Any posters from Thailand on this bb?

[2Real4U]

What's up with the current situation in Bangkok (coup)?

[Ecstatic]

I've read a couple of accounts but don't have any inside info. I'll try to talk with one of my Thai friends about it. From what I understand, the ousted PM Thaksin was quite corrupt, and really offended a lot of Thais when his family sold their controlling interest in Shin Corp (telecom) to a Singapore company for $1.9 billion, turning over one of Thailand's key infrastructure industries to a foreign owner. The military is claiming allegience to King Bhumibol, much beloved of the Thai people and the longest serving monarch in the world (60 years).

[2Real4U]

I've read from a poster (on a ultra-conservative site of all places) who's on the ground over there and he has alluded to some very bad Mojo gonna happen tomorrow there in BKK. Let's hope he's wrong.

[seanchai]

I've lived on and off in Thailand for the past 7 years...
... Frankly, something should have happened before now.
They've a crook as a Prime Minister whose stolen millions as well as sold of some of the countries assets to other countries, whom they haven't been able to get rid off - he's recently said he will step down as PM but still be the head of his party - effectively still running the country yet not being able to take the blame.
He's highly disliked throughout the more educated parts of Thailand yet gets rural support by bribary (a chicken for every family was a rally a few years ago).
The faster they end this and get him out of power the better.
I no fan of the King but this was bordering on dictatorship.
seanchai

[BeardedOne]

Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 6:20 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BANGKOK, Thailand (Sept. 19) - Thailand's army commander ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a military coup Tuesday night while he 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.

Sondhi, a Muslim in this Buddhist-dominated country, is known to be close to Thailand's revered monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

A senior army general, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said the armed forces chiefs were meeting with the king to discuss forming an interim government, suggesting it would probably be led by civilians.

As soldiers and armored vehicles moved through a drizzly Bangkok, an announcement from the military had earlier declared a provisional authority loyal to the king.

It 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.

"The armed forces commander and the national police commander have successfully taken over Bangkok and the surrounding area in order to maintain peace and order. There has been no struggle," the announcement said. "We ask for the cooperation of the public and ask your pardon for the inconvenience."

Thaksin, who has faced calls to step down amid allegations of corruption and abuse of power, was in New York at the U.N. General Assembly, and he declared a state of emergency in an audio statement via a government-owned TV station in Bangkok.

At least 14 tanks surrounded Government House, Thaksin's office. A convoy of four tanks rigged with loudspeakers and sirens rolled through a busy commercial district of Bangkok, warning people to get off the street for their own safety.

Army spokesman Col. Akara Chitroj said Deputy Prime Minister Chitchai Wannasathit had been removed from his post.

An army general, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said Chitchai and Defense Minister Thammarak Isaragura na Ayuthaya - two Thaksin loyalists - had been arrested.

"The government is no longer administering the country," Akara said.

In a vain attempt to stave off the coup, Thaksin in his state-of-emergency declaration from New York had ordered Sondhi to report to Chitchai immediately, effectively dismissing him.

Thaksin, who had been scheduled to address the General Assembly on Wednesday night, switched his speech to Tuesday at 7 p.m. EDT.

The coup went largely unnoticed in Bangkok's popular tourist districts, where foreigners packed bars and cabarets, oblivious to the activity about two miles away. But word raced among street vendors hawking T-shirts, who packed up their carts quickly and started heading home.

Hundreds of people gathered at Government House taking pictures of themselves with the tanks.

"I don't agree with the coup, but now that they've done it, I support it because Thaksin has refused to resign from his position," said university student Sasiprapha Chantawong. "Allowing Thaksin to carry on will ruin the country more than this. The reputation of the country may be somewhat damaged, but it's better than letting Thaksin stay in power."

The White House said it was monitoring the events.

Frederick Jones, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said President Bush's national security advisers had seen various reports of military movements as well as reports of a declaration of a state of emergency.

"We are monitoring developments closely, but the situation at the moment is unclear," Jones said. "We look to the Thai people to resolve their political differences in a peaceful manner and in accordance with principles of democracy and rule of law."

Former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, and a member of the opposition Democrat Party, said Thaksin had forced the military to act.

"As politicians, we do not support any kind of coup but during the past five years, the government of Thaksin created several conditions that forced the military to stage the coup. Thaksin has caused the crisis in the country," he told The Associated Press.

