Tag: Politics

Thailand’s Bloodless Coup: 24 Hours In

Today's Bangkok Post

Thailand’s Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, was overthrown 24 hours ago in a bloodless coup.

History is in the making here in the Thai capital.

And while the images and stories flowing out of Thailand might portray an unstable city, a strange sense of calm has descended upon the normally frenetic Bangkok. The streets, which typically overflow with surging traffic, were surprisingly clear today. People are going about their daily business, but perhaps doing so more quietly than usual. Schools and most offices were closed today; reports are that they’ll remain shuttered tomorrow.

I was in Kuala Lumpur yesterday but flew into Bangkok at 6 p.m. local time this evening; during the 30-minute ride from the airport to my apartment, which is located in central Bangkok, I witnessed a solitary military truck carting soldiers through the city. More military forces are stationed elsewhere.

The big developments today were that the coup’s leader has stepped forward. The man now in charge of Thailand is General Sonthi Boonyaratglin. And, crucially, the Thai King has endorsed the country’s new leadership. Other developments:

— an interim government will be chosen within two weeks;
— Sonthi says democracy will not be restored for a year;
— a new constitution will be drafted;
— elections might be held in October, 2007

Wikipedia has a nice summary of last night’s events:

The 2006 Thailand coup d’état took place on 19 September 2006, when members of the Royal Thai Army staged a coup d’état against the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The coup, which is Thailand’s first in fifteen years, followed a lengthy political crisis involving Thaksin and political opponents, occurring less than a month before elections were scheduled to be held, on October 15. The military junta cancelled the upcoming elections, abrogated the Constitution, dissolved Parliament, banned political protests, declared martial law, arrested Cabinet members, and blacked out all local and international news broadcasts in Thailand. No casualties have been reported. Protesters, including a hunger striker, have been arrested.

The IHT’s Tom Fuller has a good story:

Leader of Coup in Thailand Sets Timetable

CNN:

Thailand coup leader vows new PM in weeks

The Guardian‘s Tim Footman:

Coup? What coup?

The Asia Sentinel’s Dan Ten Kate and Ismail Wolff quote a political analyst as saying this was not a coup, but rather an attempted coup and then a counter-coup.

Elsewhere:
— Channel News Asia’s Thailand in Crisis page;
— Photos of the coup from a Thai Navy Web site;
— Jotman has some photos of the action;

And, finally, some blogs linking to my coverage here:
— Instapundit;
— The Washington Post’s Express (today’s print edition and yesterday’s blog);
— Metafilter comments;
— The Irish Trojan;
— Publius Pundit;
— Gridskipper

More tomorrow. Stay tuned…

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Thailand Coup: 11 a.m. Bangkok Time

Here’re a few links to media coverage this historic Wednesday morning. I’ll be away from the Internet for the next eight hours or so, but will be back soon with more info and hopefully some analysis. Foreign cable TV networks — BBC, CNN, etc. — are off the air in Bangkok, but Thai stations, mobile phone networks, international phone links, and ISPs are all still operating.

BBC:

Thailand’s military tightens grip

BBC:

Profile: Thai coup leader

Time.com:

A Festive Coup in Thailand

Reuters:

Thai coup lite worries few on streets of Bangkok

Liveblogging round-up: keep an eye on 19Sept; Metroblogging Bangkok.

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Thailand Coup: 2:15 a.m. Bangkok Time

UPDATE:

— 2Bangkok.com:

Sources say troops are at the Communications Authority of Thailand. This means the military can turn off mobile phones and the internet if necessary.

— There are also reports that cable channels are no longer being broadcast in Bangkok.

— 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.

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.

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 apparently were setting up roadblocks, and what appeared to be members of the royal guard surrounded the palace.

— The New York Times’s Seth Mydans and Tom Fuller weigh in:

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand announced on television that he was declaring a state of emergency, as army troops took up positions in the city and rumors circulated that a coup was in progress.

Rumors of a coup swept Bangkok today as the Thai military blocked the area around Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s office with tanks.

Two armored personnel carriers, three humvees and a dozen heavily armed soldiers blocked the road to the prime minister’s office at 11 P.M. in pouring rain.

