31 Ocak 2019 Perşembe

Taking the Law Into His Own Minibus


türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 31 January 2019)

istanbul tekstil ve inşaat  2 çalışanı kaçırdı adana ile ilgili görsel sonucu
Couple thought they were getting into a 'dolmuş'.  
Driver certainly looked the part.

M.Ç. has textile and construction businesses in Istanbul.  He noticed
that former employee Ç.K. had scammed him out of 3 million TL
(about $750,000) so he filed a criminal complaint with the Istanbul
public prosecutor, but Ç.K. was nowhere to be found.

Some time later, M.Ç. found out that Ç.K. was in Adana so he took
8 'friends' with him to Adana, located Ç.K. and his wife S.K., and
bundled the couple into a minibus.  Onlookers called police and the
minibus was stopped on Mithat Özsan Boulevard.  The couple was
rescued and M.Ç. and his cohorts were taken into custody for
kidnapping, to which M.Ç. countered "What kidnapping? These
people stole 3 million TL from me!" 

All concerned were taken to the police station to give statements.


istanbul adana haritası ile ilgili görsel sonucu



Maybe Goats Are Man's Best Friend...


türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 31 January 2019)

another goat-man 'situation' click here for recent TNT
reporting on this developing (?) trend.


lokantada yemek yiyen keçiye köpek saldırdı dogo ali sever ile ilgili görsel sonucu
       Having a lovely breakfast.  What could go wrong?

In Istanbul's Bahçelievler district, an unleashed Argentine Dogo dog
attacked a goat that was having breakfast with its owner at a local
restaurant (!).  The goat, named 'Prenses', and owner Ali Sever were
caught unaware by the dog's attack, which resulted in injury to
Prenses's tail. 

Sever and other onlookers fended off the dog with a chair, while
Prenses sought refuge in a nearby shop.  Sever explained that
"Prenses and I were having breakfast when all of a sudden the
dog attacked.  I fell to the ground.  Afterwards, Prenses underwent
a 2-3 operation for her tail injuries.  Prenses and I are together 24
hours (!).  We go to breakfast together and to work together."

Veterinarian Mitat Levent stated that according to law number
5199, Argentine Dogo dogs are a forbidden breed in Turkey.

keçi prenses ali sever mitat levent ile ilgili görsel sonucu
                                              Ouch!


30 Ocak 2019 Çarşamba

TNT Matchbox Diary: A Turkish POW in Russian Prison Camp (1915-1918)/Part XVIII

//Ed. Note: Fuad Bey, still at Sarıkamış, complains about
fleas and writing no-more-than-4-line letters.  More 
Turkish prisoners arrive and crowd Fuad Bey and his 
companions.  Class-warfare between regular Ottoman
officers and reserves, like Fuad Bey, and officer
candidates, rears its ugly head.//

m fuad tokad ile ilgili görsel sonucu
                        Fuad Tokad


22 March 1916 Wednesday
Today in the morning my friend Zühdü went to the Commander with 
a Russian soldier and told him about our wants and needs. Out of 
kindness, supposedly, the Commander gave us each five rubles more. 
What is that! They’re only worth about 10 kuruş. We are fed up with 
the fleas. Aksenti came again at night.

23 March 1916 Thursday
Today I was pretty well occupied. I wrote the family history and chatted.
Late in the afternoon a Cossack and a Russian officer wearing an 
infantryman’s uniform came to our room. Based on his behavior and 
comportment, the infrantryman appears to be well-bred. He’s from 
the Kop Malazgirt area and he communicated with signs. In the
evening we chatted and I did some comical things so we could pass
the time with fun. I wrote to my father another (1+3) number letter 
and told him my Sarıkamış address. I wrote to Veterinarian Nafiz, 
as well.

24 March 1916 Friday
After morning tea a Russian sergeant came and politely told us that 
we would move to a place alongside the other officers. We got ready 
right away and said farewell to this room. We stopped by the 
Command. An Armenian aide-de-camp named Açi, who spoke some
Turkish, showed us where to go and said that the room outside of
the two existing rooms was for us. So we went and settled in. Two
persons to a  bed. Regrettably, those there didn’t say welcome or hello 
to us. A bit later I went to the officers’  bath with Zühdü and Tahir. 
It was quite nice. The baths and showers, with drains, were fabulous. 
I was very impressed.  

mama hatun türbesi haritası ile ilgili görsel sonucu
Mamahatun is west of Erzurum.  After taking Erzurum in 
February 1916, the Russians kept moving westward into
Anatolia.


