(KPL) The Turkish Embassy in the Lao PDR held a ceremony this morning to commemorate the 9th anniversary of one of the most severe attacks on the unity and integrity of the Republic of Türkiye in recent history.

The ceremony was attended by senior government officials of the Lao PDR, representatives of local media organizations, and leaders of the Islamic community in Laos.

Nine years ago today, on July 15, 2016, the "Fethullahist Terrorist Organization or FETO launched a bloody coup attempt against the people and the government of Turkiye.

FETO affiliated army units left their barracks to occupy key locations. Fighter jets and attack helicopters bombed strategic targets, including the Parliament, Presidential compound, army and police headquarters.

This failed attack was the execution of long-planned targets of FETO.

“I, myself, am a first-hand witness to all those happening, as I was in Ankara and hearing the fighter jets and bombs from my place. On that night, thousands of civilians took to the streets to stop this unprecedented heinous coup attempt. The plotters didn't hesitate to shoot on crowds and killed 251 innocent civilians and left thousands injured. On that night the Turkish people defended democracy with their lives,” said Ambassador Oya Yazar.

Since 2016, Türkiye commemorates every 15 July to honour those who sacrificed themselves to defend the country and democracy, and to remind Turkish people the covert insidious ideology behind this crime group.

“To judge the deeds of FETO and its dead chief Fetullah Gülen, only with what has happened on July 15th would be a grave mistake. The crimes committed on the night of July 15th were just the tip of an iceberg,” said the Ambassador.

It all started under the guise of a charitable education effort back in the 1970s. Fetullah Gülen and his followers disguised themselves as members of a benign education movement, when they started the campaign of establishing schools in Türkiye and later around the world. At the peak of their power, they controlled thousands of schools in Türkiye and more than eight hundred educational institutes worldwide.

There were mass-scale exam cheatings as well. In order to infiltrate critical government posts, FETO-affiliated students were provided with the answers of entrance exams in advance. There are many investigations into mass-scale exam cheatings in Türkiye, including the Police Academy entrance tests, the Centralized Public Service Admission Tests, Military Schools and other government jobs.

The organization that disguised itself as an education movement gradually turned into a secret operational structure aiming to transform the society by taking control of the Turkish state from within.

The crime syndicate ran an integrated system behind secret devises. The recruitment was through schools, and financing was taken care of by partner companies and donations from partner business people. The organization also established media houses to shape the public opinion either for or against any person, group or idea.

“The fight against FETO structures abroad is among the top priorities of my country. We have Government-backed mechanisms to take over the FETO-related entities and build healthier and stronger relations with foreign countries in all fields,” said the ambassador. “On this very day, we would like to repeat our expectation from the international community to stand in solidarity with Türkiye in the fight against terrorism.”

KPL