What does martial law mean for Thailand?

[penwithcris]

If the path to the election booths for every single voter was overseen by international monitors Pheu Thai, or whatever the party morphs into, will win any election by a comfortable majority

No bullying, no vote buying, no gerrymandering, the working class vote in Thailand will prevail. And why shouldn't it?

However, increasing wealth amongst the rural poor which is evident throughout the deprived regions, may well see their political allegiances move to more central parties and majorities narrow

This tired nonsense about the overwhelming influence from Dubai does nothing to advance democracy in Thailand. There are vested interests in all camps

Thailand has been like an unruly and out of control Summer camp for delinquent children over the past year of more and finally the adults, the army has decided to step in

Any inconvenience has been self induced

[Yahooka]

When you have soldiers on the streets of Bangkok armed and with checkpoints you can call it what you want but at the end of the day the Military are now in control of the Country as for travellers most insurance companies will not cover a person who is visiting a country that is under the control of the military

Not true,it`s not a coup and any serious travel insurance is still valid.

[gchurch259]

_{If they leave any of the Dubai Dude cronies in power they have nnot cut deep enough to get the Cancer out !!}

[moe666]

Is martial law the reason You Porn is now blocked for Thai IP addresses? A shocking infringement on human rights if so....

Still works for me, thank goodness.

You live in Thailand and need porn.

[mic59]

Haven't heard that this is expected to affect travellers to Thailand but from what I hear it could be an inconvenience. And I would assume that it could escalate into something more serious. Seems like a perfect time to visit my niece in England instead of going to Thailand for my annual holiday.

[jennywren]

What this is showing is that a coup is much easily fought off once it has been started. All those threats cannot be made now as the games a foot as they say. No chances to prepare strategy now and its' already make it up as you go along... not even 24 hours and they are ridiculed.

They are on the backfoot already on day one because they have thought nothing through at all. This is a reaction to PDRC failing to pull off what was expected of them and being outnumbered by the real body or people in the country... ie. the Red Shirts and the North who they despise so much.

Media blackouts and threats against anybody talking to media have increased throughout the day.

It's going to be short lonely stay at the top of the pile now they have exposed themselves and all their inadequacies, weaknesses, thin skins and shortage of popular support.

The joke about "where are the Government" fell flat within 5 mins. when it transpired they had been courting the worlds media and world leaders instead of dancing along with the other puppets the army had summonsed.

Elections anybody?

[jaideeguy]

Q. What does martial law mean for Thailand?

A. It means just another day in paradise!!

[Gil]

Haven't heard that this is expected to affect travellers to Thailand but from what I hear it could be an inconvenience. And I would assume that it could escalate into something more serious. Seems like a perfect time to visit my niece in England instead of going to Thailand for my annual holiday.

Do so Pal. Good idea! My wife and I have quit, forever.

[Lancashireman]

I don't believe it's a coup. Prayuth has been very reluctant to go this far and shows no inclination of wanting to take full control. It's pretty measured and while not welcomed, at least it gives some security to the situation and should enable the govt to get through to an election.

Completely agree.

This is as good a response I have read on this 'topical' situation. Thank you...

Edited May 20, 2014 by Lancashireman

[Bpuumike]

So basically this declaration of Martial Law was necessary because the Royal Thai Police is unwilling or unable to do their job.

It is (was) my understanding that the Police is responsible for law and order inside the country and the Military to defend the country against enemies from outside.

Now, both, Police and Military have miserably failed to do their job, the Police doing nothing besides collecting bribes from motorcycle drivers without helmet and the military pointing their guns at Thai citizens.

Why does anyone believe the situation will get better now?

I think it was Einstein who defined stupidity as repeating the same experiment over and over and hoping for a different result.

Or repeating similar posts.

[leggo]

I am very concerned to see that some Thai soldiers were seen wearing yellow ribbons on Australian TV , I am totally impartial , but this might be interpreted as a coup and set off a spiral of events that no one wants - did anyone else notice and what is the general reaction to this ?

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 2 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[stoneyboy]

This is the info from FCO.

Edited May 20, 2014 by stoneyboy

[Fat Haggis]

I am very concerned to see that some Thai soldiers were seen wearing yellow ribbons on Australian TV , I am totally impartial , but this might be interpreted as a coup and set off a spiral of events that no one wants - did anyone else notice and what is the general reaction to this ?

