coup d'etat

As many of you already know, there was a coup d'etat in Thailand on Tuesday night. Basically, General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, the army chief (who was sacked by the PM Thaksin Shinawatra) took over (with the support of other armed forces and the national police). The Thai PM was in NY at the UN General Assembly and so wasn't around to stop the army surrounding the Government House, his residence, and other key points in Bangkok. Thai TV channels were also taken over and regular programming replaced with videos of the King and Queen and songs about them that people note were associated with coups in the past. In the beginning, no one really knew what was going on (whose side where the soldiers on?) but a series of announcements were made on behalf of the coup leaders, who are calling themselves the Democratic Reform Council. The first announcement gave the reason for the coup ('The current government administration has caused conflicts and undermined the harmony of hte people as never before in history...The nation has been governed in a corrupt manner...The council is steadfast in its objective, which is not to take over the government permanently and it will return power to the people as soon as possible.") The second declared nationwide martial law. The third coup announcement noted that the current constitution (written in 1997) has been abrogated and the House of Representatives, Senate, Cabinet, and Constitution Court were dissolved; however, other courts retained their authority. Gen Sonthi has stated that he will be the acting PM for the next two weeks until the Democratic Reform Council can get things in order. They expect to have elections within the year (the previously scheduled election was to be held next month), and people are looking to see whether or not they keep the ir promise.

Many Thais were not surprised that the coup occurred as there have been mass protests calling for the PM to step down (resulting in snap elections held earlier this year). These elections were later voided due to possible election fraud and the refusal of opposition parties to participate. While many do not support Thaksin because of his actions, people I have talked to generally say that they wished that an alternate path was taken to bring him down from power. However, most talk is behind closed doors now because the political future of Thailand is uncertain, although many express hope for a better future.

So far, daily life hasn't been affected by the coup (although Wednesday was declared a national holiday). However, there is a rule against assembly now (more than 5 people should not be assembled together) to promote peace. In Chiang Mai, I saw a police officer and army officer together at the mall the day after the coup. A patient who works with the Air Force also noted that his leader has thrown his support behind Gen Sonthi and is now accepting orders from him, which most military units appear to be doing. The military has announced that it has the King's support and many are wearing yellow armbands as yellow is the color of the King. Yellow shirts are traditionally worn on Mondays this year to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the King's ascension to the throne and show love for the King (I'll post a pic of this on Monday, as I just picked up a yellow shirt last week). Thai people love and respect the King as one who loves his country and uses his power to work for social justice, especially poor people. The King has opposed Thaksin's rule and has made thinly veiled remarks against him during his Kingly speeches, including advice that Thaksin should listen to others and hear opposing views ( It seemed that Thaksin was trying to sue everyone who spoke against him for libel at one point). So far, the King hasn't made a public speech, and some people I've talked to suggest that he will not. Gen Sonthi has stated that the King was not part of the coup plans, however.

That's it for now. Obviously, I didn't present a very detailed analysis of anything but you can all read more about it on the Internet if you'd like as I'm not sure who is (and is not) reading this blog. An interesting article that was forwarded to me today in the Asia Times titled "Thailand: All the King's Men" can be found here.

Thanks to all of you who sent emails or IM'd me to make sure I was okay; it's nice to feel loved in my home away from home.