Army Chief Urged To Stage Coup

[LennyW]

ASTV reports troops are moving to important locations to secure them and prevent violence by mobilised government supporters.

This would suggest they are helping the PAD then??????????

[chrisloh]

Civil war - thats the best option!

Machete's and elephants at dawn. Spectators welcome.Seeing as the PAD has both airport why not have both sides fighting on the runways - you already have the stands for viewing.

Thailand poilitics are so so laughable that its only inevitable that this is happening. It's to do with the nations childish psyche,the lack of accountability,men being over pampered by Mummy and Grandma.The superficial smile,man I don't trust no one who smiles all the time.

After living in Thailand for 15yrs,I know I made the right decision taking my wife,2 kids back to England - how can you build a future on sand!

Good luck to you all,get you kevlar jackets ready..............Thailand is DOOMED!

lb1

That's right....we all have our option. It's a wake up call for all of us (foreigners), to reconsider whether it's worth to continue to live in a lawlessness country and a nation fill with childish administrators. We dont even know what is the future of this wreck nation. The Thais have gotten use to this sort of current situation, lets leave it to them to solve or dig their own problem. Why should we be so uptight with the current situation, make use of our option.

[favre360]

Channel 3 reporting Army spokesman saying tanks in Bangkok are nothing to do with a coup attempt, but are vehicles on their way back from a 'training exercise.'

yeah, training for a coup

[nullx8]

Channel 3 reporting Army spokesman saying tanks in Bangkok are nothing to do with a coup attempt, but are vehicles on their way back from a 'training exercise.'

Dejavu ??

[jitagon]

No more coups in Thailand. For the love of God. NO pain NO gain. Again and again, what 22 so far? Let them sort themselves out in their own way and not you're particular eurocentric view of what's best for 'em huh?

Coup please!.... Not so much worried about "em" as you put it, but I for one would like to see a plane full of tourists and food on the table Friday

Well. What can I say. What foresight. And what about any Friday next year, two years on, ten?

It's people with your kind of thinking's brought about the present world economic crisis. But we wannit NOWWWWW!!!!

[TAWP]

Is coup needed? how much would it take for the army to round up the trouble makers and restore law and order??????????

which trouble makers? you mean the somchai cabinet?

get rid of somchai and the PAD disperses and there is no more problem.

much easier to move one man than 50,000

If there will be a new election the PPP will win again,simply because they represent the majority of the Thais !!! Tha Pad leaders should understand that they really damage the tourist industry with stupid actions like these!!! Just before the peak season and for many so much needed

They don't represent a majority, even the last election showed us so.

They are a piece of a complicated landscape of power-struggle, vote-buying and utter disregard for the political process - all politicians here are in it for themselves, a way to gain more power.

[hammered]

PM to address nation at 6PM

Edited to add he is expected call an SoE

Edited November 27, 2008 by hammered

[jubby]

I suspect and hope the reported army movements will be to finally do the Job their paid for and remove the protestors.

Whats the point of rolling up to government House in Tanks and declaring a Coup. hello ..... thats right, silly me, the governments in Chiang mai and the house is full of PAD.

[nullx8]

I saw the police today, about 10 of them busy pulling out drivers on the highway collecting tips.

yesterday on my way back from chumphon to bkk .. we got stoped too ... and passed many policestops ...

no tip collecting ... just checking where we go .. the answer "Krung thep" was reply with courious face in the car ..

looks more like they try more to prevent peoples joining the public suicide in the next few days.

[Mosha]

A case of been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Who will enforce this SoE?

[toptuan]

A coup is a Banana Republic solution.

Which other solution do you suggest for a Monkey Government?

One coup, everybody will step back and then there is time to think about how to continue? Or do you still believe that PAD and PPP will find an acceptable solution in an acceptable time frame?

The United States of America had a Monkey Government from 2000 - 2004. They stupidly re-elected the Monkey Government again in 2004-2008. Like mature people, the rest of us waited it out until finally we could democratically "overthrow" the Monkey Government in 2008 after a well-run extended campaign in which everyone's views had free expression and the transition of power is orderly. Is that too much to ask?

Again, a coup is an immature short term fix that never really "fixes" it. If a coup really "fixed" the problem, you wouldn't need 17 coups in a row.

