Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Coup in Thailand

The so-called "Council of Political Reform" they announced is apparently loyal to sacked military commander Lt Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin and has declared its loyalty to the king.

However, the BBC's Kate McGeown in Bangkok says King Bhumibol is held in high esteem by all Thais, and the declaration of loyalty does not necessarily imply that he backs the takeover attempt.
Some thoughts: 1) After the attempt of King Gyanendra in Nepal, is it possible that the Thai king is trying - despite what the BBC says - is trying for direct rule instead of his current (minor) role? 2) CNN is saying the Army has revoked the constitution, so this sounds like a bad sign. The Thai PM is in New York, saying the coup cannot succeed.

Bad news for the Thais, I suppose.

The (now-deposed?) PM is apparently a bit of a Chavez figure, in the sense that his loyalties lie mainly with the poor, despite an alienated middle class. But all of the above needs the gigantic caveat that my knowledge of Thai politics is about 30 minutes old.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The King of Nepal and the King of Thailand could not be more different and they are seen totally differently by their people.
I think monarchy is obsolete and stupid. So many countries have been ruined because at some critical juncture, the person who happened to be born into the kingship was completely wrong for leadership. (China and Korea in the 1800s come to mind.)
But when a King or Queen is smart and actually cares about his/her nation, it can pretty well. (The Emperor Meiji in Japan or King Chulalonkorn in Thailand in the 1800s)
The current Thai King has truly earned the genuine respect of the Thai people.
Second, however small his role may be technically, in fact his influence is enormous. If he wanted a more direct role, all he would have to do is let it be known that he was willing.
The Nepalis I know look at the King of Nepal about the way everyone but American Republicans view George Bush. The Thais view their king about the way Tibetans view the Dalai Lama.
I hope the new regime in Bangkok decides the end the Buddhist vs. Muslim battle in the south. Sri Lanka has already shown what a dead-end that is. Very un-Buddhist and very bad karma