Comments on: State of emergency in Thailand

State of emergency in Thailand

ClanvidHorse — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 09:55:41 -0800

Coupfilter: State of emergency declared in Thailand after troops move in. According to Reuters the army are now 'in control'.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:03:14 -0800

A shock, but not a huge surprise. This had been predicted for some time.

By: nightchrome

nightchrome — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:05:20 -0800

A cursory glance at various information sources gives me the impression that the current government was apparently highly corrrupt and that this may be a positive thing? Is that correct?

By: Flashman

Flashman — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:05:42 -0800

I think the main aggravating factor has been the Prime Minister's Thaksin spend policies.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:06:27 -0800

Hmm... I wonder if I can get ahold of the Colonel I stayed with when I was in Chiang Mai for a couple weeks. I'm curious how this is seen internally...

By: giantfist

giantfist — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:06:49 -0800

Coups happen a lot in Thailand. Even if this one is successful, it might not mean much. Anyway, the army has always pretty much been in control.

By: ClanvidHorse

ClanvidHorse — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:07:32 -0800

Brief background information.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:09:12 -0800

I have no love for Thaksin; he came to power roughly the same time the new constitution was put in place and he had a tremendous opportunity to take the country in a new, progressive and more liberal direction. But instead he seemed intent on rolling back those legal freedoms and continuing to build his already massive wealth. He set the press freedoms back by 20 years by suing any outlet that disagreed with him or dared to criticize him and there's a great deal of evidence that he used his office to secure lucrative contracts for Shin and Shin offshoots. I'm not sorry to see him gone, but this seems like the wrong way to do it. By such a blatant subversion of the democratic proccess, whoever's in charge now is losing all the credibility the opposition had developed in the last six months.

By: empath

empath — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:13:46 -0800

Flashman, if they arrested the Prime Minister, wouldn't they be implementing a 'Thaksin's penned' policy? Seems like not much of an improvement.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:14:35 -0800

I'm curious how this is seen internally... I'm not in TH right now, but I'd guess this is seen internally as just another development in the decades-long power struggle between the military-backed powers (the King and a few generals) and the police-backed powers (Thakshin). I think you can view most of the political turmoil in Thailand since the 50s in the context of those two factions battling for dominance.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:15:30 -0800

Flashman, if they arrested the Prime Minister, wouldn't they be implementing a 'Thaksin's penned' policy? Seems like not much of an improvement. Thaksin's in New York, he hasn't been arrested.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:20:20 -0800

Good place to follow what's going on, in "real time". The latest: Update - 00:14, September 20, 2006 Sources report that soldiers have taken control of the Nation Channel, but have left the newspaper alone. Update - 00:12, September 20, 2006 Rumors are flying to fast at this point. Summing up at this moment it is not clear if pro-or anti-Thaksin forces are making their move now. The same messages that were on TV after Thaksin declared the state of emergency are still playing. Update - 00:07, September 20, 2006 We have more unconfirmed reports of media outlets being surrounded. No word on ISPs yet. Update - 23:51, September 19, 2006 Sources report tanks are arriving at The Nation newspaper building.

By: black bile

black bile — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:23:06 -0800

Didn't Thaksin put one of his relatives in charge of the army to keep things like this from happening?

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:24:49 -0800

This guy is also blogging the news. Already some photos up on Flickr.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:34:15 -0800

Colin Murphy from FEER is on CNN saying he saw troops taking up positions at the Erawan Shrine. The troops were wearing yellow ribbons or arm bands, signifying their loyalty to the King. Some of the tanks have the ribbons tied on their gun barrels.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:39:21 -0800

Thaksin will address the UN General Assembly later today.

By: giantfist

giantfist — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:49:36 -0800

re: yellow ribbons/arm bands Swearing loyalty to the King in Thailand is like saying you're in favor of not eating babies. It's fairly meaningless because no one is going to dare take sides against the King. It's similar to invoking God in the U.S.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:54:06 -0800

Gen Prem Bringing Arrmed Force Chiefs to Meet His Majesty

By: Flashman

Flashman — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:56:26 -0800

Are they still using Patton tanks there?

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:56:31 -0800

The Nation has posted this "Statement from the Military Reformist" (presumably done under the pressure of tanks pointed at the Nation building):

There has been social division like never before. Each side has been trying to conquer another with all possible means and the situation tends to intensify with growing doubts on the administration amid widespread reported corruption. State units and independent organisations have been politically meddled, not able to deliver their services as specified in the Constitution. The administration is also usually bordering on "lest majest" actions against the revered King. Despite attempts from social units for compromises, there is no way to end the conflicts. The revolution body thus needs to seize power. We have no intention to rule but to return the power to the people as soon as possible, to preserve peace and honour the King who is the most revered to all Thais.

The Bangkok Post says the coup leader is Army Commander Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin.

By: xmutex

xmutex — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 11:12:41 -0800

This better not effect my pad see ew with steamed tofu.