A coup teaches the people that...

...the gun is more important than the vote.

...expediency always trumps principle.

...for the Army to own and control most of the important electronic media (4 TV stations, radio, etc.) is an "OK" thing.

...the Army is REALLY the ultimate power that wags the tail of government.

Are you happier with THAT? If you are, you would probably enjoy life much more in Burma where the army finally and permanently "fixed" the problem of political diversity. With every coup, Thailand precariously teeters on the brink of permanently "fixing" things as our SE Asian neighbor has done. Don't forget that Thailand's military brass and Burma's murderous junta have been on "best buddy" terms since just before the 2006 coup. It's just too great a risk, in my opinion.

Yes, democracy is messy, but a coup is a rape of a nation's soul--it flies in the face of 20 centuries of political evolution in which democracy has helped restore value to the voice of the individual, bows to majority rule, and respects the rights of the minority. It doesn't work perfectly, but it's a heck of a lot better than monks and journalists being gunned down in the streets of Rangoon while trying to have the voice of the people heard.

Edited November 27, 2008 by toptuan

[h90]

Channel 3 reporting Army spokesman saying tanks in Bangkok are nothing to do with a coup attempt, but are vehicles on their way back from a 'training exercise.'

yeah, training for a coup

Well a coup is not that easy this days.....take the government seat....

That is what? The government house? No the old airport....no....somewhere in Chiang Mai....maybe.....

How do you make a coup these days.....

[favre360]

Would all this mess be solved if Thaksin came back and did his time?

[beammeup]

As long as the rural majority can be bought off for 500 Baht a vote it will be unacceptable to PAD.

It's much easier to buy a few million people's votes for 500 Baht a pop than say a few thousand Bangkokians vote for several million each... You cannot have a government elected on the back of bribery. That is not democracy.

you actually believe this ???

how do all these PAD'rs pay for their food? out of their own pocket? they don't have to work?

really? how's payi9ng for the TV station, the concerts, etc ???

... get real man, they're getting paid to protest and the money is coming from illegal wood cutting and drugs trade !

this whole buying vote argument is so childish; explain this to me;

I take 1000 baht from 1 party, take 1000 baht from the second party, but actually vote for a third party ... how do you know, how do you stop it?

you're whole vote-buying argument has no value what so ever !

all it means is that you're really bad in finding excuses ...

I certainly believe it. Its most sensible post I have read today.

[stingray]

Any development on these tank 'movements'

I find it a bit odd that tanks would be rolling towards BKK without the press jumping all over it.

The army should stepped in at the begin already, when the whole thing was started on the Phuked Air Port. More long they wait, more difficult to get the control back. Maybe it's to late already. If things not resolved immidently, all tourist towns and Cities ganno be changed to gosttowns. All businesses will fail and bankrupt. Maybe it's time to look for other options than Thailand. I know, easy to say but not easy to do so. Therefore my opinion is: Foreigners should never buy any realestate (Condos Houses and Land) in any "unstabile" country, so can move immideltly with minimal losses if it's necessary.

[h90]

A coup is a Banana Republic solution.

Which other solution do you suggest for a Monkey Government?

One coup, everybody will step back and then there is time to think about how to continue? Or do you still believe that PAD and PPP will find an acceptable solution in an acceptable time frame?

We had a Monkey Government in the USA from 2000 - 2004. We stupidly re-elected the Monkey Government again 2004-2008. Like mature people, we waited it out until finally we could throw out the Monkey Government in 2008 after a well-run extended campaign where everyone's views had free expression. Is that too much to ask?

Again, a coup is an immature short term fix that never really "fixes" it. If a coup really "fixed" the problem, you wouldn't need 17 coups in a row, right? All it does is teach the populace that the gun is more important than the vote. It makes people believe that for the Army to own and control most of the important electronic media (4 TV stations, radio, etc.) is an "OK" thing. It teaches people that the Army is REALLY the ultimate power that wags the tail of government. Are you happier with THAT?

And that cost 1.000.0000-1.500.000 Million lifes. If the Army would staged a coup all these people would be still alive. You can't fix that anymore.

[Wolfie]

How do you make a coup these days.....

Just look for a bunch of scared looking Old Thai guys headed north from Chiang Mai...

