Coup in Thailand

A military coup is going down in Thailand, anyone have friends there training?

Strange world that we live in.

I have a friend there now- and am headed myself 1 month from today so I am a little curious as to whats going on

wonder if they will leave the thai gyms alone and let ppl train since they hold thai fighters in such high regard

Nicknitro,
Where did you get that information? I think this coup is supported by the majority of the population here as Thaksin was seen as a very corrupt person who abused his position.

There is not gunfire and chaos in the streets. There is not any pressing danger. So long as the King signs off on this it should work out for the best. While the majority of the country supported Thaksin, the majority of Bangkok didn't. Regardless, everyone loves and respects the King and so long as he doesn't oppose the current situation there shouldn't be too much of a backlash from rural areas (where Thaksin is well regarded).

The army does not want to rule thailand. They will put someone respected in control and hold elections and a constitutitonal reform process.

jesada,
At this point I don't think the majority of the country supported Thaksin. He lost the special election vote eariler this year, which basically said the majority of voters did not support him.

I used to live in Bangkok and still have friends there. They said it is quiet now and as mentioned earlier, no real violence to speak of ever happened.

Tanks rolled down Sathorn Road too, which is where I lived. Now, I did see an elephant or two strolling through but never a tank.

Thaksin drained the country of money through his corrupt ways for far too long. The law he passed allowing him to bypass $330 million in taxes to Thailand on the sale of his telecom shares was the last straw. The people from Chang Mai where Thaksin is from and also the rural areas supported him, but even that was fading.

The military said they support the King, and I am sure the King signed off on this beforehand behind closed doors. The King will never say so to the public though.

I was told Thaksin and his wife had 50 bags with them when they came to the US for the UN meetings. Gee, you think they had some idea of what was going to happen???

I cannot see him going back to BKK right now like he is saying. I think that is more of a face saving gesture.

I'm currently in Thailand and now is my chance!

I will rise above the ordinary folk as their ferang (foreign) leader. They will be in awe of my white and red skin I will be their new ruler and all will bow before me.
Olimpic freestyle wrestling will become the official new national sport and MMA declared a religion. Muay Thai will be outlawed and in it's place amature boxing will shine bright as the sun. The government will fall and Thailand will be no more. From the ashes will rise a new nation strong and resolute standing united as one before its new leader under a new name:

Pankratia

Provences and islands will be renamed:

Phuket- Head and Arm
Phi phi- Double leg
Hua Hin- Guillotine
Bangkok- Well that will probably still be about right.

In this new order overtaking on blind corners will be made illegal along with continuing to drive on the incorrect side of the road afterward for the next 5km.
Cars will stay out of the motorcycle lane and not cut up forieghners as they overtake. Trading standards will be made so that phone top up cards will be such that when you scratch off the foil to reveal the number beneath the number won't rub off aswell.
Cleaners will be fully trained NOT to steal the money they find in the drawers of forieghn guests.
Their will be no more ferang prices and Thai prices just prices.
Indians will banned from setting up tailors in comercial areas. You will be able to peruse a market stall at your leisure and buy what you please without the constant nag of "t-shirt" in your ear or suggestions on things to buy which is no more than pointing at random objects in the hope that the patron will purchase it. People will no longer kick the shit out of dogs.

Sigh... So much misinformation. Thaksin won the last election: 16 to 10. http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060403/3/2ig7r.html. Thaksin did not change any laws to get the tax break. The tax technique he used is one that tax lawyers have been using for years.

Last time I was in Chiang Mai, there was a big sign saying "Thaksin for PM forever".

It's probably good they got rid of him, but a coup? That takes us 15 years backward and makes us look like a banana republic to all foreign investors.

Please be aware that your opinions are highly colored by who you talk to. How wide is your circle of contacts? How diverse are they? English-speaking middle-class Bangkokians are not the majority of Thais.

"At this point I don't think the majority of the country supported Thaksin. He lost the special election vote eariler this year, which basically said the majority of voters did not support him. "

Not to nitpick. But TRT won that election with 57% of the vote. The opposition boycotted it and it was ultimately invalidated but Thaksin did 'win'. Unless there is an election since April that I don't know abuot. There is no valid indicator that I know of that suggests TRT would not win in a future election. indeed, that fact is largely motivating the coup in my opinion. They need to change the constitution and electoral rules. Sorry to hijack the thread folks.

Prik Knee Noo,
For me, I work in Lat Krabang, I am not exactly surrounded by many English Speaking middle class people here. Where I work is far enough away from BK, that our factory is working today. I know many people that like Thaksin and some that hate him, but at the end of the day your 3rd statement is what matters. oh well.....

'Wicked witch is dead'
Jason Staines
September 20, 2006 - 3:02PM

Local Thais are happy the country's military has overthrown Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, according to an author in the country.

Lonely Planet author Joe Cummins, who is in the northern town of Pai, says there's a sense of celebration in the air after the bloodless coup.

"Here life is going as usual, the banks are all closed today ... there's a mild atmosphere of celebration, like the wicked witch is dead," he says.

"There's a sense that it's been coming and every Thai I've spoken to is happy that Thaksin is out."

Coup leaders declared martial law and a provisional authority loyal to the king after months of political turmoil, with Thaksin facing allegations of corruption and electoral fraud.

Mr Cummins says foreign tourists are worried about their safety, but no one is panicking.

"A lot of tourists are a little bit apprehensive of the news. There's a lot of people taking phone calls and getting on the internet trying to find out if they're safe," he says.

The situation was not helped by a lack of foreign news sources immediately after the coup, with the BBC and CNN both blocked, forcing foreigners into internet cafes to find out the latest news.

But Mr Cummins says local Thais are reassuring foreigners that coups have been par for the course in Thailand and they will be safe.

Last night's overthrow of the government was Thailand's first coup in 15 years and its 18th since becoming a constitutional monarchy in 1932.

As for the future, Mr Cummins feels democracy will only be taking a short holiday.

"I think it will come out like it did in 1991-92, when there was one year of military rule while they sorted out the details before it was back to democracy," he says.

Nothing to fear

Some Australians bound for Thailand were stranded in Singapore overnight after their flight was diverted because of the coup, but an Australian on holidays in Bangkok says tourists have little to fear, despite warnings from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Updated travel advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade urged Australians in Thailand to "stay indoors", but Noel Gokel, from Darwin, said today everything "felt normal" when he woke up this morning.

I support Thailand, the King and the Thai people. I hope the corruption in government diminishes somewhat, by most accounts it sounds quite severe.

Hoping to make my 6th trip there in a couple months, wonderful country...

The coup happened as I was taking off from Thailand back to the States. It's funny, the local asian news here in San Francisco wanted to interview me about what happened there and the first question asked was what do you think about what happened? I said, "what happened?"

Gazatron, when you finish your work over there, how 'bout getting yourself to the States and clean up the mess here?

jw (supports Gaz)

I agree with the overall tone of that article, but this statement by Mr. Cummins is just dumb:

"I think it will come out like it did in 1991-92, when there was one year of military rule while they sorted out the details before it was back to democracy," he says.

There was nothing smooth about that transition. We should hope that it doesn't end up like that. I think the military has changed a lot since then though. So they'll appoint someone that is trusted and a civilian to serve as interim PM.

Actually I'm hoping it's the same guy they had in 91 before Gen. Suchinda decided to just run everything directly. Anand is almost universally respected and has absolutely no lust for power. He has stayed out of the divisive struggle between the pro and anti- thaksin folks and Gen. Prem is probably too old to do it himself.