Thailand Coup

Thailand's military coup d'etat against the government of Thaksin Shinawatra happened on September 19, 2006 just 9 days before I was planning to fly to Bangkok. People were asking me if I was still planning to go. I had been following the headlines and it seemed peaceful enough. Plus my friends in Bangkok said it was safe. We are staying at Kelly's aunt's house in Bangkok and if she didn't think it was safe, I'm sure Kelly family would have stepped in and said something. Some of my friends were advising me to stay away.



The first thing I wanted to do after we got to Bangkok was go see some tanks and soldiers. There were many people standing around taking pictures and the soldiers seemed to like the attention and were even taking pictures with tourist. They allowed a small boy to cross the line and take a picture next to the tank.



Later they started their engines and took off down the street, tearing it up in places where they turned.

The military owns the TV and radio and each day they take over for a broadcast of every channel and every station.

The people clearly love their King. They say he is not like recent kings who only cared about wealth. This King, they say, works hard for their people and really cares. The King endorses the coup. Everyone seems to believe this will lead to a better Thailand.

All over Bangkok I saw pictures of the King like this huge picture at the mall.

Speaking of the King, Kelly and I saw the movie World Trade Center. Before the film started they showed a short documentary about the King. Everyone in the audience stood up like it was the pledge of allegiance. I spoke to someone later about age 50 and he said that they've been doing that for as long as he can remember. He also said that for foreigners its optional. I stood up out of fear really. Fear of what someone might say or do if we didn't stand up.


Getting back to the coup ... everywhere we went we saw soldiers, Tanks, Humvees, etc. but at no time did I feel threatened or in danger. I read that this coup is the most peaceful coup in the history of Thailand. I also read it is the sixth coup they've had.