Thai Martial Law: Coup or no Coup? (video)

Wisdom Quarterly; Panarat Thepgumpanat, Amy Sawitta Lefevre (Reuters, 5-21-14); CNN

(CNN) Kristie Lu Stout reports on pre-dawn announcement of martial law and its implications

UPDATE 3: Talks to end Thai crisis inconclusive, new round called

• Army chief met political parties, rival protest groups
• Meeting inconclusive, said participants
• Army declared martial law on Tuesday, denies staging a coup
• Acting PM says he is still in charge, proposes Aug. 3 election

Theravada devotion, Thailand (WQ)

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's rival political factions would not agree to stop street protests on Wednesday during crisis talks aimed at ending the confrontation a day after the army declared martial law, a pro-government activist said.

Although the military denied Tuesday's surprise intervention amounted to a coup, army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha appeared to be setting the agenda by forcing groups and organizations with a central role in the crisis to talk.

Streets in the south: Phuket, 2012 (SR)

Issues raised during the meeting included reforming the political system -- a demand made by anti-government protesters -- and ending the demonstrations that have sparked violence, disrupted business, and scared off tourists.

"When asked whether each group can stop protesting, there was no commitment from either side," Thida Thawornseth, a leader of the pro-government "red shirt" political group, told Reuters. "There was no clear conclusion."

Tensions high in Bangkok (March 2010)

Puchong Nutrawong, secretary-general of the Election Commission, who was also at the talks, said all sides would meet again on Thursday.

"The army chief asked us to go back home and think about the things we discussed in order to find a solution for the country," Puchong told Reuters.

Protests continue in Thailand (2010)

Thailand has been riven for nearly 10 years by the rivalry between populist former Prime Minister [corrupt billionaire tycoon] Thaksin Shinawatra and the royalist establishment.

Echo of troubles in Venezuela (AFP)

Thaksin, a former tele-com billionaire who won the loyalty of the rural and urban poor, has lived in self-exile since 2008 but still exerts a huge influence, most recently through a government run by his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra [the latest PM to be ousted, two weeks back].

China troubles Taiwan, April 2014 (UR)

Yingluck was forced to step down as premier by a court two weeks ago, but her caretaker government remains in power, despite the declaration of martial law and six months of sometimes violent protests aimed at ousting it.

The turmoil has driven the [largest Theravada Buddhist] country to the brink of recession and even raised fears of civil war.

"HOMEWORK HANDED OUT"

Thailand anti-government protests (2009)

The anti-government protesters are opposed to an election, which Thaksin's loyalist would be likely to win. They want a "neutral" prime minister installed to oversee electoral reforms aimed at ending Thaksin's influence.

 

[They also want to replace the PM system with a citizens' committee of leaders, a move seen as too radical by the military and business interests who need a stable platform to operate their capitalist enterprises extracting labor and resources and channeling it into private hands for the benefit of the few at a steep cost to the many.] More 

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• Talks to end Thai crisis inconclusive, new round called (1) Thailand's rival political factions would not agree to stop street protests on Wednesday during crisis talks aimed at ending the confrontation a day...
• SE Asia Stocks mostly weaker; Thai index recovers
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• SE Asia Stocks mixed; Thai index up after martial law
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• SE Asia Stocks: Thailand falls after martial law; Jakarta...
• Factbox: Martial law in Thailand - What it entails

Thai army attacks protesters and kills 15

Anti-government "Red Shirt" protesters clash with Thai security forces in central Bangkok April 10, 2010. Thai troops fired rubber bullets at opposition demonstrators as they cracked down on the biggest confrontation in the month-long campaign for new elections, witnesses said (Reuters/Damir Sagolj).

(WQ) Who are the Red Shirts? Red Shirts is shorthand for the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship. Their struggle to restore democracy in Thailand and wrestle power away from a dictator (Abhisit Vejjajiva) who seized control in a military coup. Even Buddhist monks have joined in the struggle. Perennial protests went sour as Vejjajiva, tiring of their growing popularity and disruptions in the capital Bangkok, told paramilitary forces to clampdown on public demonstrations.

Thai soldiers attack demonstrators Saturday (4/10/10) in Bangkok. The deployment came after protesters were pushed back by water cannons and rubber bullets from the headquarters of the 1st Army Region(AP/David Longstreath).

Thai army pulls back from protest clashes; 15 dead

BANGKOK – Thai soldiers and police fought pitched battles Saturday night with anti-government demonstrators in streets enveloped in tear gas, but troops later retreated and asked protesters to do the same. Ten people were killed, including a Japanese journalist, and more than 500 wounded, according to hospital officials.

The army had vowed to clear the "Red Shirt" protesters out of one of their two bases in Bangkok by nightfall, but the push instead set off street fighting. There was a continuous sound of gunfire and explosions, mostly from Molotov cocktails. After more than two hours of fierce clashes, the soldiers pulled back.