Afterwards, a Russian told us that 31 Turkish officers taken prisoner 
at Mamahatun would be coming and later at night the 31 of them in
fact came. They stayed in our room (most of them). Their clothes were
very shabby. We offered them tea. First the other Zühdü and then I 
met one of them, Cavalry Second Lieutenant Tevfik of Edirne, who I
think I remembered from the War Academy.  We went to bed late. 
Most of them were officer candidates. They spent the night on the floor.

25 March 1916 Saturday
We spent today in this tight and very crowded place. The fleas are
terrible.  At midday the Commander’s aide came, bringing the letters
we wrote on 23 March. He said that letters of more than four lines 
would  not be accepted so we wrote the same letters again, squeezing 
them into four lines. Because I couldn’t sleep at night I wrote a letter 
in French, too. In the afternoon they gave us bedding and pillows
made out of wool. We got five beddings, three of which I, Kazim, 
Rıfkı and Zühdü laid beneath ourselves, and the other two we gave 
the the newly-arrived fellows.

Hamid’s Period, Committee of Union and Progress, Allied Powers

26 March 1916 Sunday
Out of laziness we didn’t  give the letters from yesterday today either.
The fellows in the inner rooms – majors, captains, lieutenants – are all 
talking against us reserves, unfortunately. In the evening there was an 
incident: Zühdü and I were chatting with two of those who came 
yesterday, Hasan Basri and the lawyer Salahuddin. Salah was chattering
loudly about the Hamid period, the Committee of Union and Progress 
and the Allied Powers, criticizing all of them. The topic then turned to
the military and an artillery Flrst Lieutenant (probably named Sayıd) 
chimed in. Then the things our chatter-boxes said opend the problem 
of reserves and regular army officers. The reserves were praised and 
Hurşid said something untoward causing the artilleryman to grab him
around the throat. At first we thought it was a joke but apparently he 
was serious and he was going to choke him. Anyway, we separated 
them and the issue was closed. Very regrettable. I went to bed toward
morning.

27 March 1916 Monday
Our room is narrow, an area of about 25 square meters. There are more
than twenty people. Fortunately, during the day we can go outside the 
door where Sarıkamış’s and the Command’s main avenue passes. We 
pass the time watching those who come and go. Today we mailed the 
letters we prepared yesterday. Its number is four. Rumor has it that the 
Russians have suffered many dead on the front line. Forces are coming
and going to the Russians from Kars. Again at night we talked among 
ourselves.

28 March 1916 Tuesday
The letter I gave yesterday was sent back. Other than health and the 
address, nothing else can be written. So I reduced it again and gave it 
to the aide. We complained to the aide that we should go back to our 
former location because this place is too small. He agreed and in the 
evening we went back to our old place. There are eight of us and two
beds. We had another brought in. I snatched one of the beds and settled
in. Aksenti came again and we talked with signs. Today we heard that 
the 3rd Army Corps has come to the front with Vehip Paşa as the army
commander.

vehip paşa kafkas cephesi ile ilgili görsel sonucu
                            Mehmet Vehip Pasha


29 March 1916 Wednesday
We organized the room. We had two more thin mattresses brought in.
Zühdü is on the bed next to the door and I’m opposite the door. On my
left Kazim and Tahir share a bed in the corner. Between where I am and
they are Fahri has a thin mattress. Hurşid has an area at the window next
to Tahir. Rıfkı and Mustafa each have two thin mattresses and are 
between Zühdü and Hurşid. Since my spot is by the window I can enjoy
looking at the forest. At night I kept to myself and did some thinking. 
The servant Sasun said that it was written in the Russian newspaper that
Enver Paşa had died. We got aggravated but we didn’t believe it.


30 March 1916 Thursday
Late in the afternoon Lieutenant Osman and an engineer officer came 
to our room. They were looking  for their friends. After lunch a few 
fellows went to the prisoner barracks to select servants. When they 
returned they said that they found one they liked and although he was
at first unwilling to come he subsequently agreed. At this time when 
we don’t have any money this seems extravagant to me. The servant 
will work for pay. We went to sleep late at night. Kazim, who is 
envious of my friendship with Zühdü, came to ask if he could join us.
Zühdü was disinclined but we had to say ok. Of course, time will 
tell whether this will work out.