It was the first coup in Thailand since 1992, when an attempt by Prime Minister Suchinda Kraprayoon, a military general, to retain power was countered by mass street demonstrations and Suchinda's ouster. After that, the military vowed to remain in its barracks, in contrast to earlier decades when military coups were a staple of Thai politics.

Tuesday's coup came a day before a major rally - the first in months - was to take place in Bangkok by a anti-Thaksin coalition.

Massive rallies earlier this year forced Thaksin to dissolve Parliament and call an election in April, three years early. The poll was boycotted by the opposition and later annulled by Thailand's top courts, leaving it without a working legislature.

Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party twice won landslide election victories, in 2001 and 2005 and had been expected to win the next vote on Oct. 15, bolstered by its widespread support in the country's rural areas.

In March, Sondhi sought to ease speculation the military might join the political fray, as it last did in 1992 and more than a dozen other times during earlier crises.

"The army will not get involved in the political conflict. Political troubles should be resolved by politicians," Sondhi said at the time, echoing comments of other top military officials. "Military coups are a thing of the past."

On Monday, Thaksin had said he might step down as leader of Thailand after the upcoming elections but would remain as partly leader, despite calls for him to give up the post.

The first sign of the coup came when army-owned TV channel 5 interrupted regular broadcasts with patriotic music and showed pictures of the king. Later, several hundred soldiers were deployed at government installations and major intersections in Bangkok.

Thaksin's critics wanted to jettison his policies promoting privatization, free trade agreements and CEO-style administration.

Opposition to Thaksin gained momentum in January when his family announced it had sold its controlling stake in telecommunications company Shin Corp. to Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings for a tax-free $1.9 billion. Critics allege the sale involved insider trading and complained a key national asset moved to foreign hands.

Thaksin also has been accused of stifling the media and mishandling a Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand that flared under his rule.

In the mostly Muslim south, separatist insurgents have waged a bloody campaign that has left at least 1,700 dead, mostly civilians, since 2004. Citizens there have complained of rights abuses by soldiers and discrimination by the country's Buddhist majority.

Bhumibol, a 78-year-old constitutional monarch with limited powers, has used his prestige to pressure opposing parties to compromise during political crises. He is credited with helping keep Thailand more stable than many of its Southeast Asian neighbors.

He is the world's longest-serving monarch, celebrated his 60th year on the throne with lavish festivities in June that were attended by royalty from around the world.

Many Thais had been counting on him to pull the country through its political crisis, which has left it with no functioning legislature and only a caretaker government after the inconclusive election.

Bhumibol was born in Cambridge, Mass. He became the ninth king of Thailand's Chakri dynasty on June 9, 1946, succeeding his older brother, Ananda, killed by an unexplained shooting.

Since then, he has reigned through a score of governments, democratic and dictatorial. He has taken an especially active role in rural development.

In 1992, demonstrators against a military strongman were gunned down before the king stepped in to end the fighting and usher in a period of stability.



AP-ES-09-19-06 1449EDT

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

[maggiegee]

This may aid in giving a geographical perspective to the situation


http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l2/magi43/map-southeast-asia2.jpg

[maggiegee]

Excerpted from the CIA World Factbook

https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/th.html#Intro


Introduction Thailand Top of Page
Background:

A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally following the conflict. Thailand is currently facing armed violence in its three Muslim-majority southernmost provinces.



Geography Thailand Top of Page
Location:
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma
Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 100 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 514,000 sq km
land: 511,770 sq km
water: 2,230 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming


Land boundaries:
total: 4,863 km
border countries: Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km, Malaysia 506 km
Coastline:
3,219 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm


Climate:
tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid



Natural resources:
tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 27.54%
permanent crops: 6.93%
other: 65.53% (2005)
Irrigated land:
49,860 sq km (2003)


Natural hazards:
land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts
Environment - current issues:
air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic and factory wastes; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore


Population:
64,631,595
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)


Age structure:
0-14 years: 22% (male 7,284,068/female 6,958,632)
15-64 years: 70% (male 22,331,312/female 22,880,588)
65 years and over: 8% (male 2,355,190/female 2,821,805) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 31.9 years
male: 31.1 years
female: 32.8 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.68% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
13.87 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
7.04 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 19.49 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 20.77 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)


Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.25 years
male: 69.95 years
female: 74.68 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.64 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.5% (2003 est.)



HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
570,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
58,000 (2003 est.)



Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and plague are high risks in some locations
animal contact disease: rabies
water contact disease: leptospirosis
note: at present, H5N1 avian influenza poses a minimal risk; during outbreaks among birds, rare cases could occur among US personnel who have close contact with infected birds or poultry (2005)



Nationality:
noun: Thai (singular and plural)
adjective: Thai
Ethnic groups:
Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%
Religions:
Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 census)


Languages:
Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects


Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.6%
male: 94.9%
female: 90.5% (2002)



Government Thailand Top of Page
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Thailand
conventional short form: Thailand
local long form: Ratcha Anachak Thai
local short form: Prathet Thai
former: Siam



Government type:
constitutional monarchy



Capital:
name: Bangkok
geographic coordinates: 13 45 N, 100 31 E
time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:



Independence:
1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)




Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet (since 9 June 1946)
head of government: Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat (since 9 February 2001) and Deputy Prime Ministers CHITCHAI Wannasathit (since 11 March 2005), SOMKHIT Chatusiphithak (since 11 March 2005), SUCHAI Charoenrattanakhun (since 31 October 2005), SURAKIAT Sathianthai (since 11 March 2005), SURIYA Chungrungruankit (since 2 August 2005), SUWAT Liptapanlop (since 2 August 2005)
note: Prime Minister THAKSIN stepped aside on 5 April 2006; CHITCHAI Wannasahit became acting prime minister; THAKSIN resumed duties on 23 May 2006 as caretaker prime minister cabinet:



Council of Ministers
note: there is also a Privy Council
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister is designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following national elections for the House of Representatives, the leader of the party that can organize a majority coalition usually is appointed prime minister by the king


Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha consists of the Senate or Wuthisapha (200 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon (500 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections:


Senate - last held 19 April 2006 (next to be held in April 2012); House of Representatives - last held 6 February 2005 (next to be held in late November 2006)
note: snap election for House was held on 2 April 2006; election was invalidated by Constitution Court
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; House of Representatives - (2005 election) percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - TRT 376, DP 97, TNP 25, PP 2



Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Sandika (judges appointed by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders:
Democrat Party or DP (Prachathipat Party) [ABHISIT Wetchachiwa]; People's Party or PP (Mahachon Party) [ANEK Laothamatas]; Thai Nation Party or TNP (Chat Thai Party) [BARNHARN SILPA-ARCHA]; Thai Rak Thai Party or TRT [THAKSIN Chinnawat]



Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO




Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Virasakdi FUTRAKUL
chancery: 1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC 20007-3681
telephone: [1] (202) 944-3600
FAX: [1] (202) 944-3611
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph L. BOYCE
embassy: 120-122 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330
mailing address: APO AP 96546
telephone: [66] (2) 205-4000
FAX: [66] (2) 254-2990, 205-4131
consulate(s) general: Chiang Mai
Flag description:
five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width), white, and red



Economy Thailand Top of Page
Economy - overview:
With a well-developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy, and pro-investment policies, Thailand appears to have fully recovered from the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis. The country was one of East Asia's best performers in 2002-04. Boosted by increased consumption and strong export growth, the Thai economy grew 6.9% in 2003 and 6.1% in 2004 despite a sluggish global economy. Bangkok has pursued preferential trade agreements with a variety of partners in an effort to boost exports and to maintain high growth. In 2004, Thailand and the US began negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took 8,500 lives in Thailand and caused massive destruction of property in the southern provinces of Krabi, Phangnga, and Phuket. Growth slowed to 4.4% in 2005. The downturn can be attributed to high oil prices, weaker demand from Western markets, severe drought in rural regions, tsunami-related declines in tourism, and lower consumer confidence. Moreover, the THAKSIN administration's expansionist economic policies, including plans for multi-billion-dollar mega-projects in infrastructure and social development, has raised concerns about fiscal discipline and the health of financial institutions. On the positive side, the Thai economy performed well beginning in the third quarter of 2005. Export-oriented manufacturing - in particular automobile production - and farm output are driving these gains. In 2006, the economy should benefit from an influx of investment and a revived tourism sector; however, a possible avian flu epidemic could significantly harm economic prospects throughout the region.




