The Coup in Thailand

NEWS FROM CAMBODIA N° 0640-E

THE COUP IN THAILAND

Khmemara Jati
Montreal, Quebec
September 20, 2006

We diffuse below an article of the coup in Thailand. This coup d'État is approved by the King and 84 % by the Thais. The population offers flowers to the soldiers. This coup d'État is intended to put an end a corrupt regime which did not manage to solve properly the Moslem rebellion in the Southern of Thailand. The leader of the army who has just made this coup d'État, Sondhi Boonyaratkalin is a Moslem. He is against the hard way using by the discharged Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to overcome the Moslem rebellion. Thaksin risks now to be prosecuted for corruption.

In Cambodia, similar coup d'État to end up the dictatorial, corrupt and bloodthirsty power of Hok Lundy-Hun Sen clan would also be approved by more than 84 % of the Cambodians. But is it possible and workable ? The answer is no. Because the army and the police are firmly in the hands of the Vietnamese and of Hok Lundy-Hun Sen clan. Major powers either, have no interest to take away this dictatorial regime. The dream cannot come true for Cambodians, unfortunately. Regrettably!

Only the struggle of all motives of all Cambodians can end up this bloodthirsty dictatorship.

Thai Army Chief Gets King's Endorsement
By DENIS D. GRAY
Associated Press Writer
September 20, 2006, 12:18 PM EDT
BANGKOK, Thailand -- The army commander who seized Thailand's government in a quick, bloodless coup pledged Wednesday to hold elections by October 2007, and received a ringing endorsement from the country's revered king. Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin also hinted that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra may face prosecution.
Sondhi said he would act as prime minister for two weeks until a new leader is chosen by the Council of Administrative Reform, that an interim constitution would be drafted within that time, and that Thailand's foreign policy and international agreements would remain unchanged.
Australia called the coup a “great disappointment,” while Japan urged the quick restoration of democracy. The European Union condemned the military takeover, while Washington expressed concern about it. The United States, Britain and other nations also warned their citizens in Thailand to exercise caution.
Thailand's Army Commander-in-Chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin smiles at reporters during a press conference in Bangkok Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2006. The army general who ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra indicated Wednesday that the fallen leader could be prosecuted for wrongdoing and said a post-coup interim government would retain power for no more than one year. Transitional government to be formed in Thailand after two weeks, following coup, says Gen. Sondhi. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
King Bhumibol Adulyadej appointed Sondhi as head of the council "in order to create peace in the country," according to an announcement on state-run television. "All people should remain peaceful and civil servants should listen to orders from Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin from now on," it said. Sondhi led a precision takeover overnight without firing a shot, sending soldiers and tanks to guard major intersections and surround government buildings while the popularly elected Thaksin, accused of corruption and undermining democratic institutions, was in New York attending the U.N. General Assembly. Asked at a news conference if there would be moves to confiscate Thaksin's vast assets, Sondhi said that "those who have committed wrongdoings have to be prosecuted according to the law." He did not elaborate. In launching Thailand's first coup in 15 years, Sondhi said on nationwide television that the overthrow was needed “in order to resolve the conflict and bring back normalcy and harmony among people.”
“I am the one who decided to stage the coup. No one supported me,” he said. Sondhi, 59, known to be close to the king, is a Muslim in a Buddhist-dominated nation. State-run television also said the new leaders had dismissed the state audit commissioners and given additional powers to the auditor general Jaruvan Maintaka to investigative government corruption. Analysts said the move is expected to make it easier for Jaruvan to investigate allegations of corruption involving Thaksin and his ministers and could eventually lead to the confiscation of his assets. The British Foreign Office said Thaksin was to arrive Wednesday in London on a private visit. A spokeswoman for Gatwick Airport said a chartered Thai Airways jet was due to land there around noon EDT. The Thai Embassy in London said it had no immediate information on Thaksin's whereabouts. A British government spokesman said Thaksin had no meetings scheduled with Prime Minister Tony Blair or other officials. Bangkok, a city of more than 10 million, was calm Wednesday. Most stores were open and residents appeared unfazed, with traffic running as normal and the tanks becoming popular tourist attractions. About 500 people gathered outside army headquarters to lend moral support to the military, chanting “Thaksin get out!” But in the first sign of anti-coup sentiment, Thaksin supporters faced off with rival groups celebrating the coup at two separate gatherings in Bangkok. Soldiers intervened, narrowly averting clashes. The council put the country under martial law and declared a provisional authority loyal to the king, seizing television and radio stations and ordering government offices, banks, schools and the stock market to close for the day. The unexpected coup rattled Asian financial markets and pressured the Thai baht and other regional currencies, though its economic repercussions remained unclear.

Posted by Khemara Jati
Montreal, Quebec
September 20, 2006

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