Sent from my i-mobile IQ 2 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Yellow is the Royal colours, I'm sure General Prayuth would take a very dim view of his troops if they started aligning themselves with a particular movement.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[casindonet]

Oh Boy, Thailand knows how to scare away the Tourists.

TAT will come out with some amazing numbers I'm sure.....you can count on TAT for that.

[MJP]

Oh Boy, Thailand knows how to scare away the Tourists.

TAT will come out with some amazing numbers I'm sure.....you can count on TAT for that.

I think the main risk here is whether tourists are covered by their travel insurance under these circumstances. If not then that's at least the end of package tours since martial law has been invoked country wide.

[DrTuner]

Is martial law the reason You Porn is now blocked for Thai IP addresses? A shocking infringement on human rights if so....

No, that's the doing of the Big Brother that's been there for years. I think some wikipedia pages are blocked too, somewhere there's a room full of special investigators surfing for porn and blacklisting the sites.

Edited May 20, 2014 by DrTuner

[spidermike007]

All we civilians are experiencing is a huge traffic jam in from of the Military Check Points. I just drove along Ramkhamhaeng road. There is a huge traffic jam caused by the military check point under the intersection with the Outer Ring (Kanchanaphisek Road), long 5 km and 4 lanes wide. Not exactly what makes this coup popular.

But if you take the parallel road Seri Thai, no military check point, no traffic jam. So, what's the point of these check points? Show off?

But we can always count on the military to ... mess up things even more.

Why, oh why is the civil government not able to control the military? Who do the military guys (still) believe they can solve the problems? Never learn?

The civilian govt. controlling the military? That would be akin to Pauly Shore kicking Lennox Lewis ass. What on earth are you taking about? The civilian govt. has no power, authority, nor any ability to control anything. That is part of what led to this. They cannot even control their followers.

[spidermike007]

So basically this declaration of Martial Law was necessary because the Royal Thai Police is unwilling or unable to do their job.

It is (was) my understanding that the Police is responsible for law and order inside the country and the Military to defend the country against enemies from outside.

Now, both, Police and Military have miserably failed to do their job, the Police doing nothing besides collecting bribes from motorcycle drivers without helmet and the military pointing their guns at Thai citizens.

Why does anyone believe the situation will get better now?

I think it was Einstein who defined stupidity as repeating the same experiment over and over and hoping for a different result.

Or repeating similar posts.

To compare the police with the military is like comparing uncle bens converted rice with whole grain jasmine rice. It is like comparing great pomelo with Florida grapefruit. The police are one of the least effective organizations in the world. They are a revenue collection agency. When have they EVER done anything to benefit Thai society? Ever? At least the army has the power to get something done. I do not like the idea of martial law, but the alternative was not working. When you have absolute goombahs like Suthep dictating terms to the public something has got to give. The country had become very dysfunctional.

[northernjohn]

I don't believe it's a coup. Prayuth has been very reluctant to go this far and shows no inclination of wanting to take full control. It's pretty measured and while not welcomed, at least it gives some security to the situation and should enable the govt to get through to an election.

Im pleasantly suprised..........THAT is a sensible post...............NOW if you can just agree that we have a FAIR election with no bribery, vote buying................voting for people abstaining and bullying where ALL parties are allowed to stand in ALL areas of thailand and without interferece from Dubai we will be on the same page!!

I too was surprised at the sensible reply he gave. Good to see him learning.

I would differ on your interpretation on voting in all areas. It was not the PTP red shirts that caused that to come about. I was going to say fiasco but on thinking it over I see where it was a good thing.

The PTP knows that they no longer have the upper hand with there hired thugs the army will stop that. Also I believe they are more willing to be more sensible. They are now fully convinced that their my way or the HI way will not work for them any more. In the past it has been the red shirts and the yellow shirts. They now know that the majority of the population who is neither and are just grass roots has had enough and want to be heard.

[tropo]

Oh Boy, Thailand knows how to scare away the Tourists.

It will scare of some tourists, but according to some figures I've seen, tourism accounts for only 6% of Thailand's GDP. Even if tourism drops by 50%, that's only 3% of GDP. They've got other things on their mind and tourism won't stand in the way.

