Peace has returned to Thailand but the road ahead is still hazy and complex

[webfact]

1 YEAR AFTER THE COUP
Peace has returned to Thailand but the road ahead is still hazy and complex
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- A YEAR AGO, Thailand was still mired in a destructive conflict and intractable political deadlock. The coup on May 22 completely redrew the political landscape, bringing hope to many people even as it was strongly opposed by many others.

A year later, both supporters as well as detractors of the putsch will undoubtedly acknowledge that the country has become relatively peaceful, and been spared the endless street protests.

The martial law has been lifted but it has been converted into an order from the coup-makers - the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) - that hands wide-ranging powers to the military.

Critics point to the restrictions on rights and liberties. Political gatherings of five people or more are still prohibited, which has prevented political parties from holding meetings, even when their opinions are sought for matters like constitution drafting.

Small protests or shows of dissent against the coup were easily subdued. But under the surface, discontent is brewing and threatening to boil over. Post-coup life is miserable for people who disapprove of it, but those who are more accepting find signs of improvement.

Not surprisingly, the coup ignited a strong reaction from the international community. The United States has frozen military assistance and cooperation, the European Union has discouraged any significant cooperation with the military government while many others in Asia have said they supported the "Thai way" of political reform towards democracy and reconciliation.

It seems the government has failed in its efforts to bring about a rapprochement between the conflicting groups, who still refuse to reconcile and many of them still engage in hate speech on social networks.

During a recent visit by reporters from The Nation to a community in Pathum Thani that was targeted by authorities in the reconciliation efforts, we found that the residents associated with the red shirts and the yellow shirts still could not come to terms with each other.

Some red-shirt residents said that due to the pressure from the military, they could no longer be politically active like in the past.

"But we still have not changed. In our hearts, we are still red shirts," one of them said.

The drafting of the new constitution has almost been completed. However, observers fear that disagreements between the Constitution Drafting Committee and the National Reform Council over certain provisions may doom the draft's chances of getting endorsed by the NRC. If that happens, the framing process will have to start again from scratch.

Things seem to be proceeding down the post-coup roadmap as unveiled by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Prayut, who as the NCPO head wields extensive powers under the interim charter, has maintained that the roadmap's timeline would be followed, although he hasn't ruled out staying on in power for a few more years.

After some politicians called for a democratic constitution, even if that meant the postponement of the next election, Prayut said those people should help find a way if they want the government to overstay the term specified in the roadmap.

Recently, some members of the NRC called for a revision of the draft constitution to require a national referendum on whether the reforms should be implemented in two years after the new charter is promulgated, before the next election will be held.

If the request is granted and most voters agree, those in power will remain in office for two more years. That may be bad news for the junta's detractors and the Western countries that have condemned the coup, but it will be good news for those who view Prayut and his team as agents of change.

One year after the NCPO assumed power, villagers in rural provinces have felt their power to protect their communities weaken. More than 100 mining licences have either been renewed or issued, as most locals remain in the dark.

It is hard for local leaders or local environmentalists to mobilise residents in the same neighbourhood to block a project that may have serious impacts on the local environment and their health.

If they hold a big gathering - even to provide information on possible adverse impacts from a project - they will attract soldiers too.

On another front, the NCPO's policy to reclaim forestland from encroachers is laudable. However, the landless and the underprivileged are the first group to bear the brunt of this policy, as they will be forced out of the forest, their homeland for many decades.

On the economic front, business leaders have praised the post-coup government's grand ambition to tackle the country's problems. But they are also urging the government to tackle the challenges for sustainable growth.

They suggest that the government enhance the country's competitiveness, reform the educational system, save households from ballooning debts and help boost farmers' incomes.

On the first anniversary of the coup, The Nation will run a series of articles every day during this week.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Peace-has-returned-to-Thailand-but-the-road-ahead--30260335.html


-- The Nation 2015-05-18

[BSJ]

Nothing new to read here! Must be a slow news day.

[TVGerry]

No one likes a coup but since it happened, we've had a year of relative peace.

No 'peaceful' protests or violence from supporters from either side of the political spectrum.

Nuff said.

[LannaGuy]

No one likes a coup but since it happened, we've had a year of relative peace.

No 'peaceful' protests or violence from supporters from either side of the political spectrum.

Nuff said.