Anti-government demonstrator play into the hands of violent soldiers and police during clash Saturday, April 10, 2010, in Bangkok (AP/Wason Waintchakorn). PHOTOS

Army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd went on national television Saturday night to ask the protesters to retreat as well. He also accused them of firing live rounds and throwing grenades during the fighting. "The security forces have now retreated to a certain extent from the Red Shirts," Sansern said. He said a senior government official had been asked to coordinate with the protesters to restore peace and urged them to back away to avoid more violence. More>>

Thai prime minister removed by court

An anti-government protestor attends a demonstration as he stands next to a placard depicting Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej with horns, inside the Government House in Bangkok on September 9 (AFP/Saeed Khan).

Cooking show stint derails Thai prime minister

Ambika Ahuja (AP, 9/9/08)

BANGKOK, Thailand -- A Thai court removed the prime minister Tuesday for taking pay to host a TV cooking show, setting off wild celebrations by protesters occupying his office compound. But rejoicing could be short-lived — the ruling party vowed to put him back in power. The Constitutional Court's ruling took Samak Sundaravej at least temporarily out of the cross-hairs of the People's Alliance for Democracy, a rightist movement that seized the Government House complex two weeks ago seeking to force the prime minister's resignation.

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But the ruling seemed unlikely to end the political crisis brought on by the alliance's demands for a sea change in Thai politics, beginning with Samak's ouster and eventually moving Thailand away from democracy in favor of a mostly appointed legislature. After the verdict, Samak's political party vowed to re-elect him as prime minister, as allowed by law.

Protesters said they would hold on to Government House while waiting to see who Parliament selects as prime minister, a vote expected Friday. If Samak or anyone tied to disgraced former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is picked, the occupation will continue, alliance spokesman Suriyasai Katasila told The Associated Press. More>>

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Anti-government protesters celebrate at Government House as they hear the announcement that Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had lost a crucial court case Tuesday Sept. 9, 2008, in Bangkok, Thailand. Samak lost a court case Tuesday forcing his resignation (AP Photo/Ed Wray).

Thai prime minister asks lawmakers to end crisis [after sixth day of protests]

Sutin Wannabovorn (AP)

Anti-government protesters cheer at a rally at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday night, Aug. 30, 2008. Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej faced mounting pressure to resign Saturday as anti-government protesters occupied his headquarters for a fifth day and disrupted rail and air service in some of the country's most popular tourist destinations (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit).

BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand's prime minister acknowledged that his administration cannot control spiraling anti-government protests and urged Parliament to find a political solution during an emergency session Sunday.

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej once again refused to resign as thousands of protesters camped out at his official compound for a sixth day. "I will not bow. I will not step down and I will not resign — despite the pressure mounting on my government," said Samak, speaking in his weekly television program Sunday, hours before the joint session of Parliament.

Samak said his government and the courts were unable to restore calm after they tried and failed to evict the protesters. The crowd size has ranged from 2,000 to about 30,000, and protesters have turned the government's headquarters into a disheveled campground with tents, portable toilets and piles of garbage. "Since the government cannot resolve the problem — even the courts cannot resolve the problem — the joint session of Parliament is the best choice for finding a solution," Samak said.

The prime minister has received the backing of his six-party ruling coalition, which said it would not dissolve parliament to call new elections. More than 1,000 government supporters staged a counter-rally Sunday in front of Parliament, about a half-mile from Government House. The unrest peaked Friday when police fired tear gas to stop thousands of protesters from attacking the city's police headquarters, which is near the prime minister's compound.

In other parts of the country, rail workers joined the protest by halting service on dozens of trains. Protesters forced airports to shut at some of the country's most popular beach destinations.

Phuket airport remained closed Sunday, with protesters blocking the runway for a third day. Authorities said they had no idea when flights would resume. Krabi airport reopened after a two-day closure. Protesters say that Western-style democracy has allowed corruption to flourish and they want a new government with a parliament in which most of the lawmakers are appointed and only 30% elected.

The protest organizers, the People's Alliance for Democracy, accuse Samak's government of corruption and of serving as a proxy for ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed in a 2006 coup. Thaksin was banned from public office until 2012 and recently fled to self-imposed exile in Britain to escape an array of corruption charges.

Samak led Thaksin's political allies to a December 2007 election victory, and their assumption of power triggered fears that Thaksin would make a political comeback on the strength of his continued popularity with Thailand's rural majority.

Samak had requested a Saturday meeting with Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej at his seaside palace in Hua Hin, south of the capital, Bangkok. There was no immediate confirmation from either Samak or the palace on whether the meeting took place. Bhumibol is a constitutional monarch with no formal political role, but he has repeatedly brought calm in times of turbulence during his 60 years on the throne.

An anti-government protester cheers in front a billboard denouncing ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Potjaman Shinawatra in the Royal Plaza in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008. Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej faced mounting pressure to resign Saturday as anti-government protesters occupied his headquarters for a fifth day and disrupted rail and air service in some of the country's most popular tourist destinations (AP Photo/Vincent Yu).