Military Coup in Thailand - PM ousted, Martial Law Declared, Constitution revoked

Elijya

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oh boy, fun times

www.cnn.com and the front page of just about every other news website

newt1.thai.tues.03.ap.jpg

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Tanks and troops patrolled Bangkok late Tuesday after the chief of Thailand's army said the military was taking control of the country.

The coup against the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is being led by Thai army chief Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin and Thailand's opposition Party of Democratic Reform.

The coup plotters declared martial law and suspended the constitution of the Southeast Asia nation. (Watch tanks roll through the streets of Bangkok -- 3:53)

Thaksin, in New York to address the United Nations, declared a state of emergency and said his government was still in control of the country.

Troops on the streets of the Thai capital had yellow ribbons on their weapons, a sign of loyalty to the nation's king, to whom the coup plotters proclaimed their loyalty.

At least four tanks and a number of armored vehicles were stationed around the royal palace in Bangkok, CNN's Dan Rivers reported. Soldiers were apparently setting up roadblocks and what appeared to be members of the royal guard surrounded the palace.

It was unclear if the soldiers were loyal to the government or to those attempting to seize power.

Two tanks were parked outside the government headquarters, which houses Thaksin's office.

There have been no reports of violence.

Rumors have been swirling in the Thai capital in recent weeks that a coup d'etat was being planned.

Thaksin, who has been under considerable pressure to step down, decided Monday night to reschedule his speech to the U.N. General Assembly for Tuesday night and return to Bangkok afterward, according to U.N. officials. He had originally been scheduled to address the assembly on Wednesday.

Elections in Thailand are scheduled for November after the country's constitutional court ruled that a vote in April vote was unconstitutional.

Thaksin had called for the April elections, three years early, after opponents accused the billionaire leader of abusing the country's system of checks and balances and bending government policy to benefit his family's business.

Thailand has seen dozens of government coups since the end of World War II.
 
Elijya said:
oh boy, fun times

www.cnn.com and the front page of just about every other news website

"Thaksin, in New York to address the United Nations, declared a state of emergency and said his government was still in control of the country."

LOL! Yeah...I'm thinkin' not, buddy.

jag
 
I'm not big into Thai food anyways.
 
good, maybe these new guys will crack down on the whole, you know, underage prostitution thing that Thailand is most famous for
 
In high school, I had Thai food before Prom my junior year. It was a bad idea.
 
Tony Jaa for Prime Minister. That guy will simply Muay Thai every sucker in the face who dares to run against him as an opposition candidate. Gives a whole new meaning to the term "kickass leader". :up:
 
Well, this is news. It's not everyday we hear about revolutions outside of Iraq...:o
 
Future Prez said:
Well, this is news. It's not everyday we hear about revolutions outside of Iraq...:o

But it's everyday we see that no one gives a damn. When a thread about a man losing his penis gets more replies in a shorter timeframe, humanity deserves to self-destruct it's way to extinction. :dry:
 
Funny, my friend asked me about the condition of Thailand last friday. Now it seems I have my answer.

At least at this moment no lives have been lost. This could end nice and clean.....well as clean as a revolution can be, I guess.
 
Holy crap! I come home from work in the middle of the night, login in to read the latest Hype gossip, and I find a freaking Thai military coup on the platter. Here's hoping for a relatively quick revolution.
 
From what I gather, the Prime Minister has been abusing his position of power to further line his pockets and alot of folks finally had enough of him (gee, a corrupt politician, whodathunkit?). I just laughed at the PM's statement that his government was still in control even though the entire military is against him. Heh!

jag
 
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.

Sounds like this may wind up being a good thing for the Thai people.

jag
 
jaguarr said:
From what I gather, the Prime Minister has been abusing his position of power to further line his pockets and alot of folks finally had enough of him (gee, a corrupt politician, whodathunkit?). I just laughed at the PM's statement that his government was still in control even though the entire military is against him. Heh!

jag


Ummm, Maybe Bush can take a trip overseas soon.
 
Erzengel said:
I'm not big into Thai food anyways.
Anyone who doesnt love Thai food is not azn!!!:cool: I love THAI food! My favortie dish Pud-see-wee!
 
NOFX said:
Anyone who doesnt love Thai food is not azn!!!:cool:
Damnit, and I just got my "AZN By AssociaZN" membership card.
 
Manic said:
Damnit, and I just got my "AZN By AssociaZN" membership card.
Whats your nationality?
 
NOFX said:
Whats your nationality?
American, but my ethnicity is African-American. :p I live in a predominantly Asian neighborhood, so all of my friends are Chinese and Filipino.
 
Manic said:
American, but my ethnicity is African-American. :p I live in a predominantly Asian neighborhood, so all of my friends are Chinese and Filipino.
Where you live at like ****ing rowland heights, Diamond Bar?
 
NOFX said:
Where you live at like ****ing rowland heights, Diamond Bar?
Union City.

From Wikipedia...
The racial makeup of the city was 30.21% White, 6.70% African American, 0.53% Native American, 43.39% Asian, 0.91% Pacific Islander, 11.53% from other races, and 6.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.96% of the population.
Apparently, we have a sister city in the Philippines...
 
TSOG just got the country wrong :oldrazz:

Not that I took him serious
 
Great, I just sold a movie poster to a guy in Thailand on eBay. I wonder what the chances of him getting the package are now?
 

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