[War] FLASH REPORT: Coup in Thailand

[pentaj2 at Scranton.edu]

OOC: Just going to reprint the AP story here.
===
THAILAND'S PM OUSTED IN MILITARY COUP
By DENIS D. GRAY, Associated Press Writer 

BANGKOK, Thailand - In the dead of night and without firing a shot, 
Thailand's military overthrew popularly elected Prime Minister Thaksin 
Shinawatra on Tuesday amid mounting criticism that he had undermined 
democracy. 
 
The sudden, well-orchestrated coup — the first in 15 years and a 
throwback to an unsettled era in Thailand — was likely to spark both 
enthusiasm and criticism at home and abroad. The military said it 
would soon return power to a democratic government but did not say 
when.

Striking when Thaksin was in New York at the U.N. General Assembly, 
army commander Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin sent tanks and troops into 
the drizzly, nighttime streets of Bangkok. The military ringed 
Thaksin's offices, seized control of television stations and declared 
a provisional authority loyal to the king.

The coup leaders declared martial law, revoked the constitution and 
ordered all troops not to leave duty stations without permission from 
their commanders. The stock exchange was to be closed Wednesday, along 
with schools, banks and government offices.

Bangkok's normally bustling streets emptied out early Wednesday, from 
shopping stalls to red light districts, as Thais and tourists learned 
of the coup.

Across the capital, Thais who trickled out onto barren streets 
welcomed the surprise turn of events as a necessary climax to months 
of demands for Thaksin to resign amid allegations of corruption, 
electoral skullduggery and a worsening Muslim insurgency. Many people 
were surprised, but few in Bangkok seemed disappointed.

A few dozen people raced over to the prime minister's office to take 
pictures of tanks surrounding the area. "This is exciting. Someone had 
to do this. It's the right thing," said Somboon Sukheviriya, 45, 
software developer snapping pictures of the armored vehicles with his 
cell phone.

The U.S. State Department said it was uneasy about the military 
takeover and hopes political differences can be resolved through 
democratic principles. "We are monitoring the situation with concern," 
a statement said. "We continue to hope that the Thai people will 
resolve their political differences in accord with democratic 
principles and the rule of law."

Australia used stronger language, saying it was concerned to see 
democracy "destroyed."

"We deeply regret the fact that such a coup has taken place; obviously 
to see democracy destroyed in that way is a matter for grave concern 
to us," Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told Australian Broadcasting 
Corp. radio by telephone from New York.

Thaksin recently alienated a segment of the military by claiming 
senior officers had tried to assassinate him in a failed bombing 
attempt. He also attempted to remove officers loyal to Sondhi from key 
positions.

Sondhi, who is known to be close to Thailand's revered constitutional 
monarch, will serve as acting prime minister, army spokesman Col. 
Akarat Chitroj said. Sondhi, well-regarded within the military, is a 
Muslim in this Buddhist-dominated nation.

Sondhi, 59, was selected last year to head the army partly because it 
was felt he could better deal with the Muslim insurgency in southern 
Thailand, where 1,700 people have been killed since 2004. Recently, 
Sondhi urged negotiations with the separatists in contrast to 
Thaksin's hard-fisted approach. Many analysts have said that with 
Thaksin in power, peace in the south was unlikely.

In New York, Thaksin declared a state of emergency in an audio 
statement via a government-owned TV station in Bangkok — a vain 
attempt to stave off the coup. He later canceled a scheduled address 
to the U.N. General Assembly.

A Foreign Ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity 
because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said Thaksin 
tentatively planned to return to Thailand quickly. The official said 
he could not comment on the possibility of his being arrested if he 
returned.

Government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee, who was with Thaksin, said 
the coup leaders "cannot succeed" and was confident they would 
fail "because democracy in Thailand has developed to some ... measure 
of maturity."

However, Sondhi's troops appeared to be in full control and clearly 
enjoyed the support of the monarch.

Former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, a member of the opposition 
Democrat Party, reflected an ambivalence that is likely to surface in 
coming days. 

"As politicians, we do not support any kind of coup, but during the 
past five years the government of Thaksin created several conditions 
that forced the military to stage the coup. Thaksin has caused the 
crisis in the country," he told The Associated Press. 

Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon turned politician, handily won 
three general elections since 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 Thaksin with abuse of power, corruption and 
emasculation of the country's democratic institutions, including what 
was once one of Asia's freest presses. 

Some of Thaksin's critics wanted to jettison his policies promoting 
privatization, free trade agreements and CEO-style administration. 

"I don't agree with the coup, but now that they've done it, I support 
it because Thaksin has refused to resign from his position," said 
Sasiprapha Chantawong, a university student. "Allowing Thaksin to 
carry on will ruin the country more than this. The reputation of the 
country may be somewhat damaged, but it's better than letting Thaksin 
stay in power." 

He was among hundreds of people gathered at Government House taking 
photos and video of themselves with the tanks. 

Initially, the coup went largely unnoticed in Thailand's popular 
tourist districts, where foreigners packed bars and cabarets oblivious 
to the activity about two miles away. But word raced among street 
vendors hawking T-shirts who packed up their carts quickly and started 
heading home. 

As troops secured key sites in the capital unopposed, the coup leaders 
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. They did not say what reforms the 
council would carry out. 

Early Wednesday, the coup leaders announced that the appointment of 
the country's four regional army commanders to keep the peace and run 
civil administration in their respective areas outside Bangkok. 

A senior army general, speaking on condition of anonymity because of 
the sensitivity of the situation, said the chiefs of the army, navy 
and air force met with the king Tuesday to discuss formation of an 
interim government. 

Bhumibol, a 78-year-old constitutional monarch with limited powers, 
has used his prestige to pressure opposing parties to compromise 
during political crises. He is credited with helping keep Thailand 
more stable than many of its Southeast Asian neighbors. 

He is the world's longest-serving monarch and celebrated his 60th year 
on the throne with lavish festivities in June that were attended by 
royalty from around the world. 

The bloodless coup was the first overt military intervention in the 
Thai political scene since 1991, when Suchinda Kraprayoon, a military 
general, toppled a civilian government in a bloodless takeover. An 
attempt by Suchinda to keep power led to street demonstrations, and he 
was ousted in 1992. 

Afterward, the military promised to remain in its barracks, in 
contrast to earlier decades when military coups were a staple of Thai 
politics. 

As recently as March, Sondhi, the army chief and Tuesday's coup 
leader, sought to ease speculation the military might join the 
political fray during street demonstrations against Thaksin. 

"The army will not get involved in the political conflict. Political 
troubles should be resolved by politicians," Sondhi said 
then. "Military coups are a thing of the past." 
--
Associated Press reporter Jocelyn Gecker contributed to this story.