Coup Attempt in Thailand

by **nomo** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 2:10 pm

<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Thailand.html">www.nytimes.com/aponline/...iland.html</a> <blockquote>Quote:<hr>Thai Prime Minister Declares State of Emergency Rumors of a coup swept Bangkok today as the Thai military blocked the area around Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's office with tanks. BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- 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. An announcement on Thai television declared that a ''Council of Administrative Reform'' with King Bhumibol Adulyadej as head of state had seized power in Bangkok and nearby provinces without any resistance. At least 14 tanks surrounded Government House, Thaksin's office. Thaksin was in New York at the U.N. General Assembly and declared a state of emergency via a government-owned TV station. A convoy of four tanks rigged with loudspeakers and sirens rolled through a busy commercial district warning people to get off the street for their own safety. A senior military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said army Commander-in-Chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin had used the military to take over power from the prime minister. Thaksin has faced calls to step down amid allegations of corruption and abuse of power.<hr></blockquote>

by **marykmusic** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 2:22 pm

Thaksin must have upset the balance of power somehow. You know, government of the people, by the corrupt, for the triads. Golden triangle, remember? --MaryK

by **yablonsky** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 4:24 am

<a href="http://cryptogon.com/2006_09_17_blogarchive.html#115870008108695920">cryptogon.com/2006_09_17_blogarchive.html#115870008108695920</a> a note from kevi's site (always on point).

by **Gouda** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:59 am

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said: "This is not a practice to be encouraged."

by **widowson13** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:19 am

Yet another take on the coup, making it sound better than expected. <a href="http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2006/09/so-what-happened-in-thailand-today.html">downwithtyranny.blogspot....today.html</a> SO WHAT HAPPENED IN THAILAND TODAY? DON'T WORRY, NOT MUCH I'm a huge Thailand hand. I stopped counting how many times I've been there long ago and I'm looking forward to my next visit right after the midterm elections here. When people ask me why I'm so enamored with Thailand I try to explain how peaceful it is and how loving and sweet the people are. I even write about the politics there on my travel blog rather than at DWT, although in April I did have reason to mention the fascist triumvirate of plutocratic clowns: Bush, Berlusconi and Thaksin. This has been the longest period Thailand has gone without a coup in decades and decades. They used to have 'em all the time. This one was an inside job by allies of the beloved and revered king against a crooked right winger with almost as little legitimacy as Bush. From what I'm reading and from what I'm hearing from friends in Bangkok, no one was hurt and there was no resistance. Thaksin is in NY at the same UN meeting as his pal Bush. "Thaksin, who has faced calls to step down amid allegations of corruption and abuse of power, was in New York at the U.N. General Assembly, and he declared a state of emergency via a government-owned TV station... The coup came a day before a major rally-- the first in several months-- was scheduled to take place in Bangkok by a anti-Thaksin coalition that has been seeking his resignation. Massive rallies earlier this year forced Thaksin to dissolve Parliament and call an election in April, three years ahead of schedule. The poll was boycotted by opposition parties and later annulled by Thailand's top courts, leaving the country without a working legislature." A couple of Thaksin cronies, the Thai versions of Cheney (Chitchai; really) and Rumsfeld (Thammarak Isaragura na Ayuthaya) were arrested. Cheney Chitchai already resigned. A friend of mine in Bangkok said this was not nearly as big a deal-- so far-- as when they arrested that John Mark Karr kook for kind of claiming he killed JonBenet Ramsey. The Bush-Thaksin parallels are often talked about by Thais and many there oppose his policies promoting savage Bush-inspired privatization, free trade agreements and incompetent, greed-obsessed and uber-corrupt Bush-like CEO-style administration. Thaksin's cronies and family, like the Bush cronies and family have been embroiled in massive corruption. In January his family announced it had sold the massive telecommunications giant Shin Corp. to Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings for a tax-free $1.9 billion. The sale smacked of gross insider trading and is widely viewed as unpatriotic since it puts a key national asset in foreign hands. Thaksin has also screwed up his Muslim problem-- southern Thailand is Muslim majority and the rest of the country is predominantly Buddhist.

by **Infernal Optimist** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:52 am

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said: "This is not a practice to be encouraged." Deposing corrupt government officials?

by **Seamus OBlimey** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 1:16 pm

