http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/20/world/asia/20cnd-thailand.html?ex=1158897600&en=dd7fdc82694c0174&ei=5087%0A said:
September 20, 2006
Leader of Thai Coup Says He Will Restore Democracy
By THOMAS FULLER, International Herald Tribune
BANGKOK, Sept. 20 — Thailand will probably not restore democracy for at least a year, Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, the commander who seized power in a bloodless coup, announced today.
Speaking to reporters for the first time since tanks and troops under his command took to the streets of the capital late Tuesday night, General Sondhi offered a political timetable for the country’s democratic rehabilitation. An interim government would be chosen within two weeks, he said, and the process of writing a new constitution would follow.
“Drafting a new constitution should not take more than one year,” General Sondhi said; new elections could be then expected sometime around October 2007.
As Thais awoke this morning to news of the coup, General Sondhi’s junta sought to consolidate its control, banning public gatherings, threatening to shut down or block telecommunications and urging “farmers and laborers” — many of whom are strong supporters of the ousted government — to stay out of politics.
“What needed to be done had to be done, before it got out of control,” the general told reporters.
The developments Tuesday and today were a stunning reversal from just a week ago, when General Sondhi denied rumours that a coup was imminent and said “the military will remain patient.”
On the relatively quiet streets of Bangkok today, Thais exhibited both their customary nonchalance and a certain amount of levity about the coup. But many expressed concerns that the country’s economy could be hurt.
Critics of the ousted Thai leader, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was in New York when the coup began, said they were happy to see him go. Supporters of the prime minister had a more muted reaction, following the admonishments of the junta to avoid disunity.
Mr. Thaksin canceled his planned speech to the United Nations General Assembly and flew to London overnight. In conversations with reporters on his plane and afterward, he expressed resignation over his ouster.
“I didn’t expect this incident would happen,” Mr. Thaksin told the Thai news agency in London. “I was prime minister when I came, and I was jobless on the way back.”
“I volunteer to work for the country,” he said. “If they don’t want me to do that, I won’t.”
At his afternoon news conference in Bangkok, General Sondhi said he had “no trouble” with Mr. Thaksin coming back to Thailand, but also warned that the former prime minister could face legal action.
The coup thrust Thailand, a country that is host to more than 11 million tourists a year and has an open, thriving economy, into further uncertainty. For seven tumultuous months before the coup, a political battle raged between supporters and detractors of Mr. Thaksin, a billionaire telecommunications tycoon-turned-politician whose policies divided the nation.
Three international automakers with major plants here — Toyota, Nissan and Honda — all shut down production today, a blow, though perhaps only temporary, to a country that in recent years has become one of the world’s top 10 car exporters. The Thai currency, the baht, also dipped against the dollar.
Banks, government offices, the stock market, schools and some businesses were closed today after the coup leaders declared a national holiday. Traffic was relatively light in Bangkok and soldiers were stationed at some intersections. Tanks, which moved to positions outside the prime minister’s office Tuesday night, were still stationed there this morning.
General Sondhi’s first address to the country came this morning during a short, nationally televised address.
“The Administrative Reform Council, which has his Majesty the King as its leader, seized administrative power from the caretaker government by ordering the dissolution of the House of Representatives, the Senate, the government and the Constitutional Court,” General Sondhi said.
The general vowed that military rule would be temporary. The military, he said, “insists that it has no intention to become the country’s ruler.”General Sondhi sought to show a degree of continuity on certain matters with the previous government. He said the junta supported the candidacy of Surakiart Sathirathai, a former Thai deputy prime minister, for United Nations secretary general, as the Thaksin government did. And Bangkok’s new airport, Suvarnabhumi, is still scheduled to open Sept. 28, the date set by the Thaksin government.
As he read his statement on television, General Sondhi was flanked by the country’s top military commanders: Marshall Chalit Pookpasuk, the head of the air force; Adm. Sathiraphan Keyanand, the head of the marines and navy; Gen. Kowit Wattana, the national chief of police; and Gen. Ruangroj Mahasaranond, the supreme military commander.
In his address, which lasted no more than two minutes, General Sondhi said the reason for seizing power was the “government’s misconduct, which has caused conflicts and broken the unity of the people in the country in a way that has never happened before in the history of Thailand.”
Mr. Thaksin’s main deputy, Chidchai Vanasatidya, was reported to be in the custody of the army.
Tuesday’s coup appeared to have the blessing of Thailand’s highly revered king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has been on the throne 60 years. But General Sondhi insisted that he acted alone.
“There was no support. It was our own decision,” he said.
Yet early today, Thai television showed what an announcer described as General Sondhi’s motorcade driving into the grounds of the royal palace for a meeting with the king.
Soldiers in the streets of Bangkok Tuesday and Wednesday tied yellow ribbons to their uniforms and weapons, the color symbolizing support for the king.
The king rarely speaks directly to the public, but political analysts believe the king has been worried that Mr. Thaksin’s administration had accumulated too much power.
Mr. Thaksin’s critics also accused him of using his position to expand and ultimately cash in on his business empire, of eroding the independence of key institutions and of muzzling the press.
Siriporn Boontham, 55, a restaurant owner in Lopburi, two hours north of Bangkok, said she was relieved that Mr. Thaksin had been removed from office.
“I’m glad all the chaos is going to end,” she said. “Maybe this was the only way to end all the political conflict.”
But Mr. Thaksin’s supporters were indignant and surprised that the coup leaders had described the former prime minister as someone who divided the nation.
“Thaksin is a good guy — he doesn’t deserve this,” said Thanakij Thamkornburi, a 48-year-old taxi driver in Bangkok. He added: “I would say that is destroying the counry’s harmony, too.”
The military issued a string of decrees this morning following General Sondhi’s television appearance, including the ban on public gatherings.
“In order to avoid problems, the Administrative Reform Council prohibits political gatherings of more than 5 people,” said Thavinand Krongkrang, a news anchorwoman on Channel 5, a station owned by the military. Violators would be jailed 6 months or fined.
Another announcement called on the media “to cover news truthfully and constructively in order to promote unity in the country.”
The military also ordered the ministry of telecommunications “to control, stop or block the distribution of information through all media channels that might affect the council’s work,” meaning the activities of the junta. .
The coup leaders singled out several groups in Thai society — laborers, farmers and students — and conveyed messages to them, urging laborers and farmers “to remain peaceful, because any gathering or movement right now might facilitate the work of people with bad intentions to cause disturbance.”
As for students, the junta encouraged them to participate in the process of rebuilding Thai democracy. “Any of you who has an idea or any opinion, please send your ideas or suggestions to the army,” a spokesperson said in one of the televised statements.
Recent Thai history is littered with coups, countercoups and attempted coups, but the incident on Tuesday was the first military military takeover since 1991, when Gen. Suchinda Kraprayoon toppled a civilian government in a bloodless coup. His government was unpopular, and he was ousted in 1992 following street demonstrations.
I live in a predominantly Asian neighborhood, so all of my friends are Chinese and Filipino.
