Turkish Ottawans 'horrified' at botched coup attempt

If LaleEskicioluhadn'tturned on the television, she would have had no idea her home country was in the midst of a coup.

"Besides what's on television and what's coming through social media there is absolutely no difference," she said fromthe seaside town,Assos.

• Turkish forces fight to crush coup remnants after Erdogan returns

Eskiciolu was born in Turkeybut has lived in Canada for close to three years. The Ottawa resident returned to Turkey earlier this monthfor ahigh-school reunion.

"It's a very quiet, calm, isolated beach town," she explained to CBC In Town and Out hostGiacomo Panico.

But it's a different story inAnkara and Istanbul where images show bloodied civilians and smashed glass in the streets.

On Friday, afaction of the armed forces tried to seize power using tanks andattack helicopters. Some strafed the headquarters of Turkishintelligence and parliament in the capital, Ankara, and othersseized a major bridge in Istanbul.

By morning, the coup had crumbled andPresident RecepTayyipErdogan affirmed he was still in power.

Authorities say about 265 people have been killed and 1,4400 wounded.

Hope for swift return to stability

Eskiciolusaid she doesn't supportErdogan'sgovernment, but rejects the coup.

"Our reaction is one of utter dismay. We do not support such undemocratic, forceful and violent measures," saidEskiciolu. "We are a democratic country and we should sort our problems in the ballot boxes."

Erdogan has beencriticisedfor staying in power by switching from being prime minister to president. Hehas shaken up the government, cracked down on dissidents, restricted the news media and renewed fighting with Kurdish rebels.

Eskiciolu says she worries he'll use the coup attempt to justify future crackdowns.

"We are very sad and concerned. This government was known for being heavy handed and we're worried that will increase," she said.

It's a sentiment shared by retired Carleton University professorOzayMehmet, originally fromNorthernCyprus.

"I'm nottotallyin agreement with what thegovernmenthas been doing,especiallyPresidentRecepTayyipErdogan.I'm not happy with some of his policies, but I'm very much opposed to military coup d'etats...It wastotallyunexpected.I washorrified," he said.

"I thought Turkishdemocracy was deep rooted and strong enough even for acountry that has a tradition of several coupd'tatsin the last 50 years.

"This is totally inconsistent withwhat Turkey is about."

Still, Mehmetsays the ordeal sends a message toErdogan: "there is no room in Turkish democracy for any kind ofauthoritarianruler."

Prime MinisterBinaliYildirim said so far2,839 plottershave beendetained.

It's not the first time EskicioluorMehmet havewitnessed unrest in Turkey. The military staged a successful coup back in 1980.

"They were never good.They never resulted in any positive outcome, and this one will certainly not bring any peace right away, but hopefully the government will use it in a positive way to reconcile the country," Eskiciolusaid.

Both Ottawa residents arehopeful the failed coup attempt will help bring a stronger democracy to Turkey,a NATO member and key Western ally in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

"Hopefully democracy and peace and stability will come back," saidEskiciolu.