Let me start by making clear that I love Thailand. Wonderful country, the nicest people, a warm and caring culture, etc. But the political back and forth between the two groups who are fighting for control of the country, basically the old money versus the new money, is threatening to make Thailand an irrelevant country in terms of business and foreign investment.
As soon as the current, democratically elected government (the new money) took their seats, the “People’s Alliance for Democracy” (the old money) started protests trying to topple them. (Don’t let the irony pass you by.) This is the same PAD that was behind the protests that so threatened the stability of the Kingdom that the armed forces felt compelled to step in and conduct a coup d’etat in September 2006.
This time, the protests have taken another turn for the more serious. Calling today their “last war”, the PAD’s protestors stormed the government-owned National Broadcast Television station, pictured left.
They climbed the fences of Government House, the “White House” of Thailand. They also set out to close down all of the government ministries and take over the airports in Phuket and Hat Yai. No word yet on their success in those ventures.
Their goal: topple the government of Prime Minister Samak, who many see as the “puppet” of former Prime Minister (and now fugitive) Thaksin Shinawatra, who is in England seeking political asylum. Even though Thaksin’s wife has already been convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to three years and even though Thaksin is facing more serious charges, the government (the justice department, if I’m not mistaken) gave them permission to leave the country to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
“We’ll be right back.” I’m sure they said. “We promise.” Wink, wink.
General Anupong, the Army Commander in Chief, has assured the public that the army will not intervene in this matter. No coup, he says.
Perhaps this is a good time to remind everyone that the Army Commander in Chief in mid-2006 gave the same assurances during that wave of PAD protests.
We’ll see what happens. One again, we have political chaos, further weakening the economy and distracting Thailand’s leaders from their efforts to do anything to help the people of Thailand, to improve education, standards of living, etc.
I’d like to believe in the high-mindedness of the protesters, but I suspect it is more about a juvenile fight over who gets the largest share of the pie. Instead, they should be focusing on how to make the pie larger so the size of everyone’s slice increases.
christao408 
I have been in meeting all day, and did not know about about this at all. About 30 minutes ago, the chairman mentioned at the end of the meeting that there are mass protests today, and we visitors should avoid the goverment buildings this evening. The local attendees did not seem to be concerned at all. I guess this has happened before. Hope things stay calm till I depart tomorrow night.
Of course mainstream American news is not mentioning anything about this. I think it’s almost an inherent truth that if you would like to be involved in politics in any way, you must have your head on backwards. Like you said, if those involved or wanting to be involved in politics focused more on what’s good for all than what’s beneficial for a few, the world would be a better place.
You said, “they should be focusing on how to make the pie larger so the size of everyone’s slice increases.”
This is the method Hong Kong had adopted in the last few decades of the last century.
Your comments are right on Chris. Money and power. That’s what fuels all governments. Whether it be old money or new money, doesn’t seem to matter. Stay safe you two!
I remember the last coup. My friends were in town and I was frantically trying to reach them. Then they simply said, “it’s nothing”
I too haven’t heard anything here on the news. Which is kind of sad really. Keep us up to date and be careful.
we have our political issues here as well and the price to pay are lives of people who get caught in the middle of the fires. domination, power, whatever the reasons, it’ll never be right in my eyes especially seeing kids cry.
@stevew918 – Even if they didn’t stay calm, they wouldn’t have any affect on you or the area you are staying. One thing I learned from the last coup was that these things really aren’t as widespread as they appear once reported in the overseas media.
@choyshinglin – Hong Kong is a really good example. Singapore is another. We can debate the extent to which either is a full democracy, but citizens in both generally seem to feel like their lives get better, their countries get better, and their opportunities increase. That’s making the pie bigger!
@TheCheshireGrins – Good points. I’m not surprised it hasn’t been picked up by the American media. A small blip on the radar screen compared to other events.
@LostSock21 – In many ways, the last coup really was a non-event. A friend was visiting and as he’s a photographer, he went out and took several great pictures of the tanks and soldiers. Everyone was smiling, nobody was aggressive and he didn’t sense any danger.
@Renatojr3 – That’s a great point. It is the children and the poor who suffer these power games.
I am STRICTLY against any kind of military coup (no matter how justified they might be). When the military becomes the government, it is always a failure of democracy and in most cases freedom.
I don’t think people will ever get the whole “self-rule” thing down pat.Then again, according the Planet of the Apes, neither will the monkeys… hmmm…But you were right about my last comment: I shouldn’t limit myself to just one food tour.One day, I’m going to travel the world and plan my entire itinerary around awesome places to eat.I just need to find a travel companion first. You know, safety and all that.
I agree with the comments; however, I do think it is fantastic that the Thai PAD protesters and government have shown restraint and that violence has not broken out. Violence is no answer to any disagreement.
I also sometimes feel sad that the U.S. has become so indifferent nad regret that there aren’t more peaceful protests against the government’s continued neo-conservative actions in Iraq. I think if people would take time out and really express their feelings in non-violent protests then perhaps the voices of thousands or even millions could get the attention of this administration.
I finally found an article about this on the BBC. Perhaps I should read the BBS website, your blog, and forget about reading the US news for world news? Thanks for the post.
@Chamais – Ha! Thanks for puting my blog on the level of the BBC. I’m sure I’m not in that league at all; just trying to provide some context for people. Actually, I go to events at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club here in Bangkok and have met the BBC correspondent here, who is the club’s head. Very nice guy and tremendously bright.
@Dezinerdreams – I agree
@KenDumas – Yes, Ken, thankfully they have avoided violence. Some observers, especially academics, say that historically these things have ended only after blood has been shed. Let’s hope not.
@reallifedemo – Who was it (one of the US founding fathers, I think) who said that the greatest argument against democracy is a conversation with the average person?
Let’s hope this doesn’t get bloody.
I hope there were no bomb scares like the ones back in X’mas 2006!! We have to evacuate the Paragon Mall!!
@curry69curry – When Paragon closes, you KNOW things are getting serious!
@ElusiveWords – Amen to that. Local commentators are expecting that within the next 3-4 days this thing will reach some sort of a head.
Enough of the talking, just do it.www.letshaveacoup.comPower to the people.