Keeping a boat in Turkey, dangerous?

[Resolution]

I agree with Maxy. Yes we have increased activity here in in the Gulf of Gokova with the coastguard stopping and searching every boat and 4 have been caught in our village the latest two this morning. This is a summer holiday resort for mainly Turks and even with these events life goes on as normal; between us and Marmaris there are two police checkpoints both coming out from Marmaris and both have photos of who they are seeking and just wave you through.

Akyaka
Who do you refer to when you say that "four have been caught"? Illegal immigrants or coup activists?
Are they stopping foreign flagged yachts other than Delaware Dodgers?
Peter

 

[akyaka]

Akyaka
Who do you refer to when you say that "four have been caught"? Illegal immigrants or coup activists?
Are they stopping foreign flagged yachts other than Delaware Dodgers?
Peter

Its a reference to the Coup activists as mentioned in Maxys post and as I said it was every boat including fishing boats . The irregular stopping of yachts has always occurred always politely and usually with a pretext such as "skipper your Turkish courtesey flag is looking a bit tatty. While we are here could we just check your papers."

 

[Tony Cross]

I'm sorry you take exception to what I wrote, it wasn't designed to be provocative to anyone. It simply appalls me how the UK press can deride one nation whilst appearing to ignore worse on their own front step.

It's very simple. In the UK you can protest against the current government, Prime Minister, or Monarch, if you so desire. In Turkey if you utter a single word against Erdogan you'll disappear pretty quickly.

On the contrary, I have no problem with freedom of speech or expression, it's an expected part of our culture, and what allows us to debate here.

And the current crackdown in Turkey shows that freedom of expression does not exist there.

You know as well as I do Tony, this would not be tolerated in Turkey. The President even wants to prosecute people who make fun of him (consider the german comedian).

My point exactly. He talks of "the Turkish democracy" when what he really means is "my dictatorship".

If you watch the video, it shows that the demonstrators don't wish to offer those self same rights to others either, and Sharia law is all they will obey. These are English people.

In the UK people have the right to state publicly that they believe the laws of the country should be changed. What they don't have a right to do, and this is true of any country, is to disobey the laws of the land. Should they do so they will be arrested and prosecuted. Now compare that with Turkey. What would happen if you stood up in Taksim Square and proclaimed that Erdogan was a vile dictator who was oppressing a large proportion of his people?

As you know we have lived in Turkey for ten years now, in a muslim state, and that is simply not an issue or problem on a daily basis, the locals are lovely and generous and of course almost all Muslim. They would, I am sure, be just as outraged at the lack of respect.

Ten years ago Turkey was not a Muslim state. Ataturk worked hard (and pretty violently it must be said) to make modern Turkey a secular state. It's only since Erdogan's elevation to the Presidency in 2014 that he has felt able to undo all of Ataturk's works and make Turkey a Muslim state again.

If you go almost anywhere in the UK as a foreigner you'll find that the overwhelming majority of people (and almost all the people if you're in a tourist area) are "lovely and generous". That's been true of all of the many different countries I have visited (including Turkey of course). The difference between the UK and Turkey is that the UK is a free country whereas present day Turkey is clearly not.