[LinkPopularity]

If there will be a new election the PPP will win again,simply because they represent the majority of the Thais !!!

The majority of votes come from the people which are easy to buy. Please do not misunderstand. I sympathize with the rural and poor population and am of the opinion, that they were neglected by the elite much too long. But the people in power are ruthless. The play with the poor, win their votes by handing out peanuts to continue their high scale corruption.

Unfortunately the rural population does not understand this and after all they are not interested in the stuff, because they struggle with their own daily life and are more than happy to accept every single Baht.

If a new elections come, it should be very closely monitored.

please, explain this to me; I take 500 baht from 1 party, take 500 baht from second party and vote for third party ... how is party 1 and 2 going to know this?? it's a fundamental problem in this whole vote-buying debate ... it doesn't work !!

people don't sell their vote; they need the money to pay for transport and food to be able to vote; in other words; this whole vote buying is actually boosting democracy !

back to you ...

[dekka007]

Offices in nearby airport locations asked to evacuate by 6pm.

DTAC and other companies sending their workers homes

Got the makings of something..

[Mosha]

Would all this mess be solved if Thaksin came back and did his time?

Way too late for that I'm afraid. More a case of the lyrics from The Who's "Won't get fooled again." Except they will.

[Gianni77]

I friend called me to say her boss was sending everyone home because the Coup was happening now. Her boss said a friend that works in the government told him that...

Anyone knows if it's really happening? Any new information from anyone/any source?

[lordofdelusion]

Channel 3 reporting Army spokesman saying tanks in Bangkok are nothing to do with a coup attempt, but are vehicles on their way back from a 'training exercise.'

yeah, training for a coup

Exactly!! I wonder how many times a year the army does train for a coup given the history here.

maybe this will be an opportunity for Cambodia to sneak in and take over!

I would prefer Singapore however. we would get cleaner sidewalks.

I am in agreement with the Phillipines in their travel advisory today. This is an immature government. And all kidding aside, I am saddened for the Thai people. This could be such a great place.

[favre360]

A coup is a Banana Republic solution.

Which other solution do you suggest for a Monkey Government?

One coup, everybody will step back and then there is time to think about how to continue? Or do you still believe that PAD and PPP will find an acceptable solution in an acceptable time frame?

We had a Monkey Government in the USA from 2000 - 2004. We stupidly re-elected the Monkey Government again 2004-2008. Like mature people, we waited it out until finally we could throw out the Monkey Government in 2008 after a well-run extended campaign where everyone's views had free expression. Is that too much to ask?

Again, a coup is an immature short term fix that never really "fixes" it. If a coup really "fixed" the problem, you wouldn't need 17 coups in a row, right? All it does is teach the populace that the gun is more important than the vote. It makes people believe that for the Army to own and control most of the important electronic media (4 TV stations, radio, etc.) is an "OK" thing. It teaches people that the Army is REALLY the ultimate power that wags the tail of government. Are you happier with THAT?

We had a monkey government in 2000-2008 because nobody had the kajones to do anything about it. We were kept content with our reality TV shows and nice paying jobs so why risk it all by joining a few thousand in protest. You have to remember Thai's don't have the distractions and fundamental foundations of a real government that we depend upon back home. Not only that but the Thai Army doesn't listen to the government because they're main concern is you know who. It has nothing to do with maturity and waiting it out but the desire to end the exploitation of their county by the hands of their own leaders and the corruption eating away at its core.

[hammered]

Offices in nearby airport locations asked to evacuate by 6pm.

DTAC and other companies sending their workers homes

Got the makings of something..

DTAC have been named by the UDD as being supporters of the PAD. They have sent their staff home indefinitely to protect them. Things spiral further out of control. Somebody has to do something and it likely wont be nice.

[tatt2dude]

No more coups in Thailand. For the love of God. NO pain NO gain. Again and again, what 22 so far? Let them sort themselves out in their own way and not you're particular eurocentric view of what's best for 'em huh?

Coup please!.... Not so much worried about "em" as you put it, but I for one would like to see a plane full of tourists and food on the table Friday

Well. What can I say. What foresight. And what about any Friday next year, two years on, ten?

It's people with your kind of thinking's brought about the present world economic crisis. But we wannit NOWWWWW!!!!

Anything else you can lay at my door?

