Thais
Wait And See In Wake Of Coup
By Johanna Son
20 September, 2006
Inter Press
Service
BANGKOK, Sep 19 (IPS)
- Tuesday evening was just like any muggy night, except for
telltale signs that suddenly had residents of the Thai capital sitting
up. Troops in camouflage, fully armed with machine guns, were fanning
out across the city streets, and news reports soon said tanks were taking
over the Government House and that soldiers had gone into the Prime
Minister's office.
Thais are far from unfamiliar
with coups but the last one was in 1992. It was clear that a military
coup was underway against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was
away at the United Nations in New York when coup leaders announced past
1 a.m. Wednesday that they had overthrown the prime minister.
Hours earlier, Thaksin, the
subject of growing opposition by critics at home, had declared a state
of emergency from New York and announced the removal of the army chief.
But what was important to
many was what was happening on the ground in Bangkok. His deputy prime
minister, Surakiart Sathirathai, insisted that the government remained
in control.
Past midnight, cable television
channels like CNN and BBC stopped. Instead, government TV repeatedly
played the anthem of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, showing footage on the
king and an announcement by the army chief, Sondhi Boonyarakkarin, saying
that martial law had been declared and that troops had been asked to
return to their bases after the prime minister had been ousted.
"In our hearts that's
where he stays, he's the light that shines across the skies," went
one of the songs played on television, in reference to the king.
Clearly, the message by the
coup plotters -- who were reported to have announced martial law in
the wee hours of the morning of Sep. 20 -- was that they had stepped
in to save the country, and that they were in support of the king. There
has been no statement from the palace, however.
Calling themselves "loyal"
officers, coup leaders declared a provisional authority in support of
the king, who marks the 60th year of his ascension of the throne this
year.
News reports from Thai TV
Channel 5, the army channel, said that a "Council of Administrative
Reform" has been formed with the king as head of state.
At 1:30 a.m. local time,
a spokeswoman on army television said that there will be no more caretaker
prime minister, referring to Thaksin. "The military will take control
of the country until there is a new prime minister," she said.
Video footage of the tanks
outside Government House showed turrets tied with yellow ribbons --
a sign of loyalty to the king.
The colour yellow is linked
to the king and since the anniversary of his becoming the monarch in
June this year, many Thais have been wearing yellow shirts to show their
support, respect and love for the monarch who has led Thailand through
many political crises - and in the past stepped in to mediate after
past coups by military officers.
Thailand may change prime
ministers, have revolving-door governments and have military coups,
but the king has been a factor of unity that has held this South-east
Asian country, a constitutional monarchy since 1932, together.
"We kept reading about
coups lately, but I didn't expect this to really happen now," remarked
one employee, watching television and surfing the Internet for the latest
news.
Thailand has witnessed 17
coups over the past 74 years. For 46 of those years, it has been governed
by military dictators.
The coup comes after months
of political turmoil in Thailand, all swirling around Thaksin, a billionaire
whose Thai Rak Thai party won a landslide victory in 2001 but whose
political star has since fallen -- and how.
Public opinion began turning
against him after reports emerged that his family had sold a stake in
its Shin Corp telecommunications empire in January without paying taxes.
The stake was sold to Singapore's
Temasek Holdings, which put Thaksin under fire for supposedly working
against the national interest because he had sold out control in as
strategic an area as telecommunications and gained personal profit from
the transaction.
Public protests were held
in the months afterward, forcing Thaksin to call early polls in April
to gain a new mandate. His party won that vote -- boycotted by opposition
parties. But the election was annulled due to irregularities and Thaksin
became caretaker prime minister, and was meant to be so until new elections
are held later this year. Tuesday night's coup may have changed that
status.
On Aug. 24 Thaksin survived,
what officials said was an assassination attempt, after a bomb was found
left in a car near his home. Five military officers were arrested, though
some quarters doubted the authenticity of the assassination attempt.
Thaksin has been on the political offensive in recent weeks, using government
media to talk about his views and plans.
Just on Monday, the political
atmosphere was such that some anti-Thaksin critics, including businessman
and publisher Sondhi Limthongkul, had pledged to return to the streets
to force Thaksin out of office.
On Saturday, simultaneous
explosions in Hat Yai, southern Thailand, also rocked the nation, once
again putting Thaksin's handling of the unrest in the mainly Muslim
south, into question.
This was the atmosphere in
which the coup took place. In the wee hours of Wednesday most of Bangkok
was awake, wondering if there would be work the next day, if Thaksin
would come back to Bangkok -- and if he did, would there be stability.
Copyright © 2006 IPS-Inter
Press Service