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The Bangkok Coup - 2006 As it happened:
Thailand Breaking News 9.45am Friday 22nd September
The broadcasting of SMS messages on
television programmes and the airing of opinions on radio programmes have
been banned until the country is returned to a normal state, the permanent
secretary of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Ministry has
announced. 6.45pm
Thailand's ruling generals
are proposing to tighten controls over the media. In addition
political parties have been banned from holding meetings. They have also
barred the creation of new parties
political parties. How the ban on political meetings impacts the opposition
Democrats is unclear but it cannot be good news.
The People's Alliance for Democracy announced
Thursday that it ceases to exist after its goal to see the Thaksin regime
toppled has been accomplished. 08.30am Thursday 21 September
The military are still censoring the bits of
CNN/BBC that they dont like, such as pictures of a smiling Thaksin arriving
in London. 11.45pm PM Thaksin just landed at London's Gatwick airport - pictures from the BBC. The Nation, about 6 hours ago, said that he was already in London via a chartered Russian airplane. The truth has been a bit of a casualty of the last 24 hours. 10.00pm
Bars and restaurants are open but few
customers.
From another web site - The mood is
completely calm, somewhat comedic actually. Pedestrians are free to cross
the traffic barriers and wander about on the closed roads. A fair number of
people are hanging out, taking pictures and videos, posing with the tanks
and the soldiers. The soldiers are very friendly, happily smiling for the
cameras. People are putting their kids on the tanks to take their pictures.
It's hardly what you'd expect from a military coup. There are still tanks in the old part of the city around government buildings. Traffic in that part of the town remains bad; many people sight seeing and taking pictures. Avoid. This is not good news: The army chief leading the coup in Thailand has said there will be a general election in October 2007. 3.55pm Administrative Reform Council leader Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin told foreign diplomats that a civilian government would be appointed to run the country within two weeks. 2.40pm Ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and a small number of accompanying ministers has arrived in London where is expected to reunite with his family who fled Thailand for Britain as the army launched a coup to remove the billionaire turned politician. 2.10pm Jonathan Head was reporting for BBC World live from Bangkok and interviewing a Chula academic. She started to criticize the coup by saying "I would like to see him (Thaksin) properly tried in a court of..." At this point the report was cut off and the screen changed to a "We will return in a moment" graphic. It feels like we are in China, or worse still in Myanmar; no criticism or commentary allowed. You cannot control the news and remain an open and free society. 1.40pm
Tanks and soldiers are in Chiang Mai city
center and have control of the Provincial Hall, US Consul, the government
offices, and Thaksin's Green Valley House at Mae Rim district in Chiang Mai.
Land borders are closed. The airport in BKK is open. 1.00pm Bank of Thailand Governor MR Pridayadhorn Devakula cut short his trip to attend the International Monetary Fund/World Bank meeting in Singapore and will arrive Bangkok about now. Apparently he has agreed to become Prime Minister. 12.30pm
Reports suggest that the
former Cabinet members of the Thaksin government may try to form a
government in exile; Thaksin is alleged to be seeking exile in London,
England. 10.00am
Rumours that all land borders have been
closed. This would mean closing the international airports. To be confirmed.
8.30am ITV is back in the air - strange - I thought that was the Thaksin controlled network. But not on the air for long. Back to patriotic songs! 7.30am
TV networks are still blocked. Still no
CNN, BBC, CNBC on cable.
Martial law has been imposed across
Thailand The Army Commander-in-Chief, Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin (สนธิ
บุญยรัตกลิน), the head of the Administrative Reform Committee under the
Constitutional Monarchy, has imposed martial law across Thailand. Gen.
Sonthi cancelled the emergency situation in Bangkok declared earlier by
former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The committee seized power from
the government yesterday. 1.50am Almost bedtime: apparently troops are at the Communications Authority of Thailand. This means the military can turn off mobile phones and the internet if necessary. 1.30am Bedtime for me - more updates in the morning. Lots of info is getting out of Thailand to the international news agencies. But there is very little information available to Thais. TV is still blacked out. Web sites are still blocked. 1.10am
PM Thaksin is now due to address the
United Nations at about 7am Bangkok time. Government spokesmen are saying
that the coup cannot succeed. 12.50am
Thai armed forces have dismissed the
elected Thai government and revoked the constitution. 12.20am
Martial law now declared across Thailand. Midnight Bangkok
CNN, BBC and CNBC have now been blocked.
11.15pm Bangkok Bangkok is under control of "the coup group - who are loyal to the King - but we don't know who the coup group is.... 10.45pm Bangkok
Indications are strong that martial law
has been declared. Best advice if you are in Bangkok: Stay at home; the government has declared a state of emergency; the opposition was expected to rally tomorrow; the danger is of significant confrontations. |