Coup attempt in Thailand - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

arsenal · 09-19-2006, 10:42 AM

CNN.com

Quote:

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Tanks rolled through the streets of Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday amid reports of an attempted coup, witnesses tell CNN.

Members of the Thai military are attempting to seize power but Thailand's leadership expects everything to return to normal soon, Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai told CNN.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra -- currently at the U.N. headquarters in New York -- went on a government-owned TV station and declared a state of emergency, The Associated Press reported.

Who doesn't like a good coup now and then?

Agamemnon · 09-19-2006, 10:59 AM

Sounds like its successful so far... but obviously these are the early stages. It appears that the PM's office is roundly accused of corruption and misuse of government assets.

RedHot25 · 09-19-2006, 11:07 AM

Yup, more found here: http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/nation...y.html?ref=rss

The country has been in a political crisis for months.
The three main opposition parties boycotted a snap parliamentary election in April, amid accusations of government corruption.
There were opposition-led mass protests over the election results, which handed a new term to Thaksin and the ruling Thai Rak Thai party.
The government has also been plagued by accusations of brutality in troop crackdowns in three southern provinces, where it has been fighting militants who want to establish a separate Muslim state.

Bring_Back_Shantz · 09-19-2006, 11:10 AM

Damn it, I'm supposed to be going to Thailand in Feb.
Hope everything is okay by then.

eefc · 09-19-2006, 12:27 PM

Best line in the CNN report is at the end...

'Thailand has seen dozens of government coups since the end of World War II'

Exciting place to be a politician apparently...

Claeren · 09-19-2006, 01:10 PM

AS someone who spends a lot of time in Thailand, it is a weird situation.

The military is actually trying to take over to reinstate stable good governance.

A total 180 on what a coup normally means.

Thaksin is a twit and NEEDS to be overthrown. It would be like Bill Gates taking over America and then buying off everyone he nees to buy off. Thaksin once flew his cronies on military planes to Chaing MAi for a birthday party for his daughter for god sakes!!! He sells of national industries to friends in Singapore and the urban people hate him. The one reason he is in power is that he has like 100% support from the Rural part of the country because he bought them off with some slick programs that don't actually help them in the long term but seem to appeal to them enough to vote for him despite the 'city-folk newspaper allegations'.

Still a large urban-rural divide in Thailand.

I would not be overly concerned about travelling to Thailand though. They are a very peaceful people, they just have livily semi-democratic politics. When i was last there for 4 months this winter there were massive protests and such and things outside of those protests were business as usual... they also have a VERY strong monarchy that keeps peace and stability in the country outside these flare-ups.

Claeren.

V · 09-19-2006, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

Damn it, I'm supposed to be going to Thailand in Feb.
Hope everything is okay by then.

Just make sure you don't carry bullets in your backpack. Last year my sister went hunting for quail or something in Aussie-land, and threw her remaining bullets in her backpack for whatever reason. She then flew to Thailand, where she ended up chained to a dungeon wall for 8 hours. She has no idea why they let her go. Lucky girl.

arsenal · 09-19-2006, 01:22 PM

Update:
The military now says they are in control of country.

CNN.com

Quote:

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Tanks and troops patrolled Bangkok early Wednesday 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 Asian 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 Tuesday and said his government was still in control of the country.

FlamingLonghorn · 09-19-2006, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dominicwasalreadytaken

Just make sure you don't carry bullets in your backpack. Last year my sister went hunting for quail or something in Aussie-land, and threw her remaining bullets in her backpack for whatever reason. She then flew to Thailand, where she ended up chained to a dungeon wall for 8 hours. She has no idea why they let her go. Lucky girl.

I wouldn't recommend carrying bullets on a plane to anywhere... just a tip.

SpitFire40 · 09-19-2006, 01:39 PM

Damit, their food is soo tasty.

RedHot25 · 09-19-2006, 02:09 PM

A timeline of events leading upto this.... http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/as...ion=cnn_latest

daveyboy · 09-19-2006, 02:12 PM

I wouldn't worry about travelling to Thailand at all. I would have to say that the Thai people are some of the most friendly and peaceful in the world. I'd be far more worried about the touts outside the palace/any tourist attraction then a coup attempt.

As Clarean said people are very devoted and respectful to the king as a person and institution. The only thing that concerns me is that the general of the army is a southern Muslim in a highly Buddhist country.

Azure · 09-19-2006, 07:56 PM

My class had an exchange student from Thailand in Grade 11.

You sure look at the situation more closely, if you know the people personally.

icarus · 09-19-2006, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpitFire40

Damit, their food is soo tasty.

I think the coup has something do to with the tasty red Thai curry I whipped up last night.

MagicallyAdept · 09-20-2006, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icarus

I think the coup has something do to with the tasty red Thai curry I whipped up last night.

he said coup, not poo!

TheCommodoreAfro · 09-20-2006, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claeren

AS someone who spends a lot of time in Thailand, it is a weird situation.

The military is actually trying to take over to reinstate stable good governance.

A total 180 on what a coup normally means.

Thaksin is a twit and NEEDS to be overthrown. It would be like Bill Gates taking over America and then buying off everyone he nees to buy off. Thaksin once flew his cronies on military planes to Chaing MAi for a birthday party for his daughter for god sakes!!! He sells of national industries to friends in Singapore and the urban people hate him. The one reason he is in power is that he has like 100% support from the Rural part of the country because he bought them off with some slick programs that don't actually help them in the long term but seem to appeal to them enough to vote for him despite the 'city-folk newspaper allegations'.

Still a large urban-rural divide in Thailand.

I would not be overly concerned about travelling to Thailand though. They are a very peaceful people, they just have livily semi-democratic politics. When i was last there for 4 months this winter there were massive protests and such and things outside of those protests were business as usual... they also have a VERY strong monarchy that keeps peace and stability in the country outside these flare-ups.

Claeren.

I agree with what you're saying. We have a client who is (was?) associated with Thaskin. For every media buy we make here in Japan we have to include an "expense fee" amounting to 10% of the contract that is paid to someone else we have never met.
Concerns abound for a couple of friends of mine who live in Bangkok but everything seems to be isolated to folks with direct government involvement. It will be interesting to see how this pans out...especially if the southern Thai muslim folks are involved...

Claeren · 09-20-2006, 06:38 PM

The fact the general is Muslim is just a coincidence, it has nothing to do with the unrest in the far south.

And it was a purposely 'bloodless coup', only meant to remove Thaksin, a man who used democracy as a tool for his greed and corruption...

Claeren.

White Doors · 09-20-2006, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claeren

The fact the general is Muslim is just a coincidence, it has nothing to do with the unrest in the far south.

And it was a purposely 'bloodless coup', only meant to remove Thaksin, a man who used democracy as a tool for his greed and corruption...

Claeren.

Is the opposition party a far-left socialist group?

Claeren · 09-20-2006, 08:13 PM

No, not really. Thai's are generally quite conservative across the spectrum of various issues - more so then Canadians for example.

So their left'ist party would be no further left then our own. I beleive it was more of a centralist party that 'sponsored' the coup.

A very good article on the issue is here, at CSM:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0921/p01s03-woap.html

And does this look like an unwanted coup:

Claeren.

White Doors · 09-20-2006, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claeren

No, not really. Thai's are generally quite conservative across the spectrum of various issues - more so then Canadians for example.

A very good article on the issue is here, at CSM:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0921/p01s03-woap.html

And does this look like an unwanted coup:

Claeren.

Not at all. I was just hoping that the coup didn't result in something worse.