Ottomans Bombard Batumi

31 March 1916 Friday
In  light of our urgent needs, we sent two fellows to the Command 
but nothing came of it. These fellows also went to see those on the 
other side. They heard some nonsense such as we  junior officers 
and officer candidates will be housed with the soldiers. More to the
point, we will be treated as soldiers. I don’t know. How has this 
happened? These rumors and inventions are the product of the small
-hearted majors. In fact, the instigators for making officer candidates
equivalent with soldiers by distinguishing between officers and 
officercandidates are two soulless men named Gendarmerie Mehmet 
and Çerkez Mehmet. How ugly! In the hand of the enmy. This has 
saddened us. But at this time we got news that Enver Paşa’s army 
has gone to Baghdad to attack and that the Ottomans have bombarded
Batumi, which cheered us up and eased our sadness. Well! The 
Commander has said that money will not be given to us and that a
restaurant will be designated for us.

//END of PART XVIII//


Drug Sting Film Scenario Gets Real


türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 30 January 2019)

erzurum 535 kilogram eroin m z f ile ilgili görsel sonucu
                                    Quiet on the set!

The largest amount of heroin seized in one operation in Turkey's
history happened in Erzurum.  The 1 ton, 535 kilograms of heroin
were found in a TIR (tractor-trailer) that entered Turkey from Iran,
mixed in with marble.  After the heroin was seized, driver Ş.D. was
taken into custody and an operation was launched to capture his
Istanbul-based cohorts - ring-leader M.Z.F. and organizers H.K.
and S.Ö.

First, police had driver Ş.D. call one of the organizers to tell him
that his arrival in Istanbul had been delayed by traffic and check-
points.  At this time, the seized heroin was loaded onto another
truck and brought to the Erzurum police HQS, while the original
TIR was driven to Istanbul by police officers in plain clothes. At
the meeting point in Istanbul, H.K. and S.Ö. were taken into
custody.

erzurum 535 kilogram eroin m z f ile ilgili görsel sonucu
                                        All the marbles.

Meanwhile, ring-leader M.Z.F. got wind of the police operation
and tried to flee to Germany via Sabiha Gökçen Airport on the
Anatolian side of Istanbul.  However, he was caught at passport
control and detained.  Then, the 3 drug kingpins were flown to
Erzurum in a Ministry of Interior jet for arraignment, as Interior
Minister Soylu briefed President Erdoğan on the entire operation.

The suspects' communication system was deciphered, as well.
In order to avoid police detection, the gang members used a
practice favored by terrorist organizations, whereby the ring-
leader gave all members the same make/model phones, which
only gang members could use to contact the ring-leader, but
not each other.

TIR driver Ş.D. and organizers S.Ö. and H.K. were brought to
court in Erzurum yesterday, charged with "drug trafficking and
transportation" and jailed.


iran turkey drug trafficking map ile ilgili görsel sonucu

29 Ocak 2019 Salı

"Nazi Swastikas" Rug Upsets Lapsed Film Hero at Friday Prayers


türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 29 January 2019)

Bakanlık mescidindeki ‘Gamalı Halı’ isyan çıkardı
     I guess, if you look at it upside down and backwards,...

Metin Emin Eren, who portrayed the character "Şero Ağa" (Chief
Şero) in films, was engaged in Friday prayers in a mosque in the
Health Ministry building in Sıhhıye, in downtown Ankara, when he
noticed that the rug upon which he was praying had a motif that
resembled the Nazi swastika (!).

şero ağa ile ilgili görsel sonucu
Şero Ağa's career-reinvigoration campaign: "There's no such
thing as bad publicity".

Eren explained that "I put my overcoat over the rug so that I could
pray in peace.  The rug was full of Nazi swastikas!  I want to know
the name of the fellow who brought this rug into this mosque!"
Eren complained to the Minstry of Health and posted the response
he got on his social media account with the comment "they didn't
take me seriously!"  One of  Eren's  followers posted the following
comment: "the imam looks after his salaray, not the rugs, my chief."

 sıhhiye ankara haritası ile ilgili görsel sonucu
Secret Nazi HQS (Sağlık Bakanlığı/Health Ministry) in 
downtown Ankara at center-right, bottom of map.