SMT TURNED WRONG DIRECTION AND CREATED LESS THAN STANDARD SEPARATION WITH LGT AT SAME ALT.

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ON THE JOB TRNING WAS IN PROGRESS. THE LOSS OF SEP OCCURRED BTWN LGT Y (MSY-MGM-ATL) AND SMT X (MSY-ORF). ANOTHER ACFT ACR Z (IAH-MEI-TLH-ETC) WAS INVOLVED ALSO. ACR Z WAS AT FL330 SEBND FROM MEI TO TLH. SMT X WAS NE BOUND AT FL330 FROM MSY TO ORF. AT INITIAL CALL UP; SMT X WAS TURNED 20 DEGS LEFT BY THE TRNEE (SMT X AND ACR Z WERE APPROX 45 MI APART). THERE WAS A VERY STRONG WIND OUT OF THE SW. LGT Y WAS APPROX 10 MI SW OF SMT X; STOPPED AT FL310 IN ANTICIPATION OF THE LEFT TURN OF SMT X. SMT X. AND LGT Y WERE OF COMPARABLE SPDS. WHEN SMT X AND ACR Z WERE APPROX 25 MI APART. THE TRNEE TURNED SMT X 15 DEGS MORE TO THE LEFT. AT 20 MI APART; SMT X WAS TURNED TO HDG 360 DEGS AND THE C/A ACTIVATED. I; AS THE INSTRUCTOR; INTERVENED AND DSNDED SMT X TO FL310. I TURNED LGT Y TO AN IMMEDIATE 360 DEG HDG AND HE COMPLIED. WHEN SMT X MODE C INDICATED FL316; I TURNED HIM RIGHT TO A HDG OF 090 DEGS. AT NOT POINT DURING THIS WAS 5 MI LAT SEP LOST. I ASKED SMT X TO VERIFY ESTABLISHED ON AN 090 DEG HDG. HE REPLIED NEGATIVE; HE WAS STILL IN A LEFT TURN TO A 090 DEG HDG. AT THIS POINT HE CAUGHT LGT Y ON THE BACKSIDE WITH 3.8 MI AND 0'; BOTH ACFT SAW EACH OTHER. A REPLAY OF THE TAPES SHOWS A RIGHT HDG TO 090 DEGS ISSUED WHICH SMT X READ BACK. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE SMT TURNED THE WRONG DIRECTION AND A PLT DEVIATION WAS FILED ON THAT ACFT. CTLRS WERE NOT CHARGED WITH AN OP ERROR. ALSO; RPTR GAVE EXPERIENCE LEVEL OF BOTH CTLRS INVOLVED. QAP DETERMINED THAT HAD THE SMT TURNED AS INSTRUCTED; SEP WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN LOST. TRNEE WAS ALREADY CHKED OUT ON 3 RADAR SECTORS AND WORKING ON THE FOURTH SECTOR WHEN THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED. TFC WAS NOT GIVEN TO EITHER SMT OR LGT AS HAD THE SMT TURNED AS INSTRUCTED; HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN A TFC FACTOR FOR THE LGT. BOTH ACFT HAD THE OTHER IN SIGHT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 83957: I DO NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT WAS SAID; BUT THE OTHER ACFT SAID; 'THIS IS AN EMER SITUATION; IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE VECTORING ME RIGHT INTO THAT OTHER ACFT. I'M GOING TO TURN BEHIND HIM BEFORE I TURN TO 90 DEGS.' IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS; ATC TOLD US TO START AN IMMEDIATE TURN TO 360 DEGS. ONCE THE TURN WAS INITIATED; THE F/O SAW AN ACFT AT 2 O'CLOCK THAT APPEARED TO BE AT OUR ALT TRAVELING RIGHT TO LEFT; APPROX 90 DEGS TO OUR HDG. SECS AFTER I STARTED THE TURN; THE F/O STATED THERE APPEARED TO BE NO IMMEDIATE DANGER OF COLLISION AS THE OTHER ACFT HAD STARTED A TURN TO GET BEHIND US. ATC DID NOT AT ANY TIME GIVE US ANY TFC ADVISORIES AND ONLY ACKNOWLEDGED US WHEN THE F/O ASKED IF THE TFC AT OUR 2 O'CLOCK WAS OURS OR NOT. WE QUERIED ATC ABOUT THE OTHER ACFT'S ALT AND SHE RESPONDED THAT IT HAD BEEN CLRED FROM FL330 TO FL290. UPON FURTHER QUESTIONING SHE AFFIRMED OUR SUSPICIONS THAT HE WAS AT FL310.