There hasn't been a choice as the guys with guns took over

Nuff said

[LuckyLew]

Peace in Thailand? Tell that to the people down south, they had an explosive weekend

Guess the writer does not really consider the south a part of Thailand then

Maybe that is part of the problem, no one gives a hoot about what is happening in the south

[NeverFaFer]

It's been one year already? Oh mighty..

[Plutojames88]

The Chinese are writing this.

Reality is the "" hostage situation continues""

The truth is harder to define and sanctions loom large.

TV stations shut down

Fear grows

And opponents prosecuted .

World watches as Thailand goes to the edge.

No jargon or "" Slants on truth"" can spin their intent if Yingluck is jailed.

Revolution and civil war is in the balance .

If they dare do it ...( Jail her) it will not remain peaceful..

And while peace is induced by fear of guns to head it is something different to that which is from the heart

Edited May 18, 2015 by Plutojames88

[tbthailand]

suppression never brings peace.

it might bring a false sense of calm, but it doesn't bring peace.

military oppression doesn't resolve conflicts, it creates them.

that is the sad future facing Thailand today. We're in for more conflict before it gets better.

[Lupatria]

So Yala and Hat Yai is already considered “overseas”?

[lovetotravel]

The Chinese are writing this.

Reality is the "" hostage situation continues""

The truth is harder to define and sanctions loom large.

TV stations shut down

Fear grows

And opponents prosecuted .

World watches as Thailand goes to the edge.

No jargon or "" Slants on truth"" can spin their intent if Yingluck is jailed.

Revolution and civil war is in the balance .

If they dare do it ...( Jail her) it will not remain peaceful..

And while peace is induced by fear of guns to head it is something different to that which is from the heart

Sanctions loom large due to policies of corrupt politicians in power previously (red or yellow)

Only one propaganda TV station has been shut down. And for good reason. Most western countries would have never allowed a station like that on the air. It spewed hate and for sure spread fear.

I don't see fear growing with anybody I associate with. Unhappy with the media limitations? Absolutely. Afraid? No way.

If Yingluck is jailed, it will be because of her previous actions. Perhaps it's time a senior corrupt politician here is jailed? Either color would be fine. An example needs to be set.

Peace is upon us because the military are doing what the police couldn't do, or didn't want to do. Stop the violence. That is what prompted this coup. Remember?

It's far from perfect here, but no protesters. No protester deaths. Streets in Bangkok are clear. Well, relatively clear.

[FangFerang]

"The coup on May 22 completely redrew the political landscape."

Yes, gerrymandering is a big part of "political reform".

"A year later, both supporters as well as detractors of the putsch will undoubtedly acknowledge that the country has become relatively peaceful, and been spared the endless street protests," (emphasis mine).

Yep. Bangkok is the entire country once again. It is good to remind the serfs from time to time, actually 18 times.

"villagers in rural provinces have felt their power to protect their communities weaken. More than 100 mining licences have either been renewed or issued, as most locals remain in the dark."

Yes, and the land encroachment pogrom has nailed red shirts and the poor almost exclusively. Now that's a way to bring happiness to the people (the "right" people anyway). And there still is no GPS survey of Suthep's son's alleged encroachments with his holdings on Koh Samui.....curiously.

"Things seem to be proceeding down the post-coup roadmap as unveiled by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-ch" and " although he hasn't ruled out staying on in power for a few more years," (emphasis mine)

Wow, no surprises here either. Suthep already endorsed him for another five years, and some of the astrologers agreed. And wasn't Suthep the one who said they had orchestrated the coup, he and the PM General, months before the protests?...

Edited May 18, 2015 by FangFerang

[JohnnyJazz]

God works in mysterious ways. India is a shit hole corrupted to the bone but because people likes to refer to it as the "biggest democracy in the world" it is allowed to get away with it. On the other hand as China is seen as an "enemy of the free world", tremendous pressure has been put on it to improve and helped made it the world power it is now.Thailand was going the Indian way but now sanctions from the west is already helping it in ways as diverse as aviation safety, labour rights in the fishing industry, rights of migrants, fight against corruption ...It wasn't probably what was expecting the protesters of 2014 but who are we to complain ?

[AlQaholic]

"Things seem to be proceeding down the post-coup roadmap as unveiled by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-ch" and " although he hasn't ruled out staying on in power for a few more years," (emphasis mine)

Wow, no surprises here either. Suthep already endorsed him for another five years, and some of the astrologers agreed. And wasn't Suthep the one who said they had orchestrated the coup, he and the PM General, months before the protests?...

