Thai Prime Minister Declares State of Emergency

[poly800rock]

The New York Times

Printer Friendly Format Sponsored By

September 19, 2006

Thai Prime Minister Declares State of Emergency

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- The Thai military launched a coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday night, circling his offices with tanks, seizing control of TV stations and declaring a provisional authority pledging loyalty to the king.

An announcement on Thai television 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.

At least 14 tanks surrounded Government House, Thaksin's office. Thaksin was in New York at the U.N. General Assembly and declared a state of emergency via a government-owned TV station.

A convoy of four tanks rigged with loudspeakers and sirens rolled through a busy commercial district warning people to get off the street for their own safety.

A senior military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said army Commander-in-Chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin had used the military to take over power from the prime minister.

Thaksin has faced calls to step down amid allegations of corruption and abuse of power.

Massive rallies earlier this year forced Thaksin to dissolve Parliament and call an election in April, three years ahead of schedule. The poll was boycotted by opposition parties and later annulled by Thailand's top courts, leaving the country without a working legislature.

Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party twice won landslide election victories, in 2001 and 2005 and had been expected to win the next vote on Oct. 15, bolstered by its widespread support in the country's rural areas.

In 1992, demonstrators against a military strongman were gunned down before the king stepped in to end the fighting and usher in a period of stability.

On Monday, Thaksin had said he may step down as leader of the country after upcoming elections, but he will remain at the helm of his party, despite calls for him to give up the post.

On Tuesday night, several hundred soldiers were deployed at government installations and major intersections in the capital of Bangkok, according to an Associated Press reporter.

Army-owned TV channel 5 interrupted regular broadcasts with patriotic music and showed pictures of the king. At least some radio and television stations monitored in Bangkok suspended programming.

The cable television station of the Nation newspaper reported that tanks were parked at the Rachadamnoen Road and royal plaza close to the royal palace and government offices.

"The prime minister with the approval of the cabinet declares serious emergency law in Bangkok from now on" Thaksin said on Channel 9 from New York. He said he was ordering the transfer of the nation's army chief to work in the prime minister's office, effectively suspending him from his military duties.

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

Opposition to Thaksin gained momentum in January when his family announced it had sold its controlling stake in telecommunications company Shin Corp. to Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings for a tax-free $1.9 billion. Critics allege the sale involved insider trading and complain a key national asset is now in foreign hands.

Thaksin also has been accused of stifling the media and mishandling a Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand that flared under his rule.

In Thailand's mostly Muslim south, separatist insurgents have waged a bloody campaign that has left at least 1,700 dead, mostly civilians, since 2004. Citizens there have complained of rights abuses by soldiers and discrimination by the country's Buddhist majority.

Analyst, you there buddy, is everything cool? hope all is well and you're safe bud

[xcoldricex]

thaksin sucks.. he needs to step down.

[englandmj7]

I heard it is actually led by lady-boy hookers.

[poopie boy]

the entire thai socio-economic equilibrium is in the hands of lady-boy hookers

[sybaritical]

Well that's fabulous cos I ship out there in 9 days time.

[Cue]

damn, i am there in three weeks ...

hope the fake jeans are left well alone

[VuONG]

crazy i just left a couple days ago

[Analyst]

Everything is cool in BKK. Coup went off without a hitch. I got a day off of work right after the coup and spent the day looking for tanks and watching families take pictures with tanks and buy ice cream for the soldiers. Overall, everyone here supported the coup, which was crucial as Taksin was about to consolidate his power across the military by securing key army posts for his henchmen.

Now comes the long wait and sighs due to the inevitable in-fighting as the government tries to get back onto its feet. In the meantime, fuel prices are still sky high (Thailand utilizes the most fuel per $ of GDP in the region) and with no elected goverment in place, infrastructure projects do not get funded and the economy starts sagging.

The only weird thing during the coup was the total shutdown of external information: no CNN, BBC, MSNBC or Bloomberg. On top of that, no access to internet pages: no hotmail, gmail, etc. The days afterwards, they would broadcast CNN but would default to a emergency broadcast alert as soon as a report on Thailand appeared. You can imagine some jackass assigned to monitor the news channels and switch them off as soon as anything is mentioned about Thailand but then switch them back on as soon as something about Hungary or Darfur came on. Sigh.

Anyway, this was the first coup in BKK in 15 years. I hope the next PM is better than the last. Peace.

[Analyst]

I finally broke down and picked up a Panerai (PAM 164). So far I love it. No problems getting used to the 44mm case and weight. The dial is clean and simple, enhanced by the mars-red croc strap on deployant. I should not be purchasing anymore watches, but was not expecting to find this timepiece again. This time I interpreted the sighting as a sign from God or whatever deity. I also found out that one of uncles is an equity holder with the shop in question. With this assurance, I picked it up immediately the day after.

The grey market watch dealers in MBK center on Siam Square are quite a wild bunch. On the second and third floors, you'll fine numerous watch dealers with awesome timepieces behind glass cases: perpetual calendars, GMTs, chronos, minute repeaters, grande complications, etc. Plus, any brand you're looking for: Rolex, Panerai, IWC, Patek, Lange, Audemars Piguet, is available. Prices are usually much better than what you'll find from the authorized dealers at Erawan, Emporium or Paragon. >15% from top line price for a Panerai, which are rare as hell and usually require 8 months of waiting on a list for the model you actually like. The Chinese dealers don't bullshit so you better bring your "A" game when dealing with them. Do your homework and how your limits and then start the negotiation process. Anything can happen and these guys always want to make a deal.

Never buy for an investment. You'll always lose out on it. Buy the watch you love and hold on to it until you pass it on to your son. I love the Patek ad, "You never really own a Patek, you merely hold on to it for the next generation."