Speaking from New York, where he is on a visit, Mr. Thaksin said, “The prime minister, with the approval of the cabinet, declares serious emergency law in Bangkok from now on.”

According to wire-service translations of his remarks, he said he was ordering the transfer of the army chief to work in the prime minister’s office, effectively relieving him of command.

Bangkok was filled with rumors of a coup and television stations played old newsreel footage as word spread that an announcement would be made.

Later in the evening, according to 2bangkok.com, an Internet news site, all television and radio stations played an announcement declaring that a new regime was being installed with King Bhumibol Adulyadej as its head, and saying that the army and national police had taken control of Bangkok without opposition.

— More liveblogging to report: Knife Tricks, by Karl Lukacs in Chiang Mai; PubliusPundit; TownHallBlog; PajamasMedia; StickmanBangkok; Thailand.blogs.com; MetaFilter discussion; Alpha_Binary at reddit.

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Thailand Coup: 12:55 a.m. Bangkok Time

UPDATE:

— CNN International reports that martial law has been declared in Bangkok.

— AP:

Stocks dropped suddenly Tuesday after Thailand’s military launched a coup against the country’s prime minister.

Traders watching Thailand closely are certain to remember how trouble in the kingdom has had worldwide implications in the past: The Asia currency crisis that erupted in 1997 began with the devaluation of the Thai baht, then snowballed into an international economic downturn.

— 2Bangkok.com:

What apparently has happened: From New York, PM Thaksin declared a state of emergency recalling Commander-in-Chief Sondhi from the deep south–this was, in effect, firing him. At about the same time, the military under Sondhi staged a counter-coup and cancelled Thaksin’s state of emergency taking control of key areas in Bangkok.

Thailand Coup: Midnight Bangkok Time

UPDATE:

— CNN reports:

Around the royal palace in Bangkok, four tanks were parked as were a number of armored vehicles and Humvees, CNN’s Dan Rivers reported. Soldiers appeared to be 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. There have been no reports of violence in Bangkok.

— Other bloggers covering the coup: 2Bangkok.com, BangkokPundit.

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Thailand Coup: 11:25 p.m. Bangkok Time

BBC:

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has declared a state of emergency in Bangkok amid reports of a coup attempt.

Soldiers have entered Government House and tanks have moved into position around the building.

Mr Thaksin, who is at the UN in New York, announced he had removed the chief of the army and had ordered troops not to “move illegally”.

An army-owned TV station is showing images of the royal family and songs linked in the past with military coups.

Correspondents say that there have been low-level rumours of a possible coup for weeks.

Thai media say that two army factions appear to be heading for a clash, with one side backing the prime minister and the other side backing a rebel army chief.

CNN:

Tanks have been seen rolling through the streets of Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday amid rumors of an attempted coup, witnesses tell 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.

According to officials at the Thai mission at the United Nations, Thaksin has moved up his speech to the General Assembly to Tuesday night and will return to Bangkok after his address.

He had been scheduled to address the assembly on Wednesday.

Thaksin has been under considerable pressure to step down. Elections in Thailand are scheduled for November after the country’s constitutional court ruled April’s vote was unconstitutional.

Thaksin had called for the elections in April, 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.

AP:

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra declared a state of emergency Tuesday night from New York as rumors of a military coup swept the capital. An army-owned television station suspended regular programming and played patriotic songs.

Shinawatra went on a government-owned TV station to declare the state of emergency.

“The prime minister with the approval of the Cabinet declares serious emergency law in Bangkok from now on,” Thaksin said on Channel 9 from New York, where he was attending the U.N. General Assembly.

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.

Reuters:

Tanks surrounded Thailand’s Government House on Tuesday and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra declared a state of emergency in Bangkok amid signs of the first attempted coup in the southeast Asian nation in 15 years.

“I declare Bangkok under a severe state of emergency,” Thaksin said in a voice broadcast on Thai television.

Thaksin, in New York at a United Nations summit, ordered troops not to “move illegally”, and told armed forces chiefs to report to acting Prime Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya.

At least 20 soldiers entered the Government House building, according to reporters inside.

Army television broadcast images of the royal family and songs associated in the past with military coups.

