Thailand under curfew amid army coup

Pat Macpherson, Ashley Wells, Pfc. Sandoval, Wisdom Quarterly; BBC.co.uk

It's Orwellian, it's draconian, and it's coming to a town near you: A police state (with militarized civilian troops, deputies, and spies) is a state of collapse. Wage peace now.

  

Go Thailand! We're practicing in D.C., too!

A curfew has begun across [Theravada Buddhist] Thailand after the army announced it had taken control and suspended the constitution following months of political turmoil [as Red Shirts vie for revolutionary change and civil liberties against the conservative Yellow Shirts who want to preserve the corrupt status quo].

 

The army chief imposed the 22:00 to 05:00 curfew, along with a ban on political gatherings and suspension of normal television programming.

 

Key political figures have been detained and others ordered to report to the military. The army said it needed to restore order and enact political reforms.

 

You Occupy, we oppress (conspiracyplanet)

It declared martial law on Tuesday but then gathered political leaders together for talks on the crisis.

 

However, army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha went on air on Thursday to announce the coup.

 

Several key figures at the talks, including opposition protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban and pro-government protest leader Jatuporn Prompan, were detained. More + VIDEO

 

Thai soldiers guard the "Democracy Monument" in Buddhist Bangkok (reuters.com)

Scotsfest, Los Angeles/OC (scotsfest.com) The Scottish Highland Games are coming! May 24-25, 2014 at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Find us at our new home: scottishfest.com

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Thai martial law: military shuts down media

Pfc. Sandoval, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; BBC.co.uk, May 21, 2014

Thai Theravada monastics continue to practice during country's crisis (Butch Osborne/flickr)

Thailand is divided radicals and royalists who want to change the gov't (LillianPierson)

Thailand's martial law crisis: Local media shut down by military

I don't know what he's talking about! I'm PM!

(BBC) An emergency meeting of political leaders, called by the Thai army a day after it [unilaterally] declared martial law, has ended inconclusively.

 

She did it! Her and her brother, ousted!

Representatives from the government [which was not advised by the army that martial law would be declared], the main opposition party and protest groups all attended the meeting.

 

Local radio stations run by activists have been shut down by the military. Jonathan Head reports from Bangkok. More + VIDEO

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Teen sailor Abby Sunderland abandons nonstop around-the-world quest

Pete Thomas, GrindTV.com
Abby Sunderland, one of two 16-year-old girls on different quests to sail around the world alone, nonstop and unassisted, has announced she will head to Cape Town, South Africa, to repair a faulty autopilot system. The high-school junior from Thousand Oaks, Calif., stressed on her blog that she will continue her journey after making repairs and seek to become simply the youngest person to solo-circumnavigate the planet in a sailboat. Jessica Watson, Sunderland's Australian counterpart, is expected to complete her nonstop circumnavigation attempt in late May. More>>

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Listening to the Dharma

To attain realization of the Dharma while listening to a sermon, one must have a settled mind. For it is only through concentrated attention with a settled mind that one can attain concentration (samadhi). And only concentration can still the mind for insight.

If the mind wanders while listening to the Dharma -- whether over domestic, economic, or other affairs -- samadhi will not be attained. If anxiety sets in, it is all the worse. If distraction and anxiety crop up, the essence of the Dharma will slip by. As samadhi is lacking, there will be no insight. And if one cannot attain insight for vipassana, how can one attain realization of the Dharma?

Concentrated attention while listening to a sermon is, therefore, an important factor. The listener must listen carefully, with full mental involvement, and the words of the Dharma must be adhered to in practice. If one attends to a sermon in this way, one's mind will be calm and absorbed in what is being said. One will be free from interference and thus attain purity of mind.
— Facebook: Discourse on the Hemavata Sutta

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Thailand lifts emergency, citing tourism drop

Jocelyn Gecker (AP)

A woman gives alms to Buddhist monks walking past an anti-government demonstration near the Government House in Bangkok 9/14/08. Thailand's government has been paralyzed since late August by anti-government protests. The People's Alliance for Democracy, a disparate group of royalist businessmen, academics, and activists, accused Samak of being a puppet of Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister ousted by the army in a 2006 coup (Kerek Wongsa/Reuters).

BANGKOK, Thailand - The Thai government ended a state of emergency imposed in the capital to control a spiraling political crisis, saying Sunday it had only served to scare away tourists crucial to the country's economy.

Emergency rule was imposed by the government on Sept. 2 after a night of violent clashes between anti-government supporters and opponents left one man dead and dozens injured.

Images of the mayhem were broadcast around the world, prompting travel advisories from several countries. More>>

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Buddhist monks walk past a riot policeman guarding the Thai parliament during a demonstration in support of ousted Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej Friday 9/12/08 in Bangkok. Thailand's parliament has postponed until next week a vote to elect a new prime minister after it failed to obtain a quorum in the house. The low turnout was the result of a boycott by the opposition Democrat Party and some coalition partners of the ruling party to protest ousted leader Samak Sundaravej's decision to re-contest the post (AP Photo/Ed Wray).