FETÖ-linked schools closed in Cambodia

ISTANBUL

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen was hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Oct. 22.

A Cambodian company bought all the schools linked to FETÖ in the country in November, a Turkish education foundation said on Dec. 25.

Turkey’s Maarif Foundation (TMV) said that Zaman University and its four affiliated schools linked to the FETÖ were bought by a local firm and renamed as International Paragon University, as part of a cooperation in the fight against FETÖ, the group widely believed to have organized the failed coup attempt of 2016 in Turkey.

During his visit to Turkey in October, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen assured Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of his country’s cooperation in the fight against FETÖ.

The two countries also signed a cooperation deal in the field of education. The agreement came into effect on Dec. 11.

TMV board visited Cambodia after Sen’s visit to Turkey in October and warned the Cambodian foreign and education ministers of the FETÖ threat.

Cambodian officials told Turkey that there is no Turkish national studying or teaching in the schools and that all of them have already left the country.

FETO is widely believed to have orchestrated the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people killed and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.