By: xmutex

xmutex — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 11:13:04 -0800

Nor better it affect my pad see ew with steamed tofu.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 11:16:03 -0800

Swearing loyalty to the King in Thailand is like saying you're in favor of not eating babies. It's fairly meaningless because no one is going to dare take sides against the King. True, no one would come out and admit that they oppose the King, but on the other hand I can't imagine Thaksin's people making such a pro-King statement as wearing the yellow. In contrast, Gen. Sonthi is one of the King's favored generals; he's very close with Gen. Prem, who is the King's right hand man. I would guess this coup was planned by Prem, executed by Sonthi and smiled upon by the King.

By: basicchannel

basicchannel — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 11:16:43 -0800

This isn't one of those end times rapture thingies is it?

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 11:18:03 -0800

"To be sure, a military intervention to oust Mr. Thaksin is always a possibility, although some—but not all—analysts agree that this seems unlikely at this point. Those with less sanguine views predict that there will be no compromise between the two, and say that this game will produce only one winner and one loser. If this turns out to be the case, then the next weeks and months could see bloody confrontation on the streets of Bangkok and throughout the kingdom." - A Tug of War for Thailand's Soul, FEER, September 2006

By: econous

econous — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 11:31:57 -0800

Wednesday September 20. 1:20 AM - Perhaps to be expected, it is business as usual in the nightlife areas with Dave The Rave confirming that Nana Plaza is raging on as if nothing has happened...

By: mkultra

mkultra — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 11:45:30 -0800

What's the general breakdown of (pre-coup) power division between the King and PM? Is it similar to Britain's?

By: m@

m@ — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 11:45:42 -0800

Slightly funny slant but still updating and seemingly factual.

By: jiawen

jiawen — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 11:50:11 -0800

True, no one would come out and admit that they oppose the King, but on the other hand I can't imagine Thaksin's people making such a pro-King statement as wearing the yellow. And it strikes me that specifically saying "We're loyal to the King" is pointing to the fact that they aren't loyal to the PM. Like modern Chinese people saying "We love Chairman Mao!" -- the inference of which is "The current regime sucks!"

By: Soliloquy

Soliloquy — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:09:03 -0800

My father in Thailand just called with the news that their phone isn't working for domestic calls, but the international lines are still working. His wife says Thaksin looted the treasury before he left for New York; I don't know if that's truth or rumor, but I think they'd be surprised to see him return.

By: gompa

gompa — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:43:35 -0800

BBC News: Thai PM 'overthrown in army coup' From what I understand, Thaksin was as crooked as they come, so I find it hard to muster much sympathy for the version of "democracy" that leaves with him.

By: QIbHom

QIbHom — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:50:08 -0800

My thanks to those who are posting news and links to blogs and such. For some reason, I can't stop hitting F5.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:52:58 -0800

I don't think there's any question that Thaksin was corrupt and no deliberate friend of democracy in the long run. The most recent rating by Freedom House had Civil Liberties at 3 (of 5) and Political Rights at 3 and sinking. I hope this becomes merely a blip in the modern history of Thailand, as have the several post-Marcos events in the Philippines. Right now, though, this looks a lot more like the end of democracy in Pakistan.

By: quite unimportant

quite unimportant — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:54:47 -0800

It's similar to invoking God in the U.S. Love it.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:00:10 -0800

My thanks to those who are posting news and links to blogs and such. Mine as well—I used to live in Thailand and join dhartung in hoping this doesn't turn ugly.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:04:30 -0800

Forbidden: (1) ที่จะห้ามมั่วสุมประชุมกัน No Gathering (2) ที่จะห้ามออก จำหน่าย จ่ายหรือแจก ซึ่งหนังสือ สิ่งพิมพ์ หนังสือพิมพ์ ภาพ บท หรือคำประพันธ์ No distributing printed materials (3) ที่จะห้ามโฆษณา แสดงมหรสพ รับหรือ ซึ่งวิทยุ วิทยุกระจายเสียงหรือวิทยุโทรทัศน์ No broadcasting (4) ที่จะห้ามใช้ทางสาธารณะเพื่อการจราจร จะเป็นทางบก ทางน้ำ หรือทางอากาศ No transportation whatsoever boats cars planes.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:10:43 -0800

Excellent summary of events so far from the Nation. (Never thought I would use "the Nation" and "excellent" in the same sentence before, and I'm quite impressed that the Nation is actually still updating. With Thaksin gone will we see the Nation finally return to form?)

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:19:19 -0800

Photos of the RTA taking up positions.

By: bardic

bardic — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:19:42 -0800

Anybody heard from soiled cowboy?

By: the duck by the oboe

the duck by the oboe — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:25:43 -0800

Flashman: Globalsecurity.org says they have M48 and M60 Pattons, amongst other things.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:31:22 -0800

"I have to admit the mainstream media, including CNN, have gone overboard with the general mood. The area around the parliament is calm and the guards aren't doing much in the form of stopping people from moving around. Currently everyone is expecting it to be quiet until the morning, but that could change. " - from this blogger.

