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Roguish Lawyer
09-19-2006, 09:57
From a CNN "breaking news" e-mail I just got:

Tanks are rolling through the streets of Bangkok, Thailand, amid rumors of a coup attempt, CNN confirms.

x SF med
09-19-2006, 10:04
No takeover threads starting from me - we're still mired in the planning for Cuba. Some of you 1st Grp guys want this one?

Thanks RL, now I have that old Murray Head song running through my brain.

brownapple
09-19-2006, 12:18
The Royal Thai Army has siezed control of Government House and the government. Martial Law declared, curfews in place.

Roguish Lawyer
09-19-2006, 12:23
Let us know if you need anything. Stay safe.

Roguish Lawyer
09-19-2006, 12:26
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/19/thailand.coup.rumor/index.html

Thai government faces coup attempt
POSTED: 2:07 p.m. EDT, September 19, 2006

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra -- speaking from U.N. headquarters in New York -- declared a state of emergency Tuesday after members of the Thai military attempted to seize power in Bangkok.

It is unclear who is in control in Bangkok, where tanks are surrounding government headquarters and the royal palace.

There have been no reports of violence.

The coup is being led by Thai army chief Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin and Thailand's opposition Party of Democratic Reform.

After seizing control of at least one Thai television station, a coup spokesman announced Sonthi has the loyalty of Thailand's armed forces and has declared martial law.

The general has also ordered all troops to remain in the capital, according to a statement by Prapart Sakultanart, who was identified as a spokesman for the military. He said the coup seekers are loyal to Thailand's long-reigning King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Troops on the street were donning yellow ribbons on their weapons, a sign of loyalty to the Thai king.

Earlier, on another Thai television station still under the prime minister's control, the prime minister announced his government remained in control of the armed forces and the capital, and declared the state of emergency.

He also put the country "under the instruction of the supreme commander of the Thai military, who is in Thailand," Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai told CNN.

The Thai leaders are in New York for the annual meeting of the U.N. General Assembly.

At least four tanks and a number of armored vehicles were stationed around the royal palace in Bangkok, CNN's Dan Rivers reported. Soldiers were apparently 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.

Tanks outside government headquarters
Two tanks were parked outside the government headquarters, which houses Thaksin's office.

"We hope that there will not be any violence in Thailand," Surakiart said. "We have come a long long way from that (and) hope that that will continue."

Rivers described the scene outside the government headquarters as calm.

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.

Rumors have been swirling in the Thai capital in recent weeks that a coup d'etat was being planned.

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.

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

-- CNN 's Richard Roth contributed to this report

x SF med
09-19-2006, 12:26
Greenhat-
keep us up to date - if you need anything from over here, let us know - we'll find a way to get it to you.

brownapple
09-19-2006, 12:32
Doubt that there will be any problems. This is pretty much a done deal at this point and I don't think it will make a lot of difference in most of our lives. The media is guessing a lot right now, but don't worry a whole lot.

Team Sergeant
09-19-2006, 13:13
Happens every 10-15 years..... Watch, the King will call a halt to it before long......:rolleyes:

jasonglh
09-19-2006, 17:22
Doubt that there will be any problems. This is pretty much a done deal at this point and I don't think it will make a lot of difference in most of our lives. The media is guessing a lot right now, but don't worry a whole lot.

Good to see you around anyway Sir!

Roguish Lawyer
09-20-2006, 12:18
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/20/thailand.coup.ap/index.html

Thailand's king gives blessing to coup
POSTED: 12:55 p.m. EDT, September 20, 2006

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- The army commander who seized Thailand's government Wednesday in a quick, bloodless coup pledged to hold elections by October 2007, and received a ringing endorsement from the country's revered king.

"In order to create peace in the country, the king appoints Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin as head of the council of administrative reform," according to the announcement on state-run television.

"All people should remain peaceful and civil servants should listen to orders from Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin from now on."

