*Breaking News* - Coup in Thailand

[Chundles]

CNN are apparently reporting tanks moving into Bangkok. Thai State Radio has been interrupted.

I'll post more as more info comes available.

[apachie2k]

simply...wow

there is so much unrest...

[edesignuk]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5361008.stm

[bartelby]

DOH. Beaten to it...


Tanks appear in Bangkok - reports

Tanks have taken up position around the Thai government headquarters in Bangkok blocking traffic, eyewitnesses have told Reuters news agency.

An army-owned TV station has altered its programming to broadcast images of the royal family and songs associated in the past with military coups.

More soon.

[kretzy]

Wow. When my family went over there two years ago, they got the impression that the royal family were quite popular. I haven't been following the political climate there though, so I really have no idea what's been going on.

[iJon]

I hope everything goes alright. Bangkok is one of my favorite cities and my possible moving location after college. Just glad I'm not there today :D.

jon

[Chundles]

The Thai PM - in New York at the moment - has declared a state of emergency in Bangkok, ordering his troops not to move illegally.

This is really strange - I was under the impression that the Thai royal family were held in quite high regard. :confused:

[adroit]

The Thai PM - in New York at the moment - has declared a state of emergency in Bangkok, ordering his troops not to move illegally.

This is really strange - I was under the impression that the Thai royal family were held in quite high regard. :confused:

The royal family is very much loved. This conflict is between the military and the PM.

[Kingsly]

They are. Is appears that this coup is directed at the PM, not the royal family.
Anyway, when I was there a year ago I got the impression that the Thai's took pride in the fact that they had one of the most stable governments in the region. Guess that all goes out the window today... :rolleyes: :o


EDIT:adroit beat me.

[mouchoir]

Yikes!

The new series of 'Spooks' was on last night about a similar thing happening in London...

Frightening.

[adroit]

here we go

National television announced that forces had taken control of Bangkok "to maintain law and order", and that they were declaring loyalty to the king.

However, the BBC's Kate McGeown in Bangkok says King Bhumibol is held in high esteem by all Thais, and the declaration of loyalty does not necessarily imply that he backs the takeover attempt.

[Silencio]

The royal family is very much loved. This conflict is between the military and the PM.

Does the Royal family in Thailand hold any actual political power? I didn't think so, but I could be wrong.

I've heard a lot of small bits in the news over the past few months about dissatisfaction with the PM and calls for his resignation, but I don't know a whole heckuva lot about the situation. Time to skim a few news articles from the past few months...

[nbs2]

And remember that they arrested 5 officers last week on suspicion of the coup. Urban intellectuals said that the supposed coup was just an attempt to curry favor with voters for the upcoming election, as the PM has most of his support in rural areas.

Can we actually learn to trust our govenments when they say that there are threats at election time?

[mactastic]

Can we actually learn to trust our govenments when they say that there are threats at election time?
Only if that government has previously earned that trust of it's citizens.

[nbs2]

Only if that government has previously earned that trust of it's citizens.
Ah! But what makes this situation so entertaining (in a detached sort of way) is that most city people believed that the administration was corrupt and abused its power.

[OutThere]

I just saw this on CNN. Hopefully things will settle down there soon...



I wonder how long it will be before the headline reads "U.S. Gov't Declares Martial Law to Protect National Security"....

[adroit]

Does the Royal family in Thailand hold any actual political power? I didn't think so, but I could be wrong.

No official power but alot of influence as the general population love and respect him very much. That is the main reason his name is being invoked right now.

[Sdashiki]

i think the king is the lord and master, or something....of stuff.

The king has little direct power under the constitution but is the anointed protector of Thai Buddhism and a symbol of national identity and unity. The present monarch enjoys a great deal of popular respect and moral authority, which has on occasion been used to resolve political crises. It is illegal to mock or criticize the King and doing so can bring about charges of lèse majesté. The head of government is the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the king from among the members of the lower house of parliament, usually the leader of the party that can organise a majority coalition government.

wikipedia entry.

[technicolor]

International news channels CNN and the BBC were taken off the air in Thailand, where a military coup has ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

[adroit]

Just got off msn with my friend from Thailand. The military have closed down all the TV and cable stations and there are news that they might do the same with internet.

I still haven't had a chance to get a hold of my family in Thailand yet. This is a very sad news.


i think the king is the lord and master, or something....of stuff.

