Broadcaster Ndr: Tobias Plate and Sueddeutsche Zeitung

broadcaster ndr: He didn't confirm reports by public broadcaster NDR and daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung that the figure had stood at 53 in November, according to The Chronicle Herald. It wasn't clear how many were diplomats and how many were family members, and there was no indication how many applications had been processed. At least 136 people with Turkish diplomatic passports are currently applying for asylum, said Tobias Plate, a ministry spokesman, who was responding to German media reports. The situation has caused diplomatic tension between the two countries. Germany denounced the coup attempt but has been critical of the far-reaching crackdown that followed, which saw tens of thousands of government employees lose their jobs and thousands imprisoned. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pressed Chancellor Angela Merkel at a meeting this month to reject asylum requests and extradite 40 soldiers allegedly involved in the failed July 15 coup. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.