We continue our round up of the local news over the last week.

Coastline Day

Did you know Friday, 1st October was ‘Coastline Day’?

Neither did we, until we read about it being celebrated by the local great and good with a daylong event at the Cultural Centre.

This began with a display of traditional folk dancing and a concert by the Council’s band.

Then the speeches and debates took over and, as far as we have been able to discover, nothing much was decided but a good time was had by all.

Protest at Plans to Build Boat Yard on the Last Unspoilt Beach

The significance of ‘Coastline Day’ wasn’t lost on the villagers of Yanıklar, who chose to mark the occasion with a protest against the proposed new boat yard and dry dock planned for the village beach.

Karaot (translates as ‘Black Grass’) Beach in Yanıklar is possibly the longest, and most accessible, stretch of undeveloped beach from Patara up to Izmir.

Loggerhead turtles nest there; it is backed by a wetlands area around Akgöl, the lake which is a staging point for migratory birds, and the Governor of Fethiye wants to create a boatyard and dry dock and ruin all that natural beauty.

Around 100 villagers from Yanıklar held a protest on the beach on ‘Coastline Day’ to draw attention to their opposition to the proposed plans.

Some of the villagers chained themselves together and all chanted slogans.

One local youth said

“We don’t want a boatyard here. We inherited this land from our grandfathers, and we want to leave it in the same condition for our children. Everyone’s celebrating Coastline Day today but we are getting ready to grieve for the lost beauty of Yanıklar beach.”

The village are now trying to get the decision reversed by the courts in Ankara, so whatever the outcome it will no doubt take a long time for a decision to be made.

Scandal Off the Fethiye Coast

Fethiye Times wrote some time ago about the luxury 446-foot yacht Savarona which was acquired by Turkey in 1938, and on which Atatürk spent a few weeks that year shortly before he died.

Well this week a huge scandal erupted in the national press when they printed stories alleging the Savarona, anchored off Göcek, was being used by a ‘vice ring’ for sex parties with prostitutes.

Authorities quickly moved to seize the ship (leased to a businessman by the Ministry of Finance) and arrest the two underage girls and eight women, one from Kazakhstan, one Russian and the rest Turks, all alleged to be prostitutes, who were living on board.

They were taken for health checks following their arrest. They remain in custody.

Meanwhile Savarona has been taken back to Istanbul and the businessman, Karaman Sadıkoğlu, who holds the lease on the yacht was due to give a press conference as this was being written – we shall keep you updated!

Fire Service Celebrated

This week was ‘Fire Week’ an annual celebration of the fire services operated by local authorities across Turkey.

Fethiye celebrated with a number of events and ceremonies.

Flight from Dalaman to Amsterdam Overshoots Runway

According to the Aviation Herald a flight from Dalaman Airport over shot the runway when it taxied after landing at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Saturday 2nd October 2010. The front wheel of the aircraft left the paved area and it came to a halt.

None of the 167 passengers or crew was injured.

The runway had to be closed for eight hours while the aircraft was recovered.

Other News and Information You May Have Missed in the Last Week on Fethiye Times

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