Not quite, consitutionally, king actually doesn't have any power at all or very little at the least. However, the current king have gained respect from the Thais by himself. He have many projects that really help the living quality of the people and made the country stable.

[Sdashiki]

you didnt quote my whole post which gave a direct quote from wikipedia in regards to the king's power.

theres nothing like cutting your country off from the outside world so that propaganda may be spread!

[OutThere]

Crikey I hadn't read the full story...taking international news off the air is pretty serious stuff...how long before they disconnect landline internet?

[joepunk]

Yikes!

I really do hope that this ends peacefully.

I'm glade a school friend is no longer there at the moment.

[adroit]

The king has little direct power under the constitution but is the anointed protector of Thai Buddhism and a symbol of national identity and unity. The present monarch enjoys a great deal of popular respect and moral authority, which has on occasion been used to resolve political crises. It is illegal to mock or criticize the King and doing so can bring about charges of lèse majesté. The head of government is the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the king from among the members of the lower house of parliament, usually the leader of the party that can organise a majority coalition government.

Sorry Sdashiki from not being clear with what I am trying to say in the first post.

I find this wikipedia quote to be misleading in two main parts.

1. I don't believe that it is illegal to mock or criticize the king by law. It just that no one ever does becuase there is nothing to criticize him about. But if somebody does that in public, he/she will probably get a lesson in respect from the thai people.

2. Also, the king does not appoint the Prime Minister. He is democratically elected.

The consitutional monarchy system in Thailand is pretty much the same as the one in England besides the fact that the royal family in Thailand is much more popular.

[adroit]

Just talked to my family in Thailand.

The military have released some news channels now. Apprently everything is very peaceful and no one got hurt. It doesn't seems like the military would want to take control of the country and they've banned Taksin (the PM) from going back to Thailand.

My family is very happy about this, and I hope that everything will end well. :)

[Kingsly]

Just talked to my family in Thailand.

The military have released some news channels now. Apprently everything is very peaceful and no one got hurt. It doesn't seems like the military would want to take control of the country and they've banned Taksin (the PM) from going back to Thailand.

My family is very happy about this, and I hope that everything will end well. :)
Its my understanding that Taskin's power lies with the rural citizens and farmers, is that true?

[KingYaba]

So a muslim general declares martial law and swears allegiance to a king. Does this not alarm some people?

BBC World, CNN and other international TV news channels have been taken off the air, while Thai stations have broadcast footage of the royal family and patriotic songs. -Link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5362228.stm)
This especially disturbs me.

[Kingsly]

So a muslim general declares martial law and swears allegiance to a king. Does this not alarm some people?

-Link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5362228.stm)
This especially disturbs me.
Bad Bad Bad!
Am I the only one who notices how much this coup parallels that of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia?
This has the potential to spin rapidly out of control.

[adroit]

So a muslim general declares martial law and swears allegiance to a king. Does this not alarm some people?

Not at all. I see the fact that he is a muslim as a good thing and I am a buddhist. Unless you know the Thai politics well it's hard to explain what's really going on. But this general is a good person, and he have proven himself through years of good work and how he handled the situation in Southern Thailand. He is very well respected by both Thai and Muslim population. We all know very well that Taksin's government only made the situation in Southern Thailand worse, so why not try something differnt.

BBC World, CNN and other international TV news channels have been taken off the air, while Thai stations have broadcast footage of the royal family and patriotic songs.

They've already put the news back. To be honest, at first this bothers me as well. But as soon as I've found out what is really going on I felt better. Taksin is known to be very good at spinning out the news in the wrong way. Also, if they didn't do this, people who heard different rumors and didn't fully understand what's goind on might come out and start shooting eachother in the middle of Bangkok and that is the last thing we need.


Bad Bad Bad!
Am I the only one who notices how much this coup parallels that of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia?
This has the potential to spin rapidly out of control.

This is a completely different situation. No shot was fired. The military was well welcome, and the Thais and tourists were outside taking photographs with the tanks. And the militrary is not even a communist.

[KingYaba]

adroit

I have no knowledge of Thai politics what so ever. I just find the whole 'rogue' general taking over the country kind of alarming. Especially in light of recent developments over the years regarding Muslim extremism. So I'm cautious. Even if his intentions mean well.

I am glad that there has been no violence or uprisings. The general promises to restore the country in two weeks, so I best give him the benefit of the doubt, sound fair?

