervenes to prevent the government from threatening that legacy.  With islamists in power I'm surprised this hasn't happened sooner.




G.

According to the article there have been four coups by the military since 1960.  Also according to the article, in their attempt to join the EU Turkey has curtailed the power of the military and expanded their democratic institutions.

[Cecil]

Hasnt there been a lot of these so called coup attempts lately though?

Starting to wonder if the oh so democratic goverment isnt starting to show its true colours.

[Alatriste]

Hasnt there been a lot of these so called coup attempts lately though?

Starting to wonder if the oh so democratic goverment isnt starting to show its true colours.

If only things were that simple... but in Turkey they don't have a single divide 'secular moderates' against 'religious fanatics'. There is also 'religious moderates', 100% democratic,  and sadly 'secular fanatics', far too close to Turanian-flavored Nazism for comfort. 

[Jaron]

  Don't let them into the EU... Let them join the US!!!!

[Tamas]

Starting to wonder if the oh so democratic goverment isnt starting to show its true colours.

I just hope the shit will not hit the fan during the Languish meet, but I think that is the case.

[Jaron]

Istanbul to Greece. :a:

Get the city back into Christian hands AND nullify the "part of Turkey is in Europe" argument.

[Syt]

Hm, so in Turkey you currently can choose between a "democratically" elected islamist government and a secular military.

[Richard Hakluyt]

Starting to wonder if the oh so democratic goverment isnt starting to show its true colours.

I just hope the shit will not hit the fan during the Languish meet, but I think that is the case.

If the worst happens we can always take refuge in the Swiss embassy 

[Neil]

Istanbul to Greece. :a:

Get the city back into Christian hands AND nullify the "part of Turkey is in Europe" argument.

Better yet:  Greece to Turkey.

Gets Greece out of the EU and nullifies the existance of Greece, both worthy goals.

[Tamas]

Starting to wonder if the oh so democratic goverment isnt starting to show its true colours.

I just hope the shit will not hit the fan during the Languish meet, but I think that is the case.

If the worst happens we can always take refuge in the Swiss embassy 

Allegedly, there have been more than 100 people (journalists, officers, etc) arrested in the last two years due to their "participation" in this coup that never happened. In other words, this is bullshit. Also, reportedly, the Turkish Chief of Staff cancelled a visit to Egypt and meets with his staff instead.

Making false accusations of betrayal is the most basic plot the communists used during the 50s to handle their internal fightings. So this whole affair has "dictatoric power consolidation 101) written all over it.

[Warspite]

It would, of course, be unthinkable for the military to intervene in Turkish politics.

[Queequeg]

If only things were that simple... but in Turkey they don't have a single divide 'secular moderates' against 'religious fanatics'. There is also 'religious moderates', 100% democratic,  and sadly 'secular fanatics', far too close to Turanian-flavored Nazism for comfort.

Gutting the military is in the long term interest of Turkey; eventually the CHP will become more of a traditional European Social Democrat party, while the AKP becomes a Christian (read: Muslim) Democrat party.  Turkey is more or less under America's nuclear umbrella, and they could easily whip any of their neighbors even if they cut down on defense spending and got rid of the nutty, inherently unequal Military Service, and the creepy, Fascist-like militancy and cult of Attaturk.  I'm currently living behind a Turkish grade school, and sometimes in the mornings I wake up to kids marching and shouting out Attaturk speeches. 

I very, very, very seriously doubt that Islamism as known in Iran or Saudi Arabia, let along Afghanistan, will make any kind of significant comeback here.  The Anatolian middle class is religious, but they watch soap operas with insanely hot women and buy condoms through a delivery service at night.  This is undoubtbly a crucial and awkward time in Turkey's return to Europe, but I the country is very, very close to reaching a point where modernization becomes kind of self-catalyzing and permanent.  I just don't think that Fundementalism can compare with Beren Saat's wonderful, lithe yet surprisingly pillowy breasts and adorable face.

[Neil]

Question:  Is that for real, or is it similar to the way that you think that Iran is about to go all Western?