GDP (purchasing power parity):
$560.7 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$183.9 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,300 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 9.9%
industry: 44.1%
services: 46% (2005 est.)


Labor force:
35.36 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 49%
industry: 14%
services: 37% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
1.8% (2005 est.)



Population below poverty line:
10% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
51.1 (2002)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.5% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
29% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $30.64 billion
expenditures: $31.76 billion; including capital expenditures of $5 billion (2005 est.)
Public debt:
47.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans



Industries:
tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and electric appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, automobiles and automotive parts; world's second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer
Industrial production growth rate:

Communications Thailand Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
6.797 million (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
27.379 million (2005)


Telephone system:
international: country code - 66; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean); landing country for APCN submarine cable


Military Thailand Top of Page
Military branches:
Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy (includes Royal Thai Marine Corps), Royal Thai Air Force
Military service age and obligation:
21 years of age for compulsory military service; males are registered at 18 years of age; conscript service obligation - two years; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 21-49: 14,903,855
females age 21-49: 15,265,854 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 21-49: 10,396,032
females age 21-49: 11,487,690 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 526,276
females age 21-49: 514,396 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.775 billion (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:




1.8% (2003)
Transnational Issues Thailand Top of Page
Disputes - international:
separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern provinces prompt border closures and controls with Malaysia to stem terrorist activities; southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over several areas along Mekong River and Thai squatters; despite continuing border committee talks, significant differences remain with Burma over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities; Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of boundary with missing boundary markers; Cambodia claims Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory and obstructing access to Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962; ethnic Karens from Burma flee into Thailand - to escape fighting between Karen rebels and Burmese troops - resulting in Thailand sheltering about 120,000 Burmese refugees in 2005; Karens also protest Thai support for a Burmese hydroelectric dam construction on the Salween River near the border; environmentalists in Burma and Thailand remain concerned about China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 120,814 (Burma)
IDPs: 6,000 (26 December 2004 tsunami) (2005)




Illicit drugs:
a minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana; illicit transit point for heroin en route to the international drug market from Burma and Laos; eradication efforts have reduced the area of cannabis cultivation and shifted some production to neighboring countries; opium poppy cultivation has been reduced by eradication efforts; also a drug money-laundering center; minor role in methamphetamine production for regional consumption; major consumer of methamphetamine since the 1990s

This page was last updated on 19 September, 2006

[robin]

My friend actually left me a message titled "Coup". I had no idea what he was talking about until I checked this here forum. Now I'm frantically trying to contact him.

[seanchai]

Don't get too frantic.
There's nothing going on yet and probably won't get our of hand.

seanchai

[Ecstatic]

Another interesting fact regarding Thailand (especially for us on the forum): the ratio of tgirls (katoey) to the base population in Thailand is nearly 1:200 or close to 300,000 transgenders, possibly the highest ratio in the world.

[maggiegee]

Thai military declares Wednesday holiday to announce "new policy"

BANGKOK: -- Coup leaders declared Wednesday a national holiday and called top civil servants and foreign diplomats to a meeting at military headquarters to update the situations.

The coup leaders declared Wednesday "a holiday for government, banks and the stock exchange in order to quickly restore law and order," according to a statement read on national television.

They told top civil servants, leaders of state enterprises, and university presidents around Bangkok to meet at military headquarters at 9am "to learn about the new policy," the statement said.

An informed source said Gen Sonthi Bunyaratglin, coup leader, has ordered to invite foreign diplomats to attend the meeting to update them about the current situations in the country.

--The Nation 2006-09-20

[maggiegee]

Thailand to target deposed PM's assets

BANGKOK: -- Thailand may seize the assets of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a self-made telecom tycoon believed to be worth over $2-billion (about R14,6-billion), the new military junta said on Friday.

"It's under consideration on how we will proceed," with Thaksin's vast assets, said air force chief Chalit Pukbhasuk, one of the military leaders who toppled Thaksin in a bloodless coup on Tuesday.

The junta also appointed a new nine-member National Counter Corruption Commission, clearing the way for a probe of the financial affairs of Thaksin, who was staying in London on Friday.

Forbes magazine in July said Thaksin is Thailand's fourth richest businessman with a fortune worth $2,2-billion.

The 56-year-old, who took office in 2001, was the founder of Thailand's telecom giant Shin Corp., which includes the country's top mobile phone company, satellite services and a stake in a budget airline.

