Thai military seizes power in coup

[Lethn]

It sounds like they forcefully took control of the government to "force" an allegedly-to-be-fair election. ... So I guess the military's supposed to be the moderates in this situation...?

yes, but, the reds will clearly win all elections, so if there is a vote, and the reds win well we are back to where we were a year ago.

and if there is not a vote, the red will start a civil war.

The reds will win fairly, or must there be "undemocratic actions" taken to win? Trying to understand if this is putsch or popular uprising.

The basic rule in a civil war involving democracies, if one side wins, then it's an undemocratic election or there's fraud involved according to the other parties, if the other side wins, exact same response in reverse, then it all devolves into shooting, because both sides hate each other so much they're willing to resort to killing to hold onto their power.

Forget Thailand and the Ukraine, I'm currently worrying what will happen if a high percentage of people vote in EU and Scotland and vote the opposite of what mainstream politicians once I really think they might send in the army because they are that arrogant.

[Kluge]

It sounds like they forcefully took control of the government to "force" an allegedly-to-be-fair election. ... So I guess the military's supposed to be the moderates in this situation...?

yes, but, the reds will clearly win all elections, so if there is a vote, and the reds win well we are back to where we were a year ago.

and if there is not a vote, the red will start a civil war.

The reds will win fairly, or must there be "undemocratic actions" taken to win? Trying to understand if this is putsch or popular uprising.

The basic rule in a civil war involving democracies, if one side wins, then it's an undemocratic election or there's fraud involved according to the other parties, if the other side wins, exact same response in reverse, then it all devolves into shooting, because both sides hate each other so much they're willing to resort to killing to hold onto their power.

Forget Thailand and the Ukraine, I'm currently worrying what will happen if a high percentage of people vote in EU and Scotland and vote the opposite of what mainstream politicians once I really think they might send in the army because they are that arrogant.

How does Thailand in particular get through so many of these "undemocratic democracy enforcements" with relatively little bloodshed? Clearly, there's a LOT of bitterness, but it seems like most bloodshed tends to occur at protests which border on getting out of hand, where the military steps in (sometimes prematurely and perhaps unnecessarily), not from any type of widespread armed rebellion where they fight it like a traditional war. Is it really just a mutual understanding that civil war would absolutely devastate the country short-term and long-term no matter the outcome?

[El Cabron]

. Is it really just a mutual understanding that civil war would absolutely devastate the country short-term and long-term no matter the outcome?

I think that is part of it yes. Also Thailand is a very Buddhist country and no one wants bad karma. Thailand is really an odd place and an odd culture. I have no idea why more or less everyone is so orderly and well behaved. They all have this system and they all follow it, crazy really.

[bitsmichel]

Thailand's military has announced it is taking control of the government and has suspended the constitution. In a TV statement, army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha vowed to restore order and enact political reforms. The cabinet has been told to report to the military, TV broadcasting is suspended and political gatherings are banned. A nationwide curfew will operate from 22:00 to 05:00 local time. The coup follows months of political turmoil in Thailand. On Tuesday the army imposed martial law. Talks were then held between the main political factions, but the army announced the coup on Thursday.

This is not a positive thing. What do you think will happen next?

[El Cabron]

Thailand's military has announced it is taking control of the government and has suspended the constitution. In a TV statement, army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha vowed to restore order and enact political reforms. The cabinet has been told to report to the military, TV broadcasting is suspended and political gatherings are banned. A nationwide curfew will operate from 22:00 to 05:00 local time. The coup follows months of political turmoil in Thailand. On Tuesday the army imposed martial law. Talks were then held between the main political factions, but the army announced the coup on Thursday.

This is not a positive thing. What do you think will happen next?

the army is going to try the reds from starting a civil war. if they can stop that, they will set up some sort of power sharing govt, might take 6 months or more. if there is civil war, well that would just suck.

this will hurt tourism and the economy.

[bryant.coleman]

the army is going to try the reds from starting a civil war. if they can stop that, they will set up some sort of power sharing govt, might take 6 months or more. if there is civil war, well that would just suck.

this will hurt tourism and the economy.

The Thai Armed Forces account for more than 300,000 well-disciplined troops. They are one of the best armies in the South-east Asian region, with decades of experience in fighting against the Communist insurgents.

[newIndia]

http://boardingarea.com/viewfromthewing/2014/05/22/will-thailands-military-coup-affect-travel/

^^I guess one would get some real facts from here.

[El Cabron]

the army is going to try the reds from starting a civil war. if they can stop that, they will set up some sort of power sharing govt, might take 6 months or more. if there is civil war, well that would just suck.

this will hurt tourism and the economy.

The Thai Armed Forces account for more than 300,000 well-disciplined troops. They are one of the best armies in the South-east Asian region, with decades of experience in fighting against the Communist insurgents.

they are also trained by the us army and mostly funded by the us with cash and arms.

they are one of the few nations in the world who have an air craft carrier and had it decades before china had one.

