That was hilarious! I wish I could lip-read though, I wanted to know what was really being said……

I rarely get an argument in return….

That is not how the Thai’s think of their King.

In recent coups, the King has stepped in, voiced his opinion, and the involved parties acquiesced to his desires.

It is a Muslim general who is now taking control!

Striking when Thaksin was in New York at the U.N. General Assembly, army commander Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin sent tanks and troops into the drizzly, nighttime streets of Bangkok. The military ringed Thaksin’s offices, seized control of television stations and declared a provisional authority loyal to the king.

Who knows….they say this guy, since he’s Muslim, will be better able to control the Muslim insurgency. I guess we just have to see if he replaces their constitution with Sharia law or not. This is an interesting event.

The Sharia law implementation would have been disastrous.

Rumors abound, but this is all that’s on the wires as of yet.
Fox mentions that the PM has declared a state of emergency, but without confirmation. (Update: Confirmed by AP. I’ll try to get the link.)
Reuters:

More than 10 tanks blocked roads……

BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand’s army commmander ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a military coup Tuesday night while the prime minister was in New York, circling his offices with tanks, declaring martial law and revoking the constitution.

An announcement on national television signed by army Commander-in-Chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin ordered all troops to report to their duty stations.

As soldiers and armored vehicles moved through Bangkok, an announcement from the military earlier declared a provisional authority loyal to beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The announcement declared that a “Council of Administrative Reform” had seized power in Bangkok and nearby provinces without any resistance. It recognized the king as head of state.

From AP via Yahoo! News.

Thaksin has some serious flaws (the country became less free under his leadership), but destroying democracy is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The Thai military is very corrupt (which is part of why they’re having such a hard time with the muslim insurgency). This is bad news.

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People rioting when they discover their leaders have lied to them on major issues……interesting.

No riots here Honora because there’s been no lying on major issues. Claims of lying by the opposition means nothing. I believe enough people see the partisanship in these democrat moanings and rantings and believe that it’s just politics, therefore no coups, no riots.

http://pun.org/josh/archives/2006/09/thailand_coup.html

The military has declared it is loyal to the King.

The army, I think, wants none of that.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060917/wl_asia_afp/thailandsouthunrestblast

Traveling preacher creates campus controversy

On Monday, the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks, Smock was preaching on campus.

Smock said he made numerous anti-Islamic remarks that day.

“I am against the Muslim religion,” Smock said. “I believe it’s violent.”

Smock said he had a Bible in one hand and a Quran in the other.

Matt Marcou, an electrical engineering first-year, said he had just left a chemistry lecture and came across Smock, who was “calling (the Muslim) god a false god.”

Marcou said a woman attempted to grab the Quran from Smock’s hand, but Smock resisted.

The woman was so distressed “she actually started throwing punches and kicks,” Marcou said.

Smock said the woman hit and kicked him, broke his glasses and tried to strangle him with his own necktie.

And how do campus police react? Do they arrest the woman? Do they protect free speech?”

A few dozen people had gathered around Smock, and when police showed up the second time, officers approached him. After speaking to him, the officers brought him to the rear of the squad car and searched him against the trunk.

Police then placed him in the back seat and drove away. Smock said police drove him to where he had parked his car.

Assault for sharia… no speech for thee-uh.

Thailand has been in political turmoil since the results of April’s general elections were annulled, leaving the country without a working legislature. Thaksin had won elections in 2001 and 2005, and was widely expected to win to planned elections in November.

A controversial leader, he has also been the target of numerous allegations of lèse-majesté, treason, usurping religious and royal authority, selling assets to international investors, religious desecration, and siding with gods of darkness.

How can one not be amused by politics?

“We lied through the last 1 1/2 or two years. It was entirely clear that what we said was not the truth.” — [Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc] Gyurcsany

And he’s a Socialist?!? It can’t be!

Thailand’s PM was in NYC at the UN but he’s on his way home now after having declared a state of emergency.

CNN reported that he’s speaking at the UN tonight (they’ve rearranged the schedule to accommodate) and then he’ll go home.

Looks that way. MKH is following the story. This sounds like the real deal: Army television broadcast images of the royal family and songs associated with past military coups. My big question was whether this was a) a pro-Islamist coup……