Cambodia says it is waiting for a formal request to close down several local schools after Turkey's ambassador to the Southeast Asian country accused the educational institutions of affiliation with a network that Ankara sees as responsible for the attempted military coup. Ambassador İlhan Kemal Tuğ said that the Zaman Schools in Phnom Penh are affiliated with a "terrorist organization" that was involved in Friday's bloody effort to overthrow the government of Turkey. Chum Sounry, a spokesman for the Cambodian Foreign Ministry, told Anadolu Agency yesterday that the government would have no stance on the matter until it is formally brought to their attention. "Up until now, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not received any formal request," he said. "When we receive it, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will give [it] due consideration."
During a Monday press conference, Tuğ said that the Turkish government is seeking to shut down the network of schools, which he said was affiliated with the global Gülen Movement of Fethullah Gülen. "We have been in close contact with the Cambodian government and also members of parliament regarding the Zaman Schools in Cambodia, and we have requested all kinds of support be halted, and of course we would also like to see this Zaman group in Cambodia and all its activities end in the near future," Tuğ said in a video circulated online by the Turkish Embassy. "We are in very close cooperation with the Cambodian government, and as in all spheres of cooperation, I am sure the Cambodian government will also be on board with this. I hope this latest coup attempt will make everyone understand the true nature of this terrorist organization."
There are three Zaman School campuses in Cambodia, as well as a university serving more than 2,000 students, according to The Cambodia Daily.
