ANKARA - Turkey was on Saturday holding 17 journalists on charges of "terror group" membership as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Western critics to "mind your own business" over a relentless crackdown following a failed coup. Erdogan had earlier also lashed out at a top US general who had expressed concerns about military relations after the putsch. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu defended the detention of reporters, saying it was necessary to distinguish between coup plotters and those "who are engaged in real journalism". But Erdogan was on Saturday to meet Foreign Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman al-Thani of Qatar, one of Turkey's closest allies. In a speech at his presidential palace late Friday remembering those killed during the failed coup, Erdogan angrily denounced the criticism and accused the West of deserting Turkey in its hour of need.

Source: Bangkok Post July 30, 2016 10:18 UTC