mailin 0 #1 September 19, 2006 http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/19/thailand.coup.rumor/index.html Quote BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Members of Thailand's military are attempting to seize power in Bangkok but the Thai 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. The government has maintained control of the capital and the surrounding areas, according a statement on Thailand's state-controled Army television. The statement asked for residents to remain calm and await further announcements. (Watch tanks roll through the streets of Bangkok -- 3:53) 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. 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. Thailand operates as a constitutional monarchy, with the king as head of state and the prime minister leading the government. The country is an ally of the U.S. and contributed troops to the U.S.-led military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. 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. -- CNN Senior UN Correspondent Richard Roth contributed to this report Arianna Frances Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stoneycase 0 #2 September 19, 2006 yup, it's plastered all over the tv right now... ...But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,214498,00.html 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.Does whisky count as beer? - Homer There's no justice like angry mob justice. - Skinner Be careful. There's a limited future in low pulls - JohnMitchell Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jlmiracle 7 #3 September 19, 2006 It happens about every 10 years, but usually ends peacefully. jBe kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelel01 1 #4 September 19, 2006 Oh, man. PLEASE don't let my mother hear about this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #5 September 19, 2006 Quote...But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. 'cept in this case the public is simply gonna vote the current PM back in again if they're given half a chance. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stoneycase 0 #6 September 19, 2006 now you've got me confused... they're going to re-elect the billionaire they already wanted out? what happened to those streets full of protesters? and i see from the reporting there is an election planned in november... are you saying the people would actually vote him back in? seems like last time the opposition boycotted the election, then the election was overturned in the courts. doesn't seem to me like those are indicators pointing toward "re-election" for the PMDoes whisky count as beer? - Homer There's no justice like angry mob justice. - Skinner Be careful. There's a limited future in low pulls - JohnMitchell Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StreetScooby 5 #7 September 19, 2006 Quote they're going to re-elect the billionaire they already wanted out? what happened to those streets full of protesters? and i see from the reporting there is an election planned in november... are you saying the people would actually vote him back in? seems like last time the opposition boycotted the election, then the election was overturned in the courts. doesn't seem to me like those are indicators pointing toward "re-election" for the PM It's only the rich people in Bangkok that want him out. The rural people are the ones who voted him in. Apparently, he abuses his position alot.We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mr2mk1g 10 #8 September 19, 2006 He has a massive majority in all the polls and all the pundits reckon he'd be re-elected in a flash. There may be a vociferous minority opposition and he may have abused his position... but apparently the vast majority of voters don't care. That's democracy for you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #9 September 19, 2006 I think the real question is . . . how does this affect Big-ways?quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #10 September 20, 2006 QuoteI think the real question is . . . how does this affect Big-ways? Given that they are sanctioned by the King and the King is revered in Thailand, it will probably have little effectYou are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,395 #11 September 20, 2006 > Given that they are sanctioned by the King and the King is revered in Thailand, it will probably have little effect . . . Well, except he's quite old, and his son is something of a loose cannon. Also, if reports are correct, the king is involved with this coup. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mailin 0 #12 September 20, 2006 Quote I think the real question is . . . how does this affect Big-ways? That's what I was thinking. Hope the effect is minimal! JenArianna Frances Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kirrz 0 #13 September 20, 2006 QuoteQuote they're going to re-elect the billionaire they already wanted out? what happened to those streets full of protesters? and i see from the reporting there is an election planned in november... are you saying the people would actually vote him back in? seems like last time the opposition boycotted the election, then the election was overturned in the courts. doesn't seem to me like those are indicators pointing toward "re-election" for the PM It's only the rich people in Bangkok that want him out. The rural people are the ones who voted him in. Apparently, he abuses his position alot. (I am Thai, have lived there forever, am going back on Saturday and have spoken to my family in Bangkok 3 times today) Thaksin is ridiculously corrupt. He wins elections because he targets the uneducated farmers by giving them loans they don't have to pay back for 3 years if they vote for him. Of course they do. The educated population and the south hate him. Unfortunately, the farmers outnumber. So after 3 years (his time in power) the next govt is left with this debt. During his second