And don't forget, Suthep single-handedly brought down an entire Government in 1995, of course it was not his intention, just that his land grab corruption activities in Phuket came out into the open.

[northernphil]

'..the road ahead is still hazy and complex.' Must be all the lost Chinese VIP buses. Sorry ,I will be going out in a minute.

[Srikcir]

In one year Egypt had a military coup, wrote a new constitution, held a referendum on the constitution, and had open and free elections to install a democratic government. And all this occurred in spite of an active and violent insurgency from the Muslim Brotherhood.

In one year Thailand has not progressed beyond its military coup.

There is no road ahead, just tank tracks across the backs of the Thai people's sovereignty.

[Smokemachine]

Some red-shirt residents said that due to the pressure from the military, they could no longer be politically active like in the past.
"But we still have not changed. In our hearts, we are still red shirts," one of them said.

Why don't the people try to wear just one shirt?

The Thai Shirt.

[catweazle]

???? Peace in Thailand? How many bombs went off in Yala in the past 7 days? Is that Nation's writer out of his mind? Is he even living on this planet??? Un effen believable!!!!!!!

Edited May 18, 2015 by catweazle

[lovetotravel]

In one year Egypt had a military coup, wrote a new constitution, held a referendum on the constitution, and had open and free elections to install a democratic government. And all this occurred in spite of an active and violent insurgency from the Muslim Brotherhood.

In one year Thailand has not progressed beyond its military coup.

There is no road ahead, just tank tracks across the backs of the Thai people's sovereignty.

And look where Egypt is now. It's a mess. Controlled by the junta and an a horrible record on human rights:

https://www.amnesty.org/en/articles/news/2014/01/egypt-three-years-wide-scale-repression-continues-unabated/

Great article in the Post today. Interview with Abhisit. He's got it pretty spot on. Don't rush elections or you'll have the same problems we have today. Get it right. Politicians can wait.

[DM07]

As they say: the absence of war does not equal peace!

...and in Thailand, even war is not absent!

[robblok]

Quite happy with the coup and the fact that the red terrorists aren't killing anymore kids and protesters. Not so happy though about the mining concessions. But its quite normal that one does not like everything a government does.

I am against the fact that the villagers cant mobilize and protests against the mines, I am happy political protests have banned but this should just be allowed.

[DM07]

Quite happy with the coup and the fact that the red terrorists aren't killing anymore kids and protesters. Not so happy though about the mining concessions. But its quite normal that one does not like everything a government does.

I am against the fact that the villagers cant mobilize and protests against the mines, I am happy political protests have banned but this should just be allowed.

Yeah, right!

The things that I am okay with, should be aloud.

The rest can just eff off!

Excellent understanding of democracy!

[robblok]

Quite happy with the coup and the fact that the red terrorists aren't killing anymore kids and protesters. Not so happy though about the mining concessions. But its quite normal that one does not like everything a government does.

I am against the fact that the villagers cant mobilize and protests against the mines, I am happy political protests have banned but this should just be allowed.

Yeah, right!

The things that I am okay with, should be aloud.

The rest can just eff off!

Excellent understanding of democracy!

Democracy is more then winning an election.. Guess you did not know that just like the PTP did not. Trying to whitewash a convicted criminal at all cost and in doing so paving the way for a coup.

[aaacorp]

"That is not dead which can eternal lie,

And with strange aeons even death may die."

[tx22cb]

"Peace returned to Thailand" - just hope the other headline (Suthep To Leave Monkhood) does not negate the sentiment.

[JAG]

The road ahead is not at all complex. The Junta (well one man really), has absolute power. Arrangements are being made to ensure that he (and the Junta) retains that power for the foreseeable future.

Where the road may get a bit bumpy is when the people, or a lot of them, get fed up with the situation and decide to take action.

Sadly it may well end with them being shot, for some reason or another, and then there will be a really bumpy bit and the wheels will probably come off.

Edited May 18, 2015 by JAG

[tonbridgebrit]

Quite happy with the coup and the fact that the red terrorists aren't killing anymore kids and protesters. Not so happy though about the mining concessions. But its quite normal that one does not like everything a government does.

I am against the fact that the villagers cant mobilize and protests against the mines, I am happy political protests have banned but this should just be allowed.

Yeah, right!

The things that I am okay with, should be aloud.

The rest can just eff off!

Excellent understanding of democracy!