By: Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:37:23 -0800

Thaksin is set to give a speech at the UN at 7 p.m. New York time, said Virasakdi Futrakul, the Thai ambassador to the U.S. "We're amending the speech" to cover developments in Thailand, he said.

By: the cuban

the cuban — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 14:03:30 -0800

The BBC have just said Thaksin is no longer expected to address the UN. No doubt he'll retire to Singapore and spend all his ill gotten gains.

By: Merik

Merik — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 14:35:52 -0800

I'm due to depart for bangkok in 2 weeks. I'll be watching closely how this develops. I hoping this will pass with out any violence. From what i have read there has been relatively little violence in the past coups; There have 19 coupsin the past 60 years. I have been following the developments on the Thorn Tree Forum. Most posters on thorn tree seem to think things will be back to normal in a few days. The advice seems to be that if the airlines are flying then I should go.

By: gompa

gompa — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 14:47:28 -0800

Merik, I was in Bangkok during the mass demonstrations against Thaksin back in February and March, and if you weren't down in the palaces-and-wats area you wouldn't have noticed a thing. This is a slightly bigger deal, admittedly, but I'm pretty sure you'll have nothing to worry about. The people of Bangkok, more than anyone, will be ecstatic that Thaksin's gone.

By: Merik

Merik — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 16:09:09 -0800

Gompa, thats good to hear. Also, thanks for all the links everyone. i have been suprised and pleased at the rapid and extensive respone of forums and blogs to this event; they have been full of helpfulness and informative personal experiences.

By: the cydonian

the cydonian — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 18:39:34 -0800

gompa: Would you include Khao San Road in the wats-and-palaces area? Because if you do, then it's not that good an idea for backpackers to head there during political unrest. (Then again, even in the best of times, it's not always a good idea to stay at Khao San if you aren't the partying / ganja-smoking-backpacker type, so there.)

By: delmoi

delmoi — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 18:56:46 -0800

Wow, intresting reading that 'gnarlkitty' blog:

#Mobiles and Internet will be shut down in TWO HOURS!!! I need a flight out IMMEDIATELY! ... # ALL SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES ARE CLOSED! # Shit man I have a damn nice mobile number and it's AIS! I've been using this number since I was 12! Dun wanna change!! ... # This is horrible. I'm graduating in like two weeks. TWO FREAKING WEEKS! And now this???? Why am I so lucky?? Wednesday is supposed to be the day for me to complete my missed seminar that you need to graduate and now the Uni is closed!! .... # Will there be killing? Blood shed?? King, please, you're our savior!

Lots of kinglove on this blog. Ironic, since the king is obviously behind all this.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 18:59:54 -0800

Wow, it's really interesting to read blogs right out of the country while the coup is happening. Actually pretty cool from a voyeuristic standpoint.

By: bonaldi

bonaldi — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 19:25:56 -0800

Sometimes I wish tanks would turn up at my newspaper office. Most days, in fact.

By: gompa

gompa — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 23:33:28 -0800

gompa: Would you include Khao San Road in the wats-and-palaces area? Because if you do, then it's not that good an idea for backpackers to head there during political unrest. Yeah, if there's still unrest, maybe avoid Khao San Road. Though it's its own little bubble, so I can't imagine there being much more than traffic and noise-related inconveniences. Of course, you couldn't pay me to stay on Khao San Road under any circumstances, but chacun a son gout. The Atlanta Hotel just off Sukhumvit Road is a lovely and reasonably priced place. One soi over from a sex-tourist soi, but otherwise extremely pleasant, walking distance to all manner of amenities (including the SkyTrain), and far from any kind of coup-related what-have-you.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 00:13:56 -0800

I'm a tad more relieved after reading the Jotman blog (a Westerner living in Bangkok), since he is finding relaxed troops and knots of people celebrating. There are many people out on the streets just seeing what is going on, and they seem to feel safe.

By: dgaicun

dgaicun — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 04:57:29 -0800

A cursory glance at various information sources gives me the impression that the current government was apparently highly corrrupt and that this may be a positive thing? Is that correct? Wikipedia sez: Despite widespread but unproven allegations of corruption, the Thaksin government improved Thailand's ability to control corruption. A 2006 World Bank study found that from 2002-2005, Thailand's regulatory quality and ability to control corruption actually got better, with the ability to control corruption improving twice as much as it had during the 1996-2002 period.[48] Transparency International, also found that Thailand's Corruption Perception Index (CPI) increased during the years of the Thaksin government, i.e., that Thailand's reputation for transparency among business executives improved. In 2003, the CPI was 3.3, whereas in 2005, the CPI was 3.8.[49][50]

By: the cuban

the cuban — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 14:10:28 -0800

coup photos