Where Mark Buddle’s ex-partner Mel Ter Wisscha is being held

Mel Ter Wisscha’s life couldn’t be more different to the one documented on social media of late. The ex-partner of bikie boss Mark Buddle swapped daybeds for a bunk after being detained by police. SEE THE PICTURES

It’s only an hour-and-a-half’s drive from the glamorous resort playgrounds of the Turkish Riviera where Mel Ter Wisscha posed in hot pink bikinis, but the Turkish immigration deportation centre where she is now being held feels a world away.

The ex-partner of detained bikie boss Mark Buddle has involuntarily swapped the cushy daybeds of the at least $2000 a night D Maris Bay Hotel in Marmaris, for a stark bunk in a shared room in a former prison which has recently housed suspected foreign terrorist fighters.

Mel Ter Wisscha posing in a pink bikini on a beach in the resort city of Bodrum in Turkey. Picture: Social Media

Mugla removal centre southwestern Turkey was originally run as a prison which closed in 2014. Picture: Supplied

No longer is the former Sydney woman and mother of Buddle’s children documenting her care-free life, voluptuous figure and high-end wardrobe on social media while trying to “stay positive” after the exiled Comanchero’s sudden arrest in North Cyprus earlier this month.

Buddle was grabbed in a top-secret mission which involved police coming through the window of his upscale home in the seaside port of Iskele in Girne. It has been reported he is to be extradited to Australia after an INTERPOL Red Notice was issued.

The wealthy suburb of Bitez where Mel Ter Wisscha was living before being detained. Picture: Supplied

Ms Ter Wisscha was stopped by police in a taxi on the road between her luxurious home in Bitez and the hotel district of Bodrum last weekend. She was then taken into custody and driven the 124km to the deportation centre because she was deemed a foreigner who posed a risk to public order and security, officials said.

Comanchero boss Mark Buddle leaves the County Court. Picture: Jake Nowakowski.

While her ex is in an undisclosed high-security jail in the Turkish capital of Ankara, her new digs are behind the high walls the Ula Geri Gönderme Merkezi removal centre in Mugla, a single-storey complex with about 88 men, women and children.

And Ms Ter Wisscha's life inside couldn’t be more different from the one she enjoyed by the sea in Bodrum and Marmaris. For a start there are no mirrors, no internet, no computers, no mobile phones — and definitely no sun lounges.

Comanchero boss Mark Buddle’s ex Mel Ter Wisscha navigates the waters in Turkey. Picture: Social Media

On arrival at the centre, all new detainees are photographed, fingerprinted, body-searched and checked for communicable diseases.

All detainees sleep in multi-bunk dormitories, unless they are suspected foreign fighters or charged with a crime, in which case they are segregated.

There are seven shared toilets and 11 bathrooms with 24-hour hot water.

The removal centre courtyard with wire over the top. Picture: Supplied

There is airconditioning and access to outdoor areas which are covered with wire — a hangover from the centre’s days as a prison. There are also table tennis tables, a basketball hoop and a library.

Although no mobile phones are allowed, there are eight payphones available to detainees who have to buy a phone card to use them.

The centre has 25 CCTV cameras watching detainees at all times and inside there are four police while outside there are 18 armed security guards.

Ms Ter Wisscha does have access to a doctor if needed and a psychologist is available.

A report on the centre published in 2020 documenting an inspection by non-government organisations (NGOs) said the centre held at that time 47 foreigners from countries including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Ukraine, as well as suspected foreign terrorist fighters.

Exterior shots of the removal centre in Mugla, southwestern Turkey. Picture: Google

Mugla removal Centre southwestern Turkey where Mel Ter Wisscha is being held. Picture: Supplied

The report said detainees were provided with seasonally appropriate clothes, but there had been some complaints about detainees not feeling safe while in the bathrooms because they did not have locks on the doors.

There had also been complaints about a lack of shampoo, which had been banned after a detainee tried to suicide by drinking a bottle. The situation has apparently been rectified with the supply of only small bottles.

Ms Ter Wisscha is being offered three meals a day but there are no provisions for special dietary requirements and detainees did complain to the NGOs about the menu never changing, the food being too oily, or too spicy and the bread being stale.

On the upside, there have not been any reports of people being ill-treated or tortured. And detainees commented on the friendliness of the staff.

It has also been recommended unbreakable mirrors be installed.

Ms Ter Wisscha is facing deportation, although no time frame is known.

Originally published as Where Mark Buddle’s ex-partner Mel Ter Wisscha is being held