Democracy is more then winning an election.. Guess you did not know that just like the PTP did not. Trying to whitewash a convicted criminal at all cost and in doing so paving the way for a coup.

robblok, maybe it's you who doesn't understand what democracy is ?

Anyway, you've got your interpretation, places like America, Europe and Australia have got their interpretation as to what democracy is.

Thailand's problem is not 'some Thais' are unhappy about democracy (lack of democracy) in Thailand. Correct, it doesn't matter what the Thais think. What does matter is what America, Europe and Australia thinks. These places are drifting away from Thailand, and this isn't actually good for Thailand, and all Thais know it, including the Chinese-Thai elite. It's because of these countries, that's why the issue of democracy is being raised. That's why the road ahead is hazy and complex.

[tbthailand]

Quite happy with the coup and the fact that the red terrorists aren't killing anymore kids and protesters. Not so happy though about the mining concessions. But its quite normal that one does not like everything a government does.

I am against the fact that the villagers cant mobilize and protests against the mines, I am happy political protests have banned but this should just be allowed.

well, we agree about the villagers.

[AlQaholic]

In one year Egypt had a military coup, wrote a new constitution, held a referendum on the constitution, and had open and free elections to install a democratic government. And all this occurred in spite of an active and violent insurgency from the Muslim Brotherhood.

In one year Thailand has not progressed beyond its military coup.

There is no road ahead, just tank tracks across the backs of the Thai people's sovereignty.

And look where Egypt is now. It's a mess. Controlled by the junta and an a horrible record on human rights:

https://www.amnesty.org/en/articles/news/2014/01/egypt-three-years-wide-scale-repression-continues-unabated/

Great article in the Post today. Interview with Abhisit. He's got it pretty spot on. Don't rush elections or you'll have the same problems we have today. Get it right. Politicians can wait.

The courts in Egypt recently mass-convicted 500 people to death because they where all involved in the death of one police officer. Some of the convicted where already dead when the crime took place and some where in jail at the time. Recently 6 young people was also convicted to the death sentence for some recent crime (doesn't matter what) while one of them has been in an Israeli Jail since 1996 and two other was in Jail at the time of the crime. There ya go! that't how well Egypt is doing with regards to Democracy....

[DM07]

Quite happy with the coup and the fact that the red terrorists aren't killing anymore kids and protesters. Not so happy though about the mining concessions. But its quite normal that one does not like everything a government does.

I am against the fact that the villagers cant mobilize and protests against the mines, I am happy political protests have banned but this should just be allowed.

Yeah, right!

The things that I am okay with, should be aloud.

The rest can just eff off!

Excellent understanding of democracy!

Democracy is more then winning an election.. Guess you did not know that just like the PTP did not. Trying to whitewash a convicted criminal at all cost and in doing so paving the way for a coup.

What on god's green earth are you talking about?

Who said, it is only about winning elections?

Where did I whitewash anyone?

Not all reds were killing kids and protesters.

What you are doing, is cherry- picking!

The villagers should have the right to protest (which I agree with)- because it doesn't collide with your agenda!

"Reds" (whatever that means!) should be allowed to voice their opinion in protest?

Yes or no?

[robblok]

Quite happy with the coup and the fact that the red terrorists aren't killing anymore kids and protesters. Not so happy though about the mining concessions. But its quite normal that one does not like everything a government does.

I am against the fact that the villagers cant mobilize and protests against the mines, I am happy political protests have banned but this should just be allowed.

Yeah, right!

The things that I am okay with, should be aloud.

The rest can just eff off!

Excellent understanding of democracy!

Democracy is more then winning an election.. Guess you did not know that just like the PTP did not. Trying to whitewash a convicted criminal at all cost and in doing so paving the way for a coup.

What on god's green earth are you talking about?

Who said, it is only about winning elections?

Where did I whitewash anyone?

Not all reds were killing kids and protesters.

What you are doing, is cherry- picking!

The villagers should have the right to protest (which I agree with)- because it doesn't collide with your agenda!

"Reds" (whatever that means!) should be allowed to voice their opinion in protest?

Yes or no?

Right now.. nobody should voice political opinions its a time to let Prayut do his work and a time not to deepen the divide. I am quite happy that there are no bombs going off or people getting shot by the reds.

But that is a totally seperate issue from people who feel their health is in danger and can't protest because of these rules. That is not political at all and wont lead to more political divide and violence.

Get it