Thai Commander Takes Over After Coup

http://www.comcast.net/news/international ^ | 9 19 06 | GRANT PECK

[hoagy62]

I saw on another site that this Sohndi guy is intent on instituting SHARIA LAW!!!

Man...I hope it's not true!

[Bear_Slayer]

What is the reason for turning off the airwaves in a coup?

for the same reason that the rats hold power in our airwaves. The truth is the first casualty in every war.

[killjoy]

I saw on another site that this Sohndi guy is intent on instituting SHARIA LAW!!!

Whoever said that is a total idiot. Nothing can be further from the truth. Sondhi is the main guy bringing the fight TO the terrorists in the south.

[Revolting cat!]

Commander-in-Chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin

First things first, Boony, Sir: clean up the street in Bangkok! No more transvestites posing as chicks!

[Republican Party Reptile]

don't go out much do you?

[Republican Party Reptile]

did you fell for the charm of a ladyboy? :))

[killjoy]

What is the reason for turning off the airwaves in a coup?

In this case, they are worried about various individuals taking it upon themselves to go into BKK to stop the PM from being removed from power. If they do start flooding into BKK, they will be killed. There are roadblocks setup around the city checking people coming in. This is for the same reason.

[indcons]

I am open to the idea of a coup only if the new rulers can do something about the Muslim terrorism in Thailand.

[Libertina]

On a Drudge link I read that the general who is head of this military takeover is Muslim. Thailand had an earlier "bloodless coup" in 1991. Generals of Class 5.

[hoagy62]

I do...I'm just stuck here at work on a VERY boring night...and the story on the other site (which is now discounted) gave me the shivers.

Last thing we need is another US-friendly (more or less) country falling to the Islamo-nuts.

[fortunecookie]

Did you get an answer to this? Is it a Muslim takeover? It's a coup led by a Muslim general. We'll see what that means.

Thank you. I had suspected it somehow. If it were any other identifiable group, the MSM would include it. But all deferential treatment is allowed, even in a coup, for Muslims (or I missed it somehow). Sigh. Thailand is largely Buddhist, except in the far south. I can't see good coming of this, but, we shall see.

[fortunecookie]

Thank you, I had suspected but didn't notice it printed in the articles I read.

General Sonthi (one of the coup leader) is a Muslim, *BUT*, that really has nothing to do with anything relating to the coup.

Um, color me suspicious. It seems that on the surface that might be true. But in a few years? I don't know. I hope you're right.

Muslims are a tiny minority in both population and geographical concentration in Thailand (5% of the population and only in the very southern provinces boarding Malaysia). The Muslim insurgency in the south is a bloody nuisance, but it's simply not a factor on the national stage in Thailand.

I'd heard they were largely Buddhist. And the insurgency in the south - a nuisance now. Hopefully not a factor later.

[killjoy]

Thank you. I had suspected it somehow. If it were any other identifiable group, the MSM would include it. But all deferential treatment is allowed, even in a coup, for Muslims (or I missed it somehow).

Oh please. This coup has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH RELIGION. This has everything to do with people tired of corruption. Yes, Sondhi is Muslim but it is not an issue. Sondhi is a damn good guy. He fought alongside US troops in Vietnam with the Thai Volunteer Force. He used to be head of Thai Army Special Warfare. His credentials are impecable. Those who have served under him have nothing but good things to say about him. This is a non-issue.

[Tailgunner Joe]

"As an army chief known to be close to Thailand's revered king, Sonthi has publicly clashed with Thaksin over security policy in the run-up to the military takeover late on Tuesday. He had advocated talks with militants as a way out of the violence that has killed more than 1,400 people since January 2004, but was rebuffed by the Government, which publicly quashed any hopes for negotiations." - LINK

[Frank_2001]

"So Thaskin is a loyal friend and ally who deserves our support."

Well, that's certainly not Thaskin too much at all!;)

[Luigi Vasellini]

Savage said that the general trying to do an overthrow is a muzzy

[starbase]

Savage said that the general trying to do an overthrow is a muzzy.

It is true he's Muslim, but that's a total non-issue here. This is pure politics, and no kind of religious affair would have ever gotten off the ground or been supported in anyway here in Thailand by the people or the military (or the people in the military).

This is politics only, the general's religion is a non-factor.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

An Asian article that is actually getting some freeper traffic. It should: a supposedly stable government has been overthrown.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Why wouldn't they? Russia has a military, too.

[killjoy]

An Asian article that is actually getting some freeper traffic. It should: a supposedly stable government has been overthrown.

The government wasn't overthrown. The Prime Minister was.