So the dust around the sudden overthrow of the government in Thailand has settled and some things are starting to take shape and become more clear, so I’m going to take some time to lay out what I understand to have happened here in the last two and a half weeks. For some background, on May 22 at 5 p.m. local time General Payuth declared a coup, just two days after establishing martial law. This came out of the lasting conflict between anti-government protests, led by Suthep (a member of the Democrat Party)* who quit his Senate position late last year and began protesting the Puea Thai Party, lead by Yingluck Shinawatra whose brother Thaksin was ousted in the country’s last coup in 2006.
After dissolving the lower parliamentary house and calling elections in February, that were declared void by the Constitutional Court which has consistently ruled against Yingluck, she was tried, convicted and removed from office (along with 9 cabinet members) for impropriety in transferring the chairman of the National Security Council and was due to be impeached for negligence regarding the rice subsidy scheme. Which brings us to the current situation.
The Beginning of the Coup d’Etat
After martial law was declared, General Payuth called for the leaders of both sides of the conflicts to meet with each other and attempt to come to some kind of compromise. On Thursday, when still neither side would yield, the reports said that he calmly stood up, left the room and told them to wait there, while he went and declared a coup.
When the military took over, initially all broadcast media was censored and replaced with a place holder message from the military and periodic videoed statements. The senate, the remaining partially-elected government body was dissolved, restrictions on gatherings of more than five people were instated as well as a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. The military formed what is called the National Council for Peace and Order and rumors of Internet and phone service going out spread. Supporters of the government, who are mostly in the rural north and northeast of the country began to organize to make good on their promises to take to the streets if Yingluck was removed.
The People’s Response
However, the military was prepared for this and began detaining pro-government activists and scholars, along with a handful of people who were involved in the anti-government protests, some 250 people. Most have since been released after signing a non-disclosure agreement and agreeing to quit politics forever. Some stockpiles of weapons were found in these sweeps of people in the areas of that are supportive of the government.
This has not stopped protests from happening, however. There have been some daily protests in Bangkok that are against the coup. Flash-mob protests have also been happening, where people will raise an arm holding up three fingers a la “The Hunger Games” to show their dissension, which the military has responded to by saying that the signal is not banned but if there is a group of 5 or more people that do it, it will be considered a political gathering. There was also a report of three people gathering to sing a song in protest that specifically referenced that they were only three and not five.
Political Actions
General Payuth made good on his promise to pay the rice farmers their back owed rice subsidy, paying out the 90 billion baht owed to about 800,000 farmers. The Thai economy has been faltering since last year and edging toward a recession and the hope is that this injection of cash will help return it to the path of growth and expansion.
Journalists and the media have been censored, with journalists being called to report to the military and some being detained. The former education minister was arrested while giving a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand. There have been threats of shutting down social media sites and Facebook was blocked for a brief period two weeks ago, which was attributed to a “glitch.”
Governors of several provinces (mostly in the north and northeast), which is a positions that is appointed by the prime minister, have been shuffled around. Several police force members have also been given military titles and positions similar to their former positions.
The curfew has been relaxed to 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. and has been suspended in Pattaya and Phuket. General Prayuth has said that he has a three part plan to return the country to democracy in 14-15 months. The first phase is for the military to run the country under special law to allow for reconciliation and a return to peace and order. The second phase is to gather people to come up with reforms and a new constitution, which sounds similar to what the anti-government protestors were demanding and the third phase is to conduct elections. Many countries have issued calls for Thailand to return to democracy swiftly along with travel warnings and restrictions.
Effect on My Life
In my village, life has carried on as normal. The rainy season is upon us and so it is rice planting season. The fields are being tilled and sown with rice crops. There have been occasional rain showers giving a sweet relief from the heat and school is starting to get into the groove. The Peace Corps staff has been in constant communication with us through e-mail and SMS, with our Safety and Security Officer demonstrating why he deserves the award that Peace Corps recently gave him.
*Correction: I had originally written that the Democrat Party was led by Suthep and that the protests were by the Democrat Party. While the Senators of the Democrat Party all resigned their positions in solidarity with Suthep, the protests were not strictly by the Democrat Party and the leader, Abhisit had spoken out against some aspects of the protests.
Matt Owens Rees June 11, 2014
A good piece and I will put it on my blog.
A few points though.
1. Abhisit is the leader of the Democrat party, not Suthep. .He did not openly support Suthep and in fact he commented on the violence. Though clearly Suthep was the mouthpiece of the party.
The 3-finger salute, which as you rightly say has not been banned, has not been very widespread apart from in front of cameras. If you made a V-sign in the UK in a public place you would be at least warned and possibly arrested by police. So, I think that is a little misleading.
The military have started to tackle corruption. For example in Pucket. Senior figures, not of any particular political party , have been removed. That’s been widely reported.
Getting information and facts has never been easy, particularly in Thailand..I suggest, however, that if you talk to a wide circle of Thais, from poor rice farmers to well-heeled businessmen, from PT to Democrat supporters, from academics and professionals to ordinary folk, you will hear a consensus of support for the army, at least for now.
It’s not just the tackling of corruption which was rife in both parties and is a fact of life, not only here but in most countries of the Far East; it is other actions of the military of which most Thais are aware but cannot speak. The consensus being it is for the good of the country and its people.
Christine June 11, 2014
Thank you for the correction, Matt, and the reblog. I updated the post to reflect that updated information. Much appreciated.
Regarding the three-fingered salute, I don’t believe that it is comparable to the V-sign in the UK, as the three-fingered salute has been described by the people who use it as a way to make a political statement in an environment that has such expression has been shut down, whereas the V-sign is not so much a political statement but more of an insulting gesture. That said, I have not been to Bangkok since the coup, and so I have not seen it used personally. I included a remark on it as the story of its use was picked up by a number of pop-culture blogs and sources in the States.
I’m sure the military is tackling the corruption that they see as a problem in the places they see it as a problem. And you are right, corruption is rife on both sides of the conflict and throughout all levels of government in Thailand. Governors of provinces, by the way the government is set up as I understand, do not have party affiliations, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t act in a way that belies their political sympathies and subsequently engage in some level of corruption.
In my circles, the people are supportive of the coup in the sense that they are supportive of an overt conflict being avoided and a public scene is no longer happening. They are supportive of the conflict being resolved in a Thai way, quietly and behind closed doors, in a way that saves face and is in line with greng jai. But they aren’t necessarily supportive of the policies that the military has implemented and are wary of what the military will propose for a new constitution, as they were the ones that wrote the last one that restricted rural participation in government when compared with the previous constitution, the 1997 People’s Constitution.
Matt Owens Rees June 11, 2014
Reblogged this on Matt.Owens.Rees; Thailand Writer and commented:
Something more to add to Christine’s blog
Matt Owens Rees June 11, 2014
Yes, as I have said on my blog and Facebook, long term it could be a worry. The democratic system does need reform but it needs a wide involvement. Latest news on their broadcast today which you may have heard is that they are stopping freebies for Thai Airways staff and looking at salary and benefit differentials in some joint state and private companies. http://www.mattiwensrees.wordpress.com