Hishammuddin: I am watching Turkey closely

PETALING JAYA: Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said he was closely monitoring the developments of the attempted coup in Turkey.

In a series of tweets on Saturday, Hishammuddin said that he was monitoring the situation in Turkey as he was supposed to be in Istanbul next week.

He added that he hoped calm would return to the country.

“I am in touch with their DM (Defence Minister) – we need calm. The world needs a stable Turkey – Praying!” he tweeted.

Hishammuddin said that his trip to Turkey was planned before the coup attempt.

“My visit next week was planned beforehand. Watching developments closely,” he tweeted.

He even responded to a Twitter user who told him they were meant to be in Turkey later in the day, telling them “my advice is to put it off for now”.

Friday’s military coup in Turkey saw a section of its military claiming they had seized power from the democratically elected government, while President Tayyip Erdogan vowed that the attempted coup would be put down.

Crowds of civilians answered Erdogan’s calls to defy a curfew order and take to the streets to support him.

There were reports of gunfire, explosions and violent clashes throughout the chaotic night that rocked both the cities of Istanbul and the capital, Ankara.

However, by Saturday morning there were indications that the coup was crumbling.

Coups are not new to Turkey as the military has previously staged three coups since 1960 and forced out an Islamic government in 1997.