Sonthi led a precision takeover overnight without firing a shot, sending soldiers and tanks to guard major intersections and surround government buildings while the popularly elected Thaksin Shinawatra, accused of corruption and undermining democratic institutions, was abroad.

Asked if there would be moves to confiscate Thaksin's vast assets, Sonthi said at a news conference that "those who have committed wrongdoings have to be prosecuted according to the law."

Sonthi did not elaborate. But an announcement later on state-run television said the newly formed Council of Administrative Reform had sacked the state audit commissioners and given additional powers to Auditor General Jaruvan Maintaka to investigative government corruption, which could lead to the confiscation of Thaksin's assets.

Thaksin arrived Wednesday in London, England, on a private visit. A chartered Thai Airways jet landed at Gatwick Airport at 5:35 p.m. London time, the airport's press office said.

A British government spokesman said Thaksin had no meetings scheduled with Prime Minister Tony Blair or other officials

Sonthi said he would act as prime minister for two weeks until a new leader is found, that an interim constitution would be drafted within that time, and that Thailand's foreign policy and international agreements will not change.

Thailand will hold a general election in October 2007, he said.

Sonthi said the coup, Thailand's first in 15 years, was necessary to heal mounting rifts in Thai society, and to end government corruption, insults to the revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and what the general called Thaksin's attempts to destroy democratic institutions.

Bangkok mostly quiet; coup gets support
Most residents and tourists in Bangkok, a city of more than 10 million, were calm and unfazed Wednesday.

About 500 people gathered outside army headquarters Wednesday afternoon lending moral support to the military and chanting "Thaksin Get Out!"

But in the first sign of anti-coup sentiment, Thaksin supporters faced off with rival groups celebrating the coup at two separate gatherings in Bangkok. Soldiers intervened, narrowly averting clashes.

The newly created Council of Administrative Reform put Thailand under martial law and declared a provisional authority loyal to the king, seizing television and radio stations and ordering government offices, banks, schools and the stock market to close for the day.

Nearly 20 tanks -- their gun barrels festooned with ribbons in the monarch's color, yellow -- had blocked off the Royal Palace, Royal Plaza, army headquarters and Thaksin's office at Government House.

Tanks began shifting from their downtown Bangkok positions Wednesday evening, but it was unclear if they were withdrawing.

The overthrow was needed "to resolve the conflict and bring back normalcy and harmony among people," Sonthi said on nationwide TV.

"We would like to reaffirm that we don't have any intention to rule the country and will return power to the Thai people as soon as possible," he said, flanked by the three armed forces chiefs and the national police chief.

A statement from coup leaders urged workers and farmers -- Thaksin's key constituents -- to remain calm, and said unauthorized gatherings of more than five people were punishable by six months in prison under martial law.

Report: Government officials arrested
The Nation newspaper in Bangkok said several senior government officials and others close to Thaksin had been arrested, their fates unknown.

It said they included Deputy Prime Minister Chitchai Wannasathit and Supreme Military Commander Gen. Ruengroj Maharsaranond.

Agriculture Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan, one of Thaksin's closest political associates, fled to Paris with her family, it said.

Reacting to rumors that he would be appointed interim prime minister, central bank head Pridiyathorn Devakula said, "I haven't been approached, and I don't know whether I am a candidate."

He said that the public has accepted the coup, so it was unlikely to have much impact on foreign confidence in the country, and that the Thai baht currency had recovered from its overnight low with no intervention.

In New York, a Thai business executive who said he was speaking on behalf of Thaksin said the toppled leader was not resigned to his fate.

"The prime minister has not given up his power," said Tom Kruesopon, chief executive officer of Boon Rawd Trading International Co., who said he was traveling with Thaksin.

But Thaksin's official government spokesman, Surapong Suebwonglee, also traveling with him, was gloomier. "We have to accept what happened," he said. "We are not coming back soon."