[Ugg]

adroit

I have no knowledge of Thai politics what so ever. I just find the whole 'rogue' general taking over the country kind of alarming. Especially in light of recent developments over the years regarding Muslim extremism. So I'm cautious. Even if his intentions mean well.

I am glad that there has been no violence or uprisings. The general promises to restore the country in two weeks, so I best give him the benefit of the doubt, sound fair?

I think the coup is more about the guy's abuse of power while in office. He's been compared to Berlusconi and I think the comparison's apt. Coups aren't the best way to change regimes but in this case it might well have been.

[Desertrat]

From Everbank's morning email newsletter, "The Daily Pfennig". Everbank has CDs denominated in foreign currencies.

"Good day... Well... We and the markets received a jolt yesterday when the first news reports came across telling the world that tanks had rolled into the streets of Bangkok... The next thing we knew, a military coup had taken place in Thailand, with Premier Thaksin in New York City at the U.N. summit...
>
> Things got pretty interesting right away, with big firms halting trading in Thai baht, until things were clearer... However, don't panic... Here's some soothing words from currency traders around the world... Christopher Wood, global equities strategist at CLSA Ltd. Said, "investors should raise their holding of Thai stocks because the coup may end the nation's political stalemate." And... Craig Scholl, senior portfolio manager at State Street Global Advisors said, "We actually see this as having long term benefits."
>
> OK... Let me lay this all out for you... As you recall, last spring there was a political scandal with PM Thaksin caught in the middle... The people screamed for Thaksin's ouster... So, feeling quite confident, Thaksin called for an April vote in an attempt to end the ongoing street protests in Bangkok. The snap election was boycotted by the three biggest opposition parties in Thailand and later annulled by a court. New elections had been expected to be held this November.
>
> Thailand has had a lame duck government since then... And with all that political turmoil going on, the Thai baht was able to gain as much as 8% VS the dollar this year. However, with the lame duck government no spending on new factories, and roads, etc. was happening... So... In the end, I agree with Mr. Scholl above, and see this coup as having long term benefits for Thailand.
>
> The Thai baht has lost ground on the news, as I've explained many times in the past, the markets do not like "uncertainty" and that's what they have right now... Although, the military has announced that this was not a military coup, and that the power would be returned to the people.
>
> So... At this point, I think a "batten down the hatches" approach would serve us best, until we see exactly what kind of government is put in place in Thailand... And... Did you know that this Thailand's 18th coup in 60 years? So, this stuff is commonplace for Thailand... So far, the baht has lost some ground, but most of that move came yesterday when the coup was announced... Not much movement overnight, or this morning..."

End...

When the Soros-sized billfolds aren't worried, assessments such as above are commonly accurate. (It was 1997 when Soros' currency speculations wrecked the Thai economy.)

I read somewhere else that the military wants elections in two weeks.

'Rat

[solvs]

No shot was fired. The military was well welcome, and the Thais and tourists were outside taking photographs with the tanks.
Good that it was a bloodless coup. My favorite kind. Wonder what would happen if the military tried to do something like that here. Think they'd be greeted as liberators? :D

[KingYaba]

Think they'd be greeted as liberators? :D
"Here" as in the USA? My answer: Hell no.

[angelneo]

So far the coup seems to be relatively peaceful. It came about due to the political unrest caused by their PM Thaksin. He is very unpopular especially in Bangkok where he is accused of abusing his power for his personal gains. I think one of the breaking point in the people mind is when he exploited a loophole and managed to sell his 45% share of one of the major thai telco (shin corp) to a singapore owned company (temasek holding) and avoid paying taxes for $1.9 billion. Unfortunately, this also allows Singapore to control more than 95% of thailand major communication asset (which made many thai angry). Their previous election which happened not to long ago was declared invalid (for reason I forgotten) which allowed the PM to remain in power. To many people especially those educated one, the whole affair, together with many others, just smell. That's why the majority of people in Bangkok actually welcome the coup.

The reason he is popular in the rural areas is that he have been giving out freebies like cellphone and some essentials.

Btw, the king is a very respected figure in thailand, and rightly so.

My information all came from the news so I might be wrong.

[solvs]

"Here" as in the USA?
Here, as in our military peacefully removing our government from power. I'm assuming the reasoning behind my "greeted as liberators" comment is obvious. Any other military trying to remove our gov from power, no matter how much a majority of us dislike them, would I'm sure be seen by most as an act of aggression.

Which is why I'm glad that doesn't seem to be the case here, as it looks more like a revolution than a mutiny.