election campaign.. his strategy was "you don't have to pay your loans back for another 3 years". Go figure why he wins. The reason people have been turning against him is because he owned most of the telecommunications in Thailand and sold them in such a way that he totally manipulated laws and managed to evade taxes. And the people found out. The outrage became "if the billionaire PM doesn't want to pay taxes, why should we"? A journalist started holding gatherings in a park every Friday exposing some of the things he does (ie. using govt planes to fly his friends to his party). The coup is the best thing for Thailand. Apparently Western media has overhyped it. I know Australian press is talking about how all the Aussies in Bangkok need to get out now. Everyone in Bangkok thinks it's amusing. They say life is going on as normal, everyone is back to work tomorrow, within 2 weeks a temporary PM will be appointed and elections scheduled. Official word has just come in from the palace that the king supports this position. The king NEVER interferes in politics which is why the people love him. He goes about quietly managing and running projects (ie. the environmental ones) to help the country. The fact that the king has publicly voiced support is going to be huge news tomorrow and the whole country is totally behind the king. Thaksin is a greedy dickhead and this needed to happen. He passes unneccessary billion dollar wasteful projects like building a freeway over the sea (wtf?!?!) where a normal freeway exists anyway so he can get his cut. The latest is that he has exiled himself to the UK for a year. Good riddance. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kirrz 0 #14 September 20, 2006 QuoteIt happens about every 10 years, but usually ends peacefully. j the last one was in 1991. this is the first bloodless coup ever though. and the military is rigorously maintaining that they have no interest in running the country. they just felt they needed to get rid of him - permanently. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kirrz 0 #15 September 20, 2006 Quote> Given that they are sanctioned by the King and the King is revered in Thailand, it will probably have little effect . . . Well, except he's quite old, and his son is something of a loose cannon. Also, if reports are correct, the king is involved with this coup. The crown prince (his son) used to be a loose cannon no doubt but over the last few years he's gotten married, matured and demonstrated that he is now capable of running the country. A few years ago I would have been the first person to go on a tirade about how useless the crown prince is but now I really think it's a whole different ball game. I know the opinion of the country has changed as well. Also, if the king was directly involved in the coup, there is no way in hell that info would ever ever ever become public knowledge. I suspect it's media speculation. The king has never interfered in politics. Each year, he gives a speech on his birthday - the only time he directly addresses the public - and if need be, he diplomatically gives his suggestions, he rarely does though. During the Thaksin reign, the king has been a bit more vocal about his disagreement with the Thaksin rule. But even then, the most he has said is "If certain people are so interested in promoting local tourism, they should not be hypocrites and spend all their time overseas" and "If people choose to be in positions of power, they should also have the ability to take criticism" (2005 after Thaksin tried to sue the journalist who held gatherings against him). The king would never be involved in the coup. If he was, it would never be public knowledge. The most that has been confirmed by the palace is that he has now given his support 24 hours later. This is not the same as being involved in the coup or advocating it. Also, the military leaders had to go to the palace today (after they carried out the coup) to make sure they had support. This would not be the case if the king was involved unless this whole thing is a really elaborate conspiracy. Edited to add: On March 24, 2006 in front of a rally of 50,000 [89], Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva asked for King Bhumibol to appoint a replacement Prime Minister[90] [91] [92]. The People's Alliance for Democracy's (PAD), the Law Society of Thailand, and the Press Council of Thailand also called for royal intervention [93] [94] . The King himself on 26 April dismissed the notion, saying that such an action would be unconstitutional. "Asking for a Royally appointed prime minister is undemocratic. It is, pardon me, a mess. It is irrational." [95] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaksin_Shinawatra Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakee 1,254 #16 September 20, 2006 QuoteThe reason people have been turning against him is because he owned most of the telecommunications in Thailand and sold them in such a way that he totally manipulated laws and managed to evade taxes. And the people found out. Yeah, I read about that this morning. $1.9 Billion tax free from insider trading! Do you think that the military leaders will call another election or take over indefinitely a la Musharraf in Pakistan?Do you want to have an ideagasm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,395 #17 September 20, 2006 >The crown prince (his son) used to be a loose cannon no doubt >but over the last few years he's gotten married, matured and >demonstrated that he is now capable of running the country. That sounds like good news for thailand! Glad he's been able to make the change. >Also, if the king was directly involved in the coup, there is no way >in hell that info would ever ever ever become public knowledge. Well, it seems pretty clear he's at least involved enough to talk to the military about it. (Didn't mean to imply that he engineered it or anything.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