The Zen Revolution? <a href="http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/jonathan_fenby/2006/09/post_413.html">Guardian - Optimism under martial law</a> A bit more background.. ------------------------- Military coup tumbles Thailand's Thaksin By Shawn W Crispin BANGKOK - Caretaker Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup on Tuesday evening, marking what appears to be a dramatic end to a political stalemate that has pitched the embattled politician against an opposition movement backed by conservative elements close to the Thai palace. Troops loyal to Thai army commander General Sonthi Boonyaratklin, a palace loyalist, led the army-led putsch and surrounded Government House and parliament with tanks and troops. Thaksin, who was traveling in the United States, > attempted to declare “a severe state of emergency” from New York and ordered Sonthi removed from his command. As of midnight Thailand time, there was no indication that army officers loyal to Thaksin intended to enforce the caretaker prime minister’s orders to remove Sonthi. A source close to Sonthi said that they were locked in late-night negotiations with military officials loyal to Thaksin, including from the Bangkok-based 4th Cavalry Division, to avoid bloodshed. A military official, wearing a Western style suit and a royal insignia pin, announced on national television that the army had temporarily suspended the “irresponsible” civilian government and would soon return power to the people. The Thai military used similar justification to overthrow the democratically-elected government led by Chatichai Choonhavan in 1991. All Thai television stations were placed under military control and played continuous footage in honor of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. A subsequent military announcement broadcast on all Thai television stations formally dismissed the government, revoked the 1997 constitution, and declared the provisional authority's loyalty to the monarch. The official statement also ordered all military personnel based in Bangkok to remain in their appointed positions. Meanwhile, caretaker government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee said from New York that the coup attempt “cannot succeed”, apparently indicating that Thaksin plans to contest the military’s move Sources close to Sonthi said that two palace loyalists were being considered to take over the provisional military authority. One candidate was Sumet Tantivejkul, Secretary General of the Chai Pattana Foundation, which is under royal patronage. The other was privy councilor Palakorn Suwannarat, who notably was removed by Thaksin from his post in the interior ministry in 2001. Earlier on Tuesday, there were widespread coup rumors when Sonthi gave military officials orders to stand by for an important announcement. A well-placed source with senior army connections told Asia Times Online on condition of anonymity that Thaksin had attempted to pre-empt the coup by ordering the arrest of chief privy councilor Prem Tinsulonda, the king’s chief advisor. For undisclosed reasons, that police-led mission failed. The army also mobilized the heavily armed rapid deployment unit, 9th Infantry Division, in nearby Kanchanaburi province and the Special Warfare Operational forces in central Lopburi province in the event military officials loyal to Thaksin in Bangkok attempted to resist the coup order. The coup significantly comes against the backdrop of a hotly contested scheduled military reshuffle, in which Thaksin had controversially vied to elevate army officials loyal to him from his pre-Cadet Class 10 to the pivotal First Army Division. That reshuffle list reportedly brought Thaksin into conflict with senior members of the top brass and the Privy Council, and his refusal to back down from the proposed personnel changes appears to have been a major factor behind the coup. According to sources familiar with the matter, Thaksin had attempted to elevate Major General Prin Suwanthat to commander of the First Army Division, which crucially is charged with overseeing security in Bangkok. Thaksin also reportedly pushed to promote Prin’s ally, Major General Daopong Ratanasuwan, to take over the First Infantry. With assistant army commander Pornchai Kranlert in place, the reshuffle, if accomplished, would have given Thaksin an unbroken chain of command over crack troops responsible for Bangkok’s security. Thailand was scheduled to hold new general elections in November, which political analysts widely predicted Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai party would win with an outright majority. However, deep-seated opposition to Thaksin resuming political leadership signaled that the new polls would not have broken the political deadlock. For better or for worse, a military intervention has. Shawn W Crispin is Asia Times Online’s Southeast Asia Editor ------------------------------------ <a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/HI21Ae01.html">Asia Times</a>

by **Col Quisp** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 2:08 pm

...that John Mark Karr was rescued from Bangkok before the coup.

by **Dreams End** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 2:11 pm

JMK...pulled from deep cover? People probably noticed the other thread with Madsen praising the coup and calling for one here.

by **Seamus OBlimey** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 4:49 pm

Yeah, Thaksin too. Now they've got another Chalabi.

by **bkkexile** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 1:16 am

The Chinese have ACTUALLY done to Thailand what everyone accuses Jews/Zionists of doing to Europe and the US.

by **trachys** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 6:15 am

Lenin's Tomb: Well, as with Indonesia and the Phillipines and practically everywhere else that the US has crushed democracy, the American government would presumably like to see a managed process of neoliberal reform, with or without the appearance of democracy. This has been happening anyway, and the decades of corrupt autocracy have ensured that capital has a fairly easy time of it, with sweatshops bringing the dictatorship right down to the local and day to day experience of the Thai working class. The US no longer needs Thailand as much as it did during the Cold War and was therefore unwilling to bail out the country during and after the 1997 crisis. However, they had been banking on a 'free trade' agreement with the regime, and are now hoping that when the military 'restores democracy', it can be resuscitated. The military indicates that it will return to a democracy 'loyal to the King', but the King happens to be bearer of class power that has been revived, supplied and protected by the US government for fifty years. I think that 'free trade' agreement will go ahead in short order. <a href="http://leninology.blogspot.com/2006/09/coup-in-thailand.html">leninology.blogspot.com/2...iland.html</a>