Thailand's army invokes martial law: military TV

[Stradavarius37]

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T News showing a military proclamation that CAPO is no longer to exist.
Also nobody in or out of Aksa

...can one speculate from this exactly who the senior figure was who owned the vehicle containing the cache of weapons...?!

Under martial law? I wouldn't.

Lighten up Francis.....Thai military doesn't care what a bunch of fat, old farangs talk about on Thai Visa.

[mrtoad]

Looks like Chalerm might need a few drinks this morning. Good riddance if his CAPO gang has gone.

[MrJohnson]

Good Morning Campers. It's Groundhog Day. Déjà vu.

[iancnx]

Absolutely nothing on Thai TV..... Missus scanning all channels for the last 20 mins.

[Jeffrey346]

It's on CNN now...

[Somtamnication]

No soldiers on Sukhumvit Road.

Not a coup, "yet". But it's coming.

During the 2006 coup, all was normal. Tourists at first stayed away, particularly the Asian tourists, but after a few weeks, all was normal and very peaceful.

[TimCM]

Looks like Chalerm might need a few drinks this morning. Good riddance if his CAPO gang has gone.

Why would today be any different than any other day

[Thait Spot]

Capo has been dissolved? lots of updates on Richard Barrows twitter feed btw.

Is that the pseudo-journalist who lives in Red Samut Prakarn? Should stick to food review.

That'll be the Richard Barrow that somehow seems to be many heartbeats ahead of the rest of the English language information.

Indeed. Hats off to him and Thulsathit for setting the pace and doing it with personality

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[webfact]

Army chief declares martial law
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha Tuesday declared martial law that covers the entire nation.

The martial law took effect on 3 am.

Following the martial law declaration, the Army chief issued an order to set up the peacekeeping command to replace the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order. The Army chief is the chief of the peacekeeping command.


-- The Nation 2014-05-20

[Stradavarius37]

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Good Morning Campers. It's Groundhog Day. Déjà vu.

Then where is Bill Murray?

[NongKhaiKid]

My news text from the other newspaper says Jatuporn is urging reds not to oppose the army.

[NongKhaiKid]

My news text from the other newspaper says Jatuporn is urging reds not to oppose the army.

[Mango Bob]

So will the Army arrest Suthep and bring him to his day in court?

[Stradavarius37]

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My news text from the other newspaper says Jatuporn is urging reds not to oppose the army.

He's trying to play nice because his bail was just revoked LOL.

[Crushdepth]

Suthep, bad monk, Jatuporn and all their hardcore lackeys should go home and take some rest and think about the damage done so far.

Now the Army should be rounding up everyone from both sides who have warrants against them. Suthep and his guards will be no match against the military.

Unless they are the military

[Soutpeel]

Thai government not consulted about martial law: PM's aide

BANGKOK, May 20, 2014 (AFP) - Thailand's embattled government was not consulted in advance by the military about the declaration of martial law but it is still in power, said the chief security adviser to Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan.

"The caretaker government still exists with Niwattumrong as caretaker prime minister. Everything is normal except the military is responsible for all national security issues," Paradon Pattanatabut told AFP.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-05-20

Yes...Khun Niwattumrong, keep telling yourself the government is in power...

If they didn't consult the government about the martial law, how do you know who is responsible for what ?

Pack ya bags my dear chap...I hear Dubai or even Saudi are nice this time of the year...

[Tokay]

About time, now they can have elections and get reforms done the right way.

Right. Then the madness can start all over again.

[ginjag]

Martial law should never be invoked under any situation, an army that works against the people and becomes a police force completely misses the point they are meant to be the guardians of the country against outside forces, their role is to HELP Thai people not to fight against any of them.

The army have done NOTHING in the past few months and have been utterly ineffective in trying to stop violent attacks, let's see if they even have the balls to go and remove the few guards and the insane monk who have managed to hold onto a gigantic government complex for about 6 months. They have been getting destroyed in the south for years and were really outrageously stupid in 2010 as well.

Your comment on Police ??? who should be at hand to keep the civilian population in hand. If they did the job they are paid to do no army would be needed.

[chooka]

Is there a list of restrictions anywhere for what this actually means? I'm about to leave for Bangkok in two days.

Don't know - curfew at 9pm, not allowed to gather in groups over 5 people etc?

I would guess the same as the emergency decree that the courts dismissed because there was no requirement for it. The military have now just over ruled the courts.

[Jimmu]

Coups, floods, extra judicial killing sprees, occupation and burning of buildings in capital, political chaos on the streets, rice policies, corrupt governments, civil war, irrational violence and now martial law.

Sometimes I feel like I'm living in some sort of extra terrestrial soap opera rather than a country.

Probably 70% of those issues also apply to your home country.

Floods: Very occasionally! The rest not... What percentage is that?

Edited May 19, 2014 by Jimmu

[Thait Spot]

The PTP can't really complain about this as Surapong said he would welcome it

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[saakura]

Webfact and Richard Barrow are about to become some of the busiest people in Thailand. Thank you guys for the day of hard work you are about to do for all of us. BTW Newbies (and be honest with yourselves as to whether you are) ThaiVisa news and Richard Barrow (on twitter) are the 2 places you will get accurate information. DO NOT depend on the mainstream media. In 2010 they were SO far off the mark that they described a live fire zone as safe.

All depends on which side of the divide you are standing on.

[LomSak27]

The Red Shirt convoys do a U Turn?!

You can't have the Reds mount a major protest, not like the yellows have been doing since .. December

That cannot be allowed

[issanaus]

I don't think the Military had much choice with what was likely to happen over the next few days, It is easier to maintain what passes for law and order rather than trying to reimpose order after all hell breaks out. What martial law really means depends on what the responses by the various camps is.

Martial law is not a coup - but can be a precursor to one. However I think that the argument could be made that CAPO had in effect already staged a coup.

[ginjag]

Why does Thailand even have a military? All they do is covert power and money.

The role of the military is to defend the country and we have seen what happens if someone attacks Thailand in the past. The military runs home to cry to their mums.

The Military in Thailand is a large corporation not a defence force, they own airlines, Television stations, hotels etc they have no time for all that silly marching up and down, saluting and that other stuff. This political turmoil has been interfering in their business arm.

Together with the police who are a highway money making franchise.

[binjalin]

BP headline? about a Beauty Pageant! Martial Law..? na that's not worth reporting... lol

correction - they caught up

[paymaster]

My apologies to "bkkgooner" post 26 somehow my post in response post60 was included as part of your post.

[jollyman]

it means dear lads that you are going to have to be very careful what you speak here BIG BROTHER watching

[Spoonman]

Thai government not consulted about martial law: PM's aide

BANGKOK, May 20, 2014 (AFP) - Thailand's embattled government was not consulted in advance by the military about the declaration of martial law but it is still in power, said the chief security adviser to Prime Minister Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan.

"The caretaker government still exists with Niwattumrong as caretaker prime minister. Everything is normal except the military is responsible for all national security issues," Paradon Pattanatabut told AFP.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-05-20

If everything is normal why the delay to pay the rice farmers ?

[Bluespunk]

So it is 6 AM and I am watching CNN. No mention of it.. Let's try BBC.

Johnathan Head has just said that people in Bkk are ' baffled " by the move and there are no details yet on what it will entail.

J Head is often baffled, as his reporting shows.