On the evening of 15 July 2016, a faction of the Turkish Armed Forces attempted to stage a coup in various cities of Turkey, particularly in Ankara and İstanbul.

It was understood in a short time that this was more than a treacherous plot: It was a terrorist campaign. The perpetrators shot at their own people, bombed the national parliament (Turkish Grand National Assembly), the Office of the Presidency and stabbed their commanders in the back. In this treacherous coup attempt, which is an act of terror, 237 of our citizens lost their lives and more than 2500 were wounded. Those who lost their lives in defending the Turkish democracy against the coup attempt are our beloved martyrs.

There is solid proof that this coup attempt was staged by the Fethullah Gülen Terrorist Organization(FETO).FETO’s actions are directed by the orders of anelementary school graduate, imam and a preacher Fethullah Gülen. This terrorist group presents itself as the so-called “Hizmet (Service) Movement / Gülen Group”. Group’s conspiratorial and secretive nature started to come to the surface towards the end of 2013. The latest foiled coup proved its true armed terrorist character.

The group has, inter alia, vast network of schools in Turkey, large business, including banks and insurance companies, hospitals, universities, non-profit organizations, newspapers, TV stations, radio channels and religious institutions. All these entities were closed down after the latest coup attempt.

The group has also an extensive network of schools around the world. Schools and universities are used to indoctrinate students and to recruit members. Large business and the group’s financial institutions have been involved in financing the group as well as transferring and laundering money. Hospitals and non-profit organizations also serve to create a sympathizers circle. Media tools are used to promote Fethullah Gülen and glorify the worldwide activities of the group.

Turkey has been constantly exposing the real motives of this group and its leader, Fethullah Gülen, to all allies and partners and called them to take all possible measures to prevent the activities of this group on their soil.

This group is also operating in Thailand. For example, among others, the so-called “Thai Turkish Business Association” which was founded and is still managed by this network presents itself as working for increasing bilateral trade between Thailand and Turkey.

The so called “Thai Turkish Business Association” represents neither Turkey nor any Turkish business association or Turkish business group. This group’s involvement in local trade organizations, chambers or any other association does not have any validity for Turkey.

Involvement of this so-called “Thai Turkish Business Association” in Thai – Turkish economic and trade relations is not only totally unacceptable for Turkey, but also entertains a very serious risk of negatively effecting these relations.

For economic and trade contact with Turkey, all trade, business associations and chambers are kindly invited to contact directly this Embassy’s Commercial Counsellor’s Office.

Last but not the least, the reference in recent announcement of this association to the visits by Turkish authorities to the premises of the said association in the very distant past has no value and reflects this association’s desperate attempt at portraying itself as a benign entity.