Let me see if I got this straight or not? On one side we have the red team, they are all a bit thick and dont really know what's good for them and vote for bad people to run the country. Then on the yellow team we have the more "intelligent" people who only want a vote for people as intelligent as them. To prove how smart they are they have taken an international airport hostage and thus dragged the whole world into their personal drama.

What your suggesting is it is better to allow this to play out? Go at each other with machetes, kill, maim, bomb, shoot, etc.... until the last man standing gets the power and thus his way must be the right way.

Meanwhile.......

Many normal hard working Thai's who have invested their time and money into their tourist driven businesses go down the pan..... along with any farangs who actually invest in this country.

Yes I can see it clearly now.... I have been very selfish.... I'm sorry.

PS... even though I dont own a credit card or carry any debt from a financial organization whatsoever I can see how my attitude has been responsible for the global meltdown..... I am ashamed

Coup.... any time today would be good.

[Insight]

the_webninja - If you're really a "web ninja" you should be familiar with the phrase OFF #!$# TOPIC!!!

[grandpops]

Offices in nearby airport locations asked to evacuate by 6pm.

DTAC and other companies sending their workers homes

Got the makings of something..

DTAC have been named by the UDD as being supporters of the PAD. They have sent their staff home indefinitely to protect them. Things spiral further out of control. Somebody has to do something and it likely wont be nice.

Now that is interesting. DTAC are behind this as well. Any word on the truth of this? Now we really could put them in line to lose a lot of money, even as mere falangs.

[lennois]

As long as the rural majority can be bought off for 500 Baht a vote it will be unacceptable to PAD.

It's much easier to buy a few million people's votes for 500 Baht a pop than say a few thousand Bangkokians vote for several million each... You cannot have a government elected on the back of bribery. That is not democracy.

you actually believe this ???

how do all these PAD'rs pay for their food? out of their own pocket? they don't have to work?

really? how's payi9ng for the TV station, the concerts, etc ???

... get real man, they're getting paid to protest and the money is coming from illegal wood cutting and drugs trade !

this whole buying vote argument is so childish; explain this to me;

I take 1000 baht from 1 party, take 1000 baht from the second party, but actually vote for a third party ... how do you know, how do you stop it?

you're whole vote-buying argument has no value what so ever !

all it means is that you're really bad in finding excuses ...

I certainly believe it. Its most sensible post I have read today.

LOL. Why would they want to buy a Bangkokians vote for several million when they likely already have their support in the first place.

They ALL try to buy the rural votes (they aren't stupid) and it all evens out.

Ask some of these rural folk who they support. You won't need to pay them, they'll tell you for FREE and we all know what they'll be saying.... but I guess their opinion/vote doesn't count, right? WRONG

Edited November 27, 2008 by lennois

[frodo]

Offices in nearby airport locations asked to evacuate by 6pm.

DTAC and other companies sending their workers homes

Got the makings of something..

DTAC have been named by the UDD as being supporters of the PAD. They have sent their staff home indefinitely to protect them. Things spiral further out of control. Somebody has to do something and it likely wont be nice.

Not those peaceful government supporters! I agree though, this is getting out of control. Whether or not DTAC supported PAD is not my care. The employees on the other hand have every reason to be concerned and are innocent of this. It is interesting how DTAC was one of the first to be accused, considering its rival still has a major player owning a large percentage of the company.

[uptoyoumyfriend]

the thai government is not democratically elected because of all the vote buying that has taken place and other irregularities. if the pad did not have broad support in the population they would have been chased away a long time ago. the whole thing the pad is doing now is to keep the government from changing the constitution to give them a legit platform before the courts will throw them out and disband the parties involved .too bad the courts are so slow.in any case this is a struggle of the thai people to move away from the eternal banana republic and thaksin and family to hold on to power and money. some people don't see that of course but then again there were lots a people voting for mc cain and pailin...

and btw,if you don't understand how the vote buying works then you just don't know anything and maybe you want to come up here to the north and i will explain it to you.it is whole villages that are bought and the pressure is on the village headman if the voting doesn't turn out right.just like under hitler,duh!,if you remember that guy.the fact that there is an election doesn't make it democratic.

and while the army doesn't want to govern they have no other choice when the constitution is tampered with too much.