[tropo]

Q. What does martial law mean for Thailand?

A. It means just another day in paradise!!

LOL. The first thing I checked when I woke up and read the news was the exchange rate.

This type of political turmoil has been going on for many decades. It doesn't serve any purpose stressing out over it too much.

As long as the military, who are supposed to be controlled by the government, make the rules, democracy can't exist. Most of us knew this when we first arrived. All we can do is sit back and watch the show and hope we don't get hit by stray bullets.

[Publicus]

The reds were getting ready to mobilize, with armed reds coming to town. We all know what happens when the reds run amok. So the army acted in a way to cut off the violence that was inevitable.

The ball is now in Thaksin's court. Will he continue with the mobilize order, or realize he has, once again, been out maneuvered.

Personally, I am glad the army acted preemptively. Now let's get things sorted out and back on track... all under military supervision, of course.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Martial law was imposed because Suthep and his fascist PDRC and thugs were in process of assaulting Cabinet ministers and radically intensifying their street insurrection and anarchy against the legitimate government of Thailand. And because of the expected and appropriate reaction of the UDD and reds in general, not to mention the increased level of great alarm among the population in general at all recent accelerated developments.

[tropo]

The reds were getting ready to mobilize, with armed reds coming to town. We all know what happens when the reds run amok. So the army acted in a way to cut off the violence that was inevitable.

The ball is now in Thaksin's court. Will he continue with the mobilize order, or realize he has, once again, been out maneuvered.

Personally, I am glad the army acted preemptively. Now let's get things sorted out and back on track... all under military supervision, of course.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Martial law was imposed because Suthep and his fascist PDRC and thugs were in process of assaulting Cabinet ministers and radically intensifying their street insurrection and anarchy against the legitimate government of Thailand. And because of the expected and appropriate reaction of the UDD and reds in general, not to mention the increased level of great alarm among the population in general at all recent accelerated developments.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz back to you.

There is no good reason for a military coup in any country which aspires to democracy.

The last one was in 2006 and now it's back to square one after wasting (another) 8 years.

Edit: I suppose it's not really a coup yet. The BBC were calling it a "half coup".

Edited May 20, 2014 by tropo

[Mentors]

VIVA LA JUNTA! The World is watching this time

[KamalaRider]

All we civilians are experiencing is a huge traffic jam in from of the Military Check Points. I just drove along Ramkhamhaeng road. There is a huge traffic jam caused by the military check point under the intersection with the Outer Ring (Kanchanaphisek Road), long 5 km and 4 lanes wide. Not exactly what makes this coup popular.

But if you take the parallel road Seri Thai, no military check point, no traffic jam. So, what's the point of these check points? Show off?

But we can always count on the military to ... mess up things even more.

Why, oh why is the civil government not able to control the military? Who do the military guys (still) believe they can solve the problems? Never learn?

I would have preferred the Thai police went in and straighten things up.

But maybe they have more information about national security threats than you or me.

Personally, I'd like to think so. We'll see or not.

And why are some of you talking about a coup, let's all wait for the coup if it happens before shewting out mouths off.

Edited May 20, 2014 by KamalaRider

[englishoak]

There is a decidedly bigger interest in this coup/non coup than previously, a lot more info on previous coups on international press, all of which are tabling 11 successful coups since 1932 etc etc

In other words the world press in general is being very sceptical of this not being one. They also wont be fooled if it turns out to be combined military/judicial coup as being anything else.

Pressure is certainly on the claim of there being no coup, it would be impossible to claim there wasnt if the senate take matters into their own hands and there is no election and an appointed gov as before.

What cannot continue simply will not.... it can probably get away with it this time but unlikely to without further unrest and very unlikely again in the future, whatever the reforms there will still be tens of millions rural with a vote for who looks after them.

To date that has never been the dems and it is hard to see how things will not revert to as before the moment an election is allowed, regardless of reform.

[wolf5370]

There is a decidedly bigger interest in this coup/non coup than previously, a lot more info on previous coups on international press, all of which are tabling 11 successful coups since 1932 etc etc

In other words the world press in general is being very sceptical of this not being one. They also wont be fooled if it turns out to be combined military/judicial coup as being anything else.