Some Thais welcomed the coup as a necessary climax to months of demands for Thaksin's resignation amid allegations of corruption and electoral skullduggery, and a worsening Muslim insurgency in south Thailand.

Nations call for restoration of democracy
The U.S. State Department said it was uneasy about the takeover and hopes "the Thai people will resolve their political differences in accord with democratic principles and the rule of law."

Australia said it was concerned to see democracy "destroyed," and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said her country "condemns" the coup.

Japan called for efforts to quickly restore democracy in Thailand, where many leading Japanese businesses have factories and affiliates.

Sonthi, 59, known to be close to Thailand's constitutional monarch, is a Muslim in a Buddhist-dominated nation.

He was selected last year to head the army, partly because it was felt he could better deal with the Muslim insurgency in the south, where 1,700 people have been killed since 2004. He has urged negotiations with the separatists, in contrast to Thaksin's hard-line approach.

Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon before entering politics, handily won three general elections after coming to power in 2001 and garnered great support among the rural poor for his populist policies.

But he alienated the urban middle class, intellectuals and pro-democracy activists. They began mass street demonstrations late last year, charging him with abuse of power, corruption and emasculation of the country's democratic institutions, including media that were once among Asia's freest.

Jaeger1980
09-23-2006, 05:42
...

Jaeger1980
09-23-2006, 05:49
....

brownapple
09-23-2006, 22:01
Post troop rotation pics. The original troops around the Palace and Government House were mostly wearing Red Berets... Royal Thai Army Special Forces.

Oh, and for a little better view on what happened and why:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/22/opinion/opinion_30014290.php

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/22/politics/politics_30014318.php

Roguish Lawyer
09-24-2006, 08:02
Post troop rotation pics. The original troops around the Palace and Government House were mostly wearing Red Berets... Royal Thai Army Special Forces.

Oh, and for a little better view on what happened and why:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/22/opinion/opinion_30014290.php

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/22/politics/politics_30014318.php

Is that a publication you read frequently, GH? :munchin

brownapple
09-24-2006, 08:39
There are exactly three English language newspapers in Thailand.

The Bangkok Post, which is owned by the government and is very conservative.
The Nation, owned by the Nation Group, which generally voices the position of the "loyal opposition" and is much tougher on the government as a whole.

And a business paper which focuses on economic and business issues and pretty much ignores politics.

In this particular case, I have other sources which confirm the information that the Nation printed. Had it well before those stories went to print.

Roguish Lawyer
09-24-2006, 14:02
I was asking because I was surprised to see them print something accurate.

PSM
09-24-2006, 14:48
RL,

Are you confusing them with these guys:

The Nation (http://www.thenation.com/)

Pat

Jaeger1980
09-24-2006, 16:21
Post troop rotation pics. The original troops around the Palace and Government House were mostly wearing Red Berets... Royal Thai Army Special Forces.

They seemed to have as much fun as the black berets. Typical thai mentality ... relaxed and smiling :)

brownapple
09-24-2006, 17:51
Little bit of difference in weapons' posture and readiness, though...

deanwells
09-24-2006, 18:49
No takeover threads starting from me - we're still mired in the planning for Cuba. Some of you 1st Grp guys want this one?

Thanks RL, now I have that old Murray Head song running through my brain.


If you are trying to take leave in Thailand, you can forget it. All movements are denied with the exception of certain cases.

Roguish Lawyer
09-24-2006, 20:00
RL,

Are you confusing them with these guys:

The Nation (http://www.thenation.com/)

Pat

Perhaps. Not the same?

PSM
09-24-2006, 20:44
Perhaps. Not the same?

No. The Nation Multimedia Group is a Thai company.

It caught me off guard too. I had to Google it. ;)

Pat

Dan
09-25-2006, 09:18
If you are trying to take leave in Thailand, you can forget it. All movements are denied with the exception of certain cases.

Not true. If you don't know the truth don't post!