"The smell of a coup is in the air"

[Guess]

I hope that there is a coup planned by the Thai Military. This acts as a guarantee that it will not happen.

I have now been here for 10 years ( since Hua Hin was a fishing village as somebody wrongly quoted) and I have yet to see a Thai plan come to fruition.

Hopefully the coup will go the same way as Disney world and the doubling of the railway track and just become another memory of somebody's dream.

As for getting rid of Khun Piggy Face the Thaksin Puppet AKA the PM, I think it will happen and may again be by deception, intrigue and subterfuge and labeled by the world's media as a coup.

As for armed insurrection, I think not, but I would not have believed in the actions led by Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero Molina in 1981 in the Spanish Cortes either until it happened.
_________________
G

[Jockey]

Hi Guess! Not heard from your firm, soft, sloppy, liquid self recently.

[johnnyk]

I thought I saw somewhere that porcine visage was making noises like he was actually the man. man city man may take umbrage and stage an uncoup coup.

[spitfire]

I think there are many valid points above, but I'm not sure if they are ready for another one yet.

Last time they really upset the US and Europe and they were penalised for a short period of time, which they might not of expected. There was a noticable difference. No collaberated excersizes, no extra F16's etc.

The powers that support these countries were rapping there fingers on the table, almost saying ' It's OK, so long as it does not go to far, we will let it pass this time, but don't go off the reservation'.

The western powers supply all the military equipment for this country and they let it pass one time but they might come to a different conclusion if it becomes a regular thing.

The danger here is that Thailand is in danger of being considered as a 'Bananna Republic' in the west.

This is why I think they are scared, not sure whether to do it again.

There is much at stake, and this will be a difficult decision.

Maybe they will do it, but there will be detrimental foreign consequences to any further military action, which will only harm the average Thai, as the country will be considered as a joke, and not be considered as somewhere that we can trust.

However, when has that ever mattered.

Forgive me being cynical, but all of this is just an observation.

Would be interested to know what others think!
_________________
Emotion is the future.

Nothing is absolute, apart from vodka.

[Vital Spark]

Ready or not, here it comes...

Had a déjà vu experience tonight around the landlady's shop. At least a dozen of the villages glued to her television, cheering along with the crowds. If they could be there they would. Most of the villagers here lead such mundane lives it gives them something to get excited about. Landlady (aka grandma) was grinning from ear to ear.

I don't think that they give a toss about what the rest of the world thinks about them. If they want to oust the government, then that's what they'll do. Most of the PAD supporters have no idea how this will affect Thailand's image in the eyes of 'democratic' countries - and they don't care...

VS
_________________
'Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana' -Groucho Marx

[lindosfan1]

This is an extract from the BBC news
Thousands of people have demonstrated in Bangkok, defying warnings of a crackdown issued by Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.

Riot police were deployed, but the authorities did not carry out the PM's threats, saying force would not be used as long as the protest was peaceful.

Opposition activists accuse Mr Samak of changing the constitution to protect his predecessor, Thaksin Shinawatra.

Reports say the instability coincides with rumours of an imminent coup.

The demonstration was led by the People's Alliance for Democracy, the group which led mass protests in 2006 that led to the military coup that ousted Mr Thaksin.

On Saturday, some protesters wore helmets and masks, apparently to protect themselves in case tear gas was used.

Resignation

There has been heightened political tension and demonstrations in recent weeks over the government's plans to revise the military-drafted constitution.


Riot police were on the streets but did not use force against protesters

The opposition says Mr Samak is a close ally of Mr Thaksin, who they believe has a hidden, anti-monarchy agenda.

It says Mr Samak is trying to change the military-backed constitution to hold on to power and to prevent Mr Thaksin from facing corruption-related charges.

On Friday, a Thai cabinet minister accused of insulting the king - which is taken very seriously in Thailand, where the king is a revered figure - announced his resignation in an attempt to calm political tensions.

Jakrapob Penkair, who will be charged next week, strongly denies insulting the king, but said he was stepping down to end rumours of a military coup which were prompted by the allegations.
_________________
Woke up this morning breathing I thought this is a good start to the day.

[buksida]

There is a very good summary of the current situation on Friday's ATol:

A new round of political chaos and the threat of violent street clashes between pro- and anti-government groups has renewed speculation that Thailand is ripe for yet another coup. But the military brass has little interest in an unpopular putsch, and would be better served by letting events play out in court, where ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra looks to be on a losing streak.

Full Story: Asia Times Online
_________________
I've got a bad feeling about this

[Sabai Jai]

I have always thought Mr Anada is an example of what politics could be like in Thailand with good leadership, but here he is again in his more customary role of concilatory mediator - at least the powers that be are taking things seriously - apart from Samak of course

From today's Bangkok Post

The political crisis pitting the government against protesters may be beyond compromise, former prime minister Anand Panyarachun said yesterday.

In a speech at the Navy auditorium on the role of the media, Mr Anand admitted he was worried that political divisions which have opened lately may be hard to heal.

In principle, society should respect differences of opinion and a solution should be reached through negotiations rather than the use of force, he said.

But the present impasse was hard to overcome because of the level of mistrust between the two camps.

Parliament had failed to function properly as a venue for resolving differences, which forced conflicts on to the streets.

''At present I do not think the parliamentary mechanism can do anything. One party is against amending the constitution. Although the motion has been withdrawn, it can be still resubmitted.''

Mr Anand disagreed with a plan to spend two billion baht on a referendum to ask voters if the 2007 constitution should be scrapped.

Spending the money on such a simple question would be pointless. He suggested the referendum specify which chapters should be amended.

The draft on the referendum was forwarded to parliament on Tuesday by the Election Commission.

Mr Anand was one of the four people mentioned by social critic Prawase Wasi on Saturday when he suggested former government leaders hold talks to solve the impasse, as the government looks for a way to end protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). The others were Banharn Silpa-archa, Chuan Leekpai and Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.

PAD members vowed to keep up their protests until cabinet members resign, and say Samak Sundaravej is a nominee prime minister for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Mr Anand was cool on Dr Prawase's idea, saying mediators should be proposed by the two sides. Mediators could not always bring about successful results, he said.

The other three former government leaders have not responded.

Mr Samak rejected the idea that former government leaders should meet, as he was confident the government could handle the situation.

The government was in control, and it was its job to solve the problems, he said on his weekly programme on NBT, formerly Channel 11.

''What can I do with the opinions of the four former prime ministers? In the present circumstances this prime minister is in charge,'' he said.

The PAD and pro-government supporters stood face-to-face at the NBT headquarters yesterday as the PAD tried to lay a wreath. They were mocking the prime minister, who went to the station for his weekly programme.

PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila said the anti-government demonstrators would stick to acts of ''civil disobedience'' in their protests, as the government lacked legitimacy to rule.

The PAD uses Ratchadamnoen Nok avenue as its base for the protest and will today lead a small group to give moral support to the Assets Scrutiny Committee