Pressure is certainly on the claim of there being no coup, it would be impossible to claim there wasnt if the senate take matters into their own hands and there is no election and an appointed gov as before.

What cannot continue simply will not.... it can probably get away with it this time but unlikely to without further unrest and very unlikely again in the future, whatever the reforms there will still be tens of millions rural with a vote for who looks after them.

To date that has never been the dems and it is hard to see how things will not revert to as before the moment an election is allowed, regardless of reform.

And therein is the problem with many of those arguing here - they decide that reforms are simply a way to get power to shift between pre-existing parties. That is not reforms. Reforms will not make a difference to who can be legally voted into office (outside of limit the illegal ways of doing so) - they will limit how the canvassing can be done, how the election must be handled and how the elected government must behave once elected. If the reforms are good, then it should be fine whoever gets in - because they will not be able to run amok like previous governments have been able to. It should also allow for real debate as canvassers would be able to canvass across the whole country and not in their own enclaves (preaching to the converted).

This inability to understand this, and some is certainly intentional, is what keeps the debate going - in truth, everyone should want reforms from either side - the Reds should want a stop to what it classes as judicial coup and the ability of the opposition to boycott elections ; the Dems should want to be able to get their message across the whole country and limit the power of the elected party when in opposition and not have their constituencies shat on by the government; the smaller parties should like it because it ousts those other small parties that are just there for the beer and trough slop, and water down their chances of seats. The only reason to not want reforms is that the reforms would take away troughing privileges, corruption, nepotism and power grabs.

[wolf5370]

The reds were getting ready to mobilize, with armed reds coming to town. We all know what happens when the reds run amok. So the army acted in a way to cut off the violence that was inevitable.

The ball is now in Thaksin's court. Will he continue with the mobilize order, or realize he has, once again, been out maneuvered.

Personally, I am glad the army acted preemptively. Now let's get things sorted out and back on track... all under military supervision, of course.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Martial law was imposed because Suthep and his fascist PDRC and thugs were in process of assaulting Cabinet ministers and radically intensifying their street insurrection and anarchy against the legitimate government of Thailand. And because of the expected and appropriate reaction of the UDD and reds in general, not to mention the increased level of great alarm among the population in general at all recent accelerated developments.

Nothing to do with caches of assault rifles being discovered then?

[KamalaRider]

I'm really getting fed up with the talk about Thaksin.

He doesn't hold any power anymore in Thailand, unless he can get a pardon, he's just a side figure in this whole mess.

I do remember 2006 before the coup when I first arrived to Thailand, almost EVERY farrang I met was talking about Thaksin really have made Thailand worth investing in, he made a hard crack down of the bloody drug lords, gangs.

Are you really that stupid that your opinion who's running this country is ever going to be a difference for us farrangs or the Thais for that matter?

We are spectators in this drama, yes the drama is for children but I personally won't be caught up in it as I'm no child anymore, let them take care of that.

Just wake up and let go, this is not your country and everytime you belch over how Thailand is run, you make a fool of yourself, why you ask, well, that's easy.

Your opinion don't mean shit to Thais so why sit and spew a lot of crap over your keyboard over something we/you can't control or affect.

In or own countries, almost all of us can agree that we have a lot of shitty politicians, almost as corrupt and crappy as in any other state.

We like to think because we are Swedish or Americans we are better, in WHAT are we better? DON'T bring up sports or any other life meaningless shit.

Yeah, almost forgot, money, we are better making money, I mean big money, not Thai baht.

So why the hell are we here?

Maybe some of us are enchanted and mesmerized by the childish way Thai are doing things, like children.

Edited May 20, 2014 by KamalaRider

[starchild5]

How convenient....This is a not a coup...which means...They are in it for a long haul....When they explicitly say, its not a coup, many will let the guard down and then they will slowly creep in taking our freedoms away....It would have been better for freedom if they just did a coup and said it so...

This is keeping everyone in the middle...which is the most dangerous for freedom...In couple of months....they will slowly come after everyone...saying this is not a coup...We need to check you to maintain "law and order"...."peace & security" of the country...

Expect to be strip searched in coming months with the words...This is not a coup...Do not fear us...but we need to search you to maintain law and order

Edited May 20, 2014 by starchild5