Government officials said Thaksin, in the middle of a political crisis fomented by a street campaign against him, planned to return from New York early on Thursday, a day earlier than originally scheduled.

Even though Thailand’s last military coup was 15 years ago, speculation about military intervention has been rife, with motorists calling traffic radio stations last week after tanks were spotted rolling down streets of the capital.

That proved to be a false alarm, with the army saying it was merely soldiers returning from exercises.

A general election scheduled for October was postponed last week, probably until November.

(All emphasis mine.)

Developing…

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Thailand Coup Rumors

The breaking news from The Nation:

Coup rumours were widely spread Tuesday night after the Third and Fifth Army areas moved their four battalions out.

But officers from the two army areas said the forces were moved to be stationed in the three southern border provinces as part of personnel rotation there.

The 31st Infantry Regimen also moved out its personnel as part of the rotation with soldiers in the deep South, the officers said.

The 23rd and 24th Cavalry Battalions and the Second Cavalry Division also moved out their personnel to rotate with soldiers at the Pha Muang Task Force in Phetchabun.

The officers said the massive movements of the soldiers apparently led to the coup rumours.

And the bigger-picture story from Reuters:

Even though Thailand’s last military coup was 15 years ago, when Bangkok motorists spotted tanks rolling down the street last week, many thought the army was up to its old tricks once again.

“I received more than 10 calls from people saying they had seen several tanks on the street and asking in a shaky voice if there was a coup,” said Jakrapan Kunanyatirakul of FM 91 traffic radio.

“We called the army for an explanation and the answer was it was troops returning from up-country exercises.”

With Thailand mired in a political crisis now in its ninth month and tensions escalating between the army, police, palace and government, the callers could not be accused of being paranoid.

Military chiefs vow the army will stay out of the mess left by April’s annulled election, but with 23 coups or attempted coups during 74 years of on-off democracy, many view their protestations with skepticism.

“Although the chances of success now are much less, it’s almost impossible to dismiss fears of a coup here since we still have many politically active soldiers,” said security analyst Panitan Wattanayakorn at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.

“A Tug of War for Thailand’s Soul”

Colum Murphy has a comprehensive essay about Thailand’s political situation in this month’s Far Eastern Economic Review:

Inside the entrance to the Thai Rak Thai’s party headquarters in Bangkok hangs a giant photograph of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra bowing to King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Dressed in the white uniform sometimes worn by government officials, the prime minister is prostrate before the much-revered king in a gesture of devoted servitude. Yet few in Thailand believe that relations between the two men are as amiable as the photograph suggests.

“He [Mr. Thaksin] has pitched a fight with the Bangkok elite, including the palace—and that means the king himself,” says a Western diplomat. Earlier in the year, Mr. Thaksin reportedly said that he would step down if the king “whispered in his ear” to do so. “Well the king has not just whispered it, but has said it indirectly in public,” adds the diplomat.

With fresh elections planned for October 15, it could be only a matter of weeks before a major showdown occurs. But more is at stake than Mr. Thaksin’s political career. There would be ramifications for the monarchy as well, and its relationship with the country’s still-weak democratic institutions. A drawn-out dispute between Mr. Thaksin and the king, also known as Rama IX, threatens to derail efforts to address the challenges to Thai society such as the disparity between the rich and poor, the urban and rural, as well as systemic corruption.

(Emphasis mine.)

Sy Hersh: Iran’s Next

Writing in the New Yorker, investigative journalist Sy Hersh — a guy who’s broken a story or two in his time — says that the US helped plan Israel’s war against Hezbollah, and that the Israeli air campaign amounts to a dry run for a US attack on Iran’s underground nuclear installations.

Hmm. Growing instability in the Middle East with an undercurrent of American influence. Is it me or does that ring a bell?

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Cuba for Dummies

Fidel Castro, as we all know by now, appears to be circling the drain. In response, Lisa Wixon gives us “Cuba for Dummies,” an excellent WaPo column. It begins:

I lived in Havana for nearly a year without permission from the United States. I talked to Cubans and found out what they had to say. Nothing bad happened to me. I took notes.

Be sure to check it out.

(Via.)