[Rigon]

It is starting to affect the foreign tourists.

Thailand coup: tourists must abide by curfew

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/thailand/10849092/Thailand-coup-tourists-must-abide-by-curfew.html

I was in Bangkok a few years back when the army and tanks were on the streets. It didn't make the slightest difference to most people and tourism just carried on as normal. Going out again soon and will not change my plans.

[sana8410]

Coups are just the way Thailand changes its government. It happens about every 10 years on average. Put another way, no coup happens without the approval of the king who is highly respected in Thailand. So if a coup happens, it's because the king acknowledges that a change needs to be made. It's likely nothing serious and will help the country heal and move forward eventually, repairing the damage to its economy and reputation that has occurred over the last few years.

[bryant.coleman]

Situation is worsening...

Thai army detains ex-PM Yingluck

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27544972

[El Cabron]

Situation is worsening...

Thai army detains ex-PM Yingluck

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27544972

expected.

[bryant.coleman]

So far, no large scale outflow of tourists... surprising.

Tourists caught up in coup as Thailand goes into lockdown

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/tourists-caught-up-in-coup-as-thailand-goes-into-lockdown-30297743.html

[El Cabron]

why would the tourists leave? it is safer now than before.

the one thing that will however piss off most tourists the the curfew from 10 pm to 5 am.  so much for the night life

[bryant.coleman]

why would the tourists leave? it is safer now than before.

That is surprising. How can a place be safer under the military dictatorship, when compared to that under a democratic government? BTW.... have the nightclubs and the pubs closed down?

[El Cabron]

why would the tourists leave? it is safer now than before.

That is surprising. How can a place be safer under the military dictatorship, when compared to that under a democratic government? BTW.... have the nightclubs and the pubs closed down?

they close by 10pm so more or less yes.

before everyone was running around tossing bombs into each others protest camp.

now no one is tossing bombs. people were killing each other over the elections... now that there are no election no one can win them and thus no one is killing for them.

the only risk here is if the reds (left leaning socialist more or less) rise up and start a civil war. will this happen? we will see...

now clearly a civil war would be less safe than what is going on right now but i just dont see how you would think dem is safer than a junta.

people go outside with a gun now they get shot by the army. before they had to go to trial, could buy a judge and what not...

the army is swift and is not putting up with any shit at all. people are not going to fuck with the army becasue the people know who gave the army permission to do what it did. dont forget that Thailand is a kingdom that was never colonized by the west. They have different values than the west and honestly most people dont give a fuck about democracy. to them its just two different mafias fighting for power.

[Kluge]

why would the tourists leave? it is safer now than before.

That is surprising. How can a place be safer under the military dictatorship, when compared to that under a democratic government? BTW.... have the nightclubs and the pubs closed down?

they close by 10pm so more or less yes.

before everyone was running around tossing bombs into each others protest camp.

now no one is tossing bombs. people were killing each other over the elections... now that there are no election no one can win them and thus no one is killing for them.

the only risk here is if the reds (left leaning socialist more or less) rise up and start a civil war. will this happen? we will see...

now clearly a civil war would be less safe than what is going on right now but i just dont see how you would think dem is safer than a junta.

people go outside with a gun now they get shot by the army. before they had to go to trial, could buy a judge and what not...

the army is swift and is not putting up with any shit at all. people are not going to fuck with the army becasue the people know who gave the army permission to do what it did. dont forget that Thailand is a kingdom that was never colonized by the west. They have different values than the west and honestly most people dont give a fuck about democracy. to them its just two different mafias fighting for power.

I'm kind of warming up to their style of governance. Some of the European countries had a similar system while transitioning from absolute monarchies to democracy. -So the monarch is fairly hands-off and non-partisan unless he sees the "lesser rulers" creating too much of a disturbance, in which case he'd call on the military to step in and act like the adult, separating the two kids trying to throw rocks at each other? It's odd to me that the monarch could have unlimited power at any time, but does not take full control. Would the military support allowing the king absolute dictatorship?

[bryant.coleman]

before everyone was running around tossing bombs into each others protest camp.

now no one is tossing bombs. people were killing each other over the elections... now that there are no election no one can win them and thus no one is killing for them.

Yes... I was watching the Al Jazeera news, and they were showing opposition protesters returning to their hometowns from Bangkok. Seems like the city has become safer.

[El Cabron]

Would the military support allowing the king absolute dictatorship?

Yes if it came to that. He is highly trusted and loved. I honestly think if there was an election he would get over 75% of the vote to become dictator. Maybe closer to 90%.

People are sick of democracy here. They vote for the side that will give them the most and thus it just distresses the economy.

[noviapriani]

As I can remember it is not the fist time Thailand experiences the deep interference of army in their life, even in the capital Bangkok. I have some friends who lived their during the riot time. I bet some talk with them may bring very interesting points of view from "inside people".