His family in January sold a nearly 50-percent stake in Shin Corp. and earned R1,9-billion under a tax-free deal, setting off months of street protests demanding his ousting over alleged abuse of power and corruption.

The commission said Friday that when Thaksin first took office he declared assets worth 15.12 billion baht (about $2,9-billion) held in 27 bank accounts and in stocks in 29 companies and investment funds.

Months after taking office, a top court found Thaksin not guilty on charges that he had failed to disclose full assets to the authority.

Thaksin also owned four houses, 35 buildings and land in Bangkok, in his hometown in northern Chiang Mai province, in the southern tourist resort of Phuket and elsewhere.

He also declared 10 cars including a Porsche and a Ferrari, and stacks of diamonds, rubies, topaz necklaces, rings and watches.

Earlier Friday, the junta expanded the powers of the national police chief, which would make it easier to press ahead with prosecutions against Thaksin and other members of his government.

Thailand's auditor general told local media that she would be ready to complete at least one long-standing corruption investigation into him within days.

The junta has promised to appoint a new civilian government within two weeks, and to draft a new constitution to clear the way for elections in October 2007.

Air chief Chalit said the generals were considering at least five candidates to become the new prime minister, but he declined to reveal their names.

"The new prime minister is likely to be a legal expert because he has to implement constitutional reforms, while his deputies can oversee economic affairs," he said.

"There are more than five people under consideration, and I expect he will be named soon," Chalit said.

-- AFP 2006-09-23

[2Real4U]

....seems like good news (I think)

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/003200609231911.htm

Even in Thaksin's area, villagers say coup may solve problems

At Samat (Thailand), Sept 23. (AP): Thanks to a meeting with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra early this year, Yao Chongthep received a new Government-built house and raised her salary 10-fold by starting an organic mushroom business with a Government loan.

With populist policies and handouts like these, it's no wonder Thailand's rural poor have a soft spot for Thaksin.

But even in the Thai heartland, where Thaksin's support was strongest, more and more villagers are saying that a military coup that ousted him on Tuesday might have been the best solution to Thailand's problems.

The coup capped months of protests in Bangkok, the capital, against Thaksin for alleged abuse of power and corrupt deals with cronies. Thailand has had no working legislature and only a caretaker Government since February, when the Thaksin dissolved Parliament to hold new elections to reaffirm his mandate.

Through it all, Thaksin's popularity remained solid here in the impoverished northeast, home to a third of the country's 63 million people - whom he wooed with business grants, cheap health care and debt suspension for farmers.

"He took care of us poor people first and foremost," Yao, 42, said in the shade of her new prefabricated home, nestled in a village surrounded by lush rice paddies. She didn't want to talk about the coup. "Before there was no one who looked after us."

Yao's husband, Somchai Waew-wong, however, said he believes the bloodless coup might have been the quickest and most peaceful way to end the crisis.

"The situation was becoming more chaotic and tense. If they didn't seize power, it might have been even worse," he said.

[vangough05]

:-D I have just got back from Bangkok and to be quite honest unless you read the papers and watch CNN you would not know what was happening. Nana, Patpong and Soi Cowboy are hopping as normal. I went down to Pattaya for a few days and its even busier there and no one seems really worried. 8) Thaksin supporters tried to get their supporters to wear black ribbons to show surport and i have seen very few surporters. As the old hands have said it was close to dictatorship and in my opinion it was getting close to the Marcos era in The Philipines.

Business will get back to normal and the economy will probaly be stronger for the clean out. :D

[Juliana_Dominguez]

:-D I have just got back from Bangkok and to be quite honest unless you read the papers and watch CNN you would not know what was happening. Nana, Patpong and Soi Cowboy are hopping as normal. I went down to Pattaya for a few days and its even busier there and no one seems really worried. 8) Thaksin supporters tried to get their supporters to wear black ribbons to show surport and i have seen very few surporters. As the old hands have said it was close to dictatorship and in my opinion it was getting close to the Marcos era in The Philipines.

Business will get back to normal and the economy will probaly be stronger for the clean out. :D

The Marcos Era, The Martial Law, Dictatorship was kinda different. it was tough! Marcos was a tough leader. i love him tho. i think imo, he's the best president the Philippines has ever have!