Thailand WTF??

[RU OX Alum]

This is so messed up. Has anyone else heard about this? What's going on?

[Drolefille]

Um.. details?

Do you mean the coup that is supported by the nation's military? Because I don't know anything else beyond that.

[neosoul]

there was a coup while Bush was giving his speech to the UN, and also in the news because so many American men are travelling to Thailand for its vibrant and somewhat deviant sex industry, HIV rates in America are rising because the tourists are coming back home and having unprotected sex with numerous partners...

anything else in the news?

[DeltAlum]

"One night in Bangkok
Makes a hard man humble.
Not much between
Despair and ecstasy.
One night in Bangkok
And the tough guys tumble.
Can`t be too careful
With your company.
I can feel the devil
Walking next to me."

-Murray Head
from the musical Chess

Oh, yeah, then there was the coup.

[blueangel]

But also of importance is that the military leader who led the coup and is now in power (General Sonthi Boonyaratglin)is a Muslim in a mostly Buddhist country. (Islam makes up only 4-percent of the population of Thailand).

This is of note as there have been numerous Muslim political uprisings from the three provinces bording Malasia. There has been religious extremism and violence in this Muslim community.

The new party is called the Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM)... however, it is quite the misnomer since he has already drastically curtailed democratic rights.

In fact, he has imposed martial law, thrown out the constitution, an dissolved the national parliament. Any demonstrations or political gatherings are banned. Censorship requirements have been imposed on the media.

It's gotten so bad that radio stations are not allowed to take phone calls, and webmaster are being held accountable by the new government for everything posted on their site (including bulletin board postings by Thai residents).

[neosoul]

now that's how a bloodless coup is done...

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

"One night in Bangkok
Makes a hard man humble.
Not much between
Despair and ecstasy.
One night in Bangkok
And the tough guys tumble.
Can`t be too careful
With your company.
I can feel the devil
Walking next to me."

I used to love that song.

BTW, did you know the real, full name of Bangkok, which in Thailand is called Krung Thep (Bangkok is a district and historical center of Krung Thep) is:

Krung Thep Maha Nakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udom Ratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanu Kamprasit, which means

"The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukam."

My son's current favorite bit of trivia (not that he can say the whole name, but he loves to try to mumble through it).

/back to the coup.

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by neosoul

there was a coup while Bush was giving his speech to the UN, and also in the news because so many American men are travelling to Thailand for its vibrant and somewhat deviant sex industry, HIV rates in America are rising because the tourists are coming back home and having unprotected sex with numerous partners...

anything else in the news?

yeah, there's some riots in Romania about gov't. corruption.

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by blueangel

But also of importance is that the military leader who led the coup and is now in power (General Sonthi Boonyaratglin)is a Muslim in a mostly Buddhist country. (Islam makes up only 4-percent of the population of Thailand).

that i didn't know, that gives me a reason at least, as to why

Free Thailand!!

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

that i didn't know, that gives me a reason at least, as to why

I don't think that the general's religion has much if anything to do with the coup. Prime Minister Thaksin has been a fairly controversial figure in Thai politics lately -- very popular in some quarters while very unpopular and distrusted in many others -- and the country has been in somewhat of a state of political crisis for a while. Following elections in April (which parties opposed to Thaksin had boycotted to protest what they saw as Thaksin's manipulation of the process), the subsequent invalidation of that election by the courts who stepped in at the request of the king, and a meeting with the king, Thaksin had said he would act only as Caretaker Prime Minister when the legislature convened again.

The king endorsed the coup the day after it occurred, and there is fairly wide speculation and assumption that he supported, at least tacitly, the coup, prior to its occurrence. It is presumed that the coup could not have occurred or succeeded without the king's support.

There have been a number of coups during the king's 60-year reign, and the king's influence and immense popularity should not be underestimated.

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

yeah, there's some riots in Romania about gov't. corruption.

Do you mean Hungary?

[JonInKC]

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

"One night in Bangkok
Makes a hard man humble.
Not much between
Despair and ecstasy.
One night in Bangkok
And the tough guys tumble.
Can`t be too careful
With your company.
I can feel the devil
Walking next to me."

-Murray Head
from the musical Chess

Oh, yeah, then there was the coup.

I'd let you watch
we would invite you
but the queens we use
would not excite you...

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Do you mean Hungary?

yeah, i think so....either way, it sucks...there seems to be a lot of this going on lately

[_Opi_]

Originally Posted by blueangel

But also of importance is that the military leader who led the coup and is now in power (General Sonthi Boonyaratglin)is a Muslim in a mostly Buddhist country. (Islam makes up only 4-percent of the population of Thailand).

This is of note as there have been numerous Muslim political uprisings from the three provinces bording Malasia. There has been religious extremism and violence in this Muslim community.

You bring up Islam and equate extremism with it. That part of the world has alot of religious rebels/militants of many stripes. Your post makes it seem like religion was the ultimate drive for the coup when it's obviously not.

Religion is not the issue here. It's government internal problems.

[RACooper]

Originally Posted by blueangel

But also of importance is that the military leader who led the coup and is now in power (General Sonthi Boonyaratglin)is a Muslim in a mostly Buddhist country. (Islam makes up only 4-percent of the population of Thailand).

This is of note as there have been numerous Muslim political uprisings from the three provinces bording Malasia. There has been religious extremism and violence in this Muslim community.

Hmmm...

Yes it's Islam that is the only hotbed of extremism in South East Asia

Perhaps you should look into the number of Christian (and specifically Roman Catholics) extremists/militants that have been responsible for attacks and killings in the region...

So what if the guy is Muslim, a Muslim (like a Christian) can come in a lot of "flavours". Is he overtly religious or secular? Is he a fundamentalist or mainstream? Is he a spiritualist or literalist? These are the questions I'd like answered, regardless of his particular faith - because Fundamentalist, Literalists, or even Overtly Religious are all waring signs in my opinion...

[Tom Earp]

Just out of curosity, ah any one checked to see how many Democrocies there are in the world?