Posted on 09/19/2006 9:27:33 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
BANGKOK, Thailand - The Thai military launched a coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday night, circling his offices with tanks, seizing control of TV stations and declaring a provisional authority pledging loyalty to the king.
An announcement on Thai television declared that a "Council of Administrative Reform" with King Bhumibol Adulyadej as head of state had seized power in Bangkok and nearby provinces without any resistance.
At least 14 tanks surrounded Government House, Thaksin's office. Thaksin was in New York at the U.N. General Assembly and declared a state of emergency.
If anything, the general is launching a coup to untie his hands in dealing with the islamics. Muslims in Thailand are probably going to be running scared if this coup succeeds and the gloves come off.
Thanks!
I know the Muslims are trying to get a toehold here--so is the army on the side of the Buddhists or the Muslims?
Somehow Tanks, just don't scream Budda to me.
Besides you know Bush is behind it, John Mark Karr was a Bush operative; the Ramsey thing was just a way to pull him out.
And no one or no thing is higher in Thailand than the King.
They really love this guy. They pay tribute to him with pictures of him and put fresh fruit and drinks in front of these pictures on a regular basis.
Buddhists
It's been a few years, but Thailand used to have so many coups that it became almost like a joke, with various generals overthrowing each other on regular intervals and the rest of the country just carry on as normal.
In this case the current PM has been extremely unpopular, even though he is scheduled to step down in the Nov election, guess some of the previously sacked militaty factions just couldn't wait ...
That too small fries
Actually this is Karl Rove fault try put practical joke on Thaliand PM while he is way
THINK FREEPERS THINK LOL!
I am flying into Bangkok on Thursday...
I just phoned my hotel.
true conversation (classic thai)
Me: "So there's a coup"
Hotel Gal: "Yeah, army in control"
Me: "So, should I worry? (I am coming from Singapore)"
Hotel Gal: "No, army not against shopping"
Good!
I was wondering if this was some of the same. Still hoping they'll head south, but not holding my breath.
another article UPDATE
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BANGKOK, Thailand - The Thai military launched a coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday night, circling his offices with tanks, seizing control of TV stations and declaring a provisional authority pledging loyalty to the king.
An announcement on Thai television declared that a "Council of Administrative Reform" with King Bhumibol Adulyadej as head of state had seized power in Bangkok and nearby provinces without any resistance.
Thaksin, who has faced calls to step down amid allegations of corruption and abuse of power, was in New York at the U.N. General Assembly, and he declared a state of emergency via a government-owned TV station.
At least 14 tanks surrounded Government House, Thaksin's office.
A convoy of four tanks rigged with loudspeakers and sirens rolled through a busy commercial district of Bangkok, warning people to get off the street for their own safety.
A senior military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said army Commander-in-Chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin had used the military to take over power from the prime minister.
Massive rallies earlier this year forced Thaksin to dissolve Parliament and call an election in April, three years ahead of schedule. The poll was boycotted by opposition parties and later annulled by Thailand's top courts, leaving the country without a working legislature.
Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party twice won landslide election victories, in 2001 and 2005 and had been expected to win the next vote on Oct. 15, bolstered by its widespread support in the country's rural areas.
In March, Boonyaratkalin, sought to ease speculation that the military might join the political fray, as it last did in 1992 and more than a dozen other times during earlier crises.
"The army will not get involved in the political conflict. Political troubles should be resolved by politicians," Boonyaratkalin said at the time, echoing comments of other top military officials. "Military coups are a thing of the past."
Thaksin, who had been scheduled to address the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday night, switched his speech to Tuesday at 7 p.m. EDT.
On Monday, Thaksin had said he may step down as leader of Thailand after the upcoming elections but would remain at the helm of his party, despite calls for him to give up the post.
In Bangkok, several hundred soldiers were deployed at government installations and major intersections, according to an Associated Press reporter.
Army-owned TV channel 5 interrupted regular broadcasts with patriotic music and showed pictures of the king. At least some radio and television stations monitored in Bangkok suspended programming.
The cable television station of the Nation newspaper reported that tanks were parked at the Rachadamnoen Road and royal plaza close to the royal palace and government offices.
"The prime minister with the approval of the cabinet declares serious emergency law in Bangkok from now on" Thaksin said by television from New York. He said he was ordering the transfer of the nation's army chief to work in the prime minister's office, effectively suspending him from his military duties.
Thaksin's critics want to jettison his policies promoting privatization, free trade agreements and CEO-style administration.
Opposition to Thaksin gained momentum in January when his family announced it had sold its controlling stake in telecommunications company Shin Corp. to Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings for a tax-free $1.9 billion. Critics allege the sale involved insider trading and complain a key national asset is now in foreign hands.
Thaksin also has been accused of stifling the media and mishandling a Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand that flared under his rule.
In Thailand's mostly Muslim south, separatist insurgents have waged a bloody campaign that has left at least 1,700 dead, mostly civilians, since 2004. Citizens there have complained of rights abuses by soldiers and discrimination by the country's Buddhist majority.
Bhumibol, a 78-year-old constitutional monarch with limited powers, has used his high prestige to pressure opposing parties to compromise during political crises. He is credited with helping keep Thailand more stable than many of its Southeast Asian neighbors.
He is the world's longest-serving monarch, celebrated his 60th year on the throne with lavish festivities in mid-June that were attended by royalty from around the world.
Many Thais are counting on him to pull the country through its current political crisis, which has left it with no functioning legislature and only a caretaker government after a divisive, inconclusive election.
Bhumibol was born in Cambridge, Mass. He became the ninth king of Thailand's Chakri dynasty on June 9, 1946, succeeding his older brother, Ananda, killed by an unexplained shooting.
Since then, the beloved king has reigned through a score of governments, democratic and dictatorial. He has taken an especially active role in rural development.
In 1992, demonstrators against a military strongman were gunned down before the king stepped in to end the fighting and usher in a period of stability.
and if past Thai coups are any indication, enterprising street vendors will have already setup food and drink stalls selling to soldiers stuck in their APC's and tanks ... :)
Heck, that's normal Bangkok traffic. They had to wait until the PM was out of the country because it takes three hours to get from one side of town to the other...
Yes, it's no ordinary venue.
A keeper.
Any questions?
"In Thailand's mostly Muslim south, separatist insurgents have waged a bloody campaign that has left at least 1,700 dead, mostly civilians, since 2004. Citizens there have complained of rights abuses by soldiers and discrimination by the country's Buddhist majority."
This last part is mysterious. Does it mean "Muslim citizens there have complained..."? I think it does. Can you imagine Buddhists ever bothering anyone?
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