Military
Coup Tumbles
Thailand's Thaksin
By Shawn W Crispin
20 September, 2006
Asia
Times Online
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
(Copyright 2006 Asia Times
Online Ltd.