Anything & Everything About Thailand

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Monday 18 September 2006 :-

Distraught Hatyai residents wake to a new, violent reality

Charred vehicles, blackened walls, shattered bottles and tourists in hospital gowns were grim reminders of how abruptly Saturday night ended for revellers in the bustling southern city of Hat Yai.

But while the debris will clear in a day or two, many of the residents fear life for them may never be the same.

Hat Yai's lifeline has been tourism and related industries for decades, and, but for a couple of relatively minor bomb attacks over the past two years, has been thought to be outside the focus of the campaign of terror in the deep South. But as cafes or streetside restaurants began to fill with Thai and foreign holidaymakers on Saturday night, five bombs erupted almost simultaneously, showering everything nearby with shrapnel and ushering in what could be a very long economic nightmare.

The deaths and injuries inflicted on Saturday night have strengthened the belief that the separatist militants were expanding their operations beyond the provincial borders of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, with the obvious new target being Songkhla province's economic centre.

As dawn broke over southern Thailand's largest city yesterday, crowds began to gather in the devastated strip of pubs and restaurants that is the heart of Hat Yai's nightlife. Outside the Brown Sugar Bar and Cafe a crowd of about 40 people had gathered, some gesturing wildly towards piles of debris or pools of blood, while others just stood numbly by.

"I heard the blast and I live a kilometre away," said one bystander.

Large beach umbrellas advertising popular brands of liquor hung in tatters from their poles. Street awnings were also shredded by flying shards of metal that left deep gouges in building walls.

Many residents were too afraid to go out shopping yesterday, leaving key fresh markets and department stores quiet.

"I opted to go to a lesser known food market in the suburbs instead," said Supavadee Mudliad, a 31-year-old vendor. "This is the first time I have done this. Normally, I go to the municipal area market every morning."

"I fear for my life but I don't know what to do," said Patchara Kongprathet, 24, tending her stall inside a Carrefour hyperstore. "I have invested a lot of money in my business here so I have no choice but to come and look after it.'

Along the streets, onlookers ignored police cordons and milled around other blast sites. Several charred vehicles still sat where they had burned the night before, and pieces of demolished motorcycles littered the road.

The impact on business was already being felt.

"I have not had a single passenger since 6am," said one tuk-tuk taxi driver sitting in front of the Lee Gardens Hotel, which police said was targeted by one of the bombs.

"Many of the tourists hurried to check out of the hotel," the driver said.

Back at the Brown Sugar Bar an Australian stood amongst the crowd, still wearing a hospital gown.

The distraught man, who did not give his name, said he had been only a few metres from the blast that had erupted there, and that doctors had pulled a large chunk of metal out of his shoulder which he believed had come from an exploding motorcycle.

Another foreigner lingered briefly before saying "my friend died last night" and walking off.

A Miss Teen Thailand contest, scheduled to take place in the city yesterday, was cancelled.

"We are concerned about the safety of our young participants," said Tidarat Boonsombat, the event's public relations official. "It took a lot of frantic phone calls to inform them so they wouldn't waste their time and travel expenses."
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Monday 18 September 2006 :-

Suvarnabhumi Airport exposes planning flaws : Failure to decentralise brings chronic congestion to Bang Na's residents

The opening of Suvarnabhumi Airport on September 28 marks a new era for Thai aviation. It also spells the demise of one of Bangkok's more exclusive residential zones.

For decades the Bang Na area housed some of the most exclusive housing estates in the capital, among them the Lakeside, Green Valley, Ladawan and Windmill projects - homes to some of the country's richest families.

Lately projects like Grand Monaco, Golden Nakara, Ananda and Land & Houses estates have tried to tap into this once scenic and peaceful area.

But the arrival of the new airport brings both good and bad news. For landowners and building contractors, the boom that came with massive land speculation has enriched their pockets.

For residents of Bang Na, the past three years have been miserable, nerve-wracking and wretched with the quality of life plummeting to new lows.

Overcrowding and congestion along the Srinakarin, Theparak and Kingkaew areas near the airport has already worsened as more housing projects spring up in a stampede to cash in on the real-estate mania.

With the induced huge population growth comes commuting woes, horrific traffic jams along Bang Na and its conduits, as well as expressways linking the area to town.

The original goal of Suvarnabhumi was to erect an improved gateway to Bangkok. But considering the reality of the current commuting routes today, there is much concern that the airport could bode ill for the tourism industry due to poor outbound road traffic.

The main culprit, as usual in local infrastructure works, is shortsighted planning.

While the airport itself may function properly, it is the congested commuting to the city that could cripple the reputation of Suvarnabhumi, and along with that, the country.

Unlike during the Apec (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) meetings or Asian Games, looking good alone won't be enough. The botch-ups will be apparent for months after the opening, as airport operations are not transient events.

For instance, it is not hard to imagine what a traveller will go through after clearing immigration and customs. If he leaves the airport by the Bang Na route between 6pm and 8pm, he will run into heavy traffic along Bang Na-Trat.

If he takes the First Stage Expressway, travelling will not speed up but actually be impeded for hours. Travellers staying at hotels on Sukhumvit, Sathorn or Silom could be trapped on the expressway for two to three hours - or even longer.

This being a global record, if anybody bothers to measure the current jams today, this unique experience could foul up so badly that exhausted visitors won't bother to return quickly.

Indeed, these jams have been happening regularly for many months, as Bang Na residents will attest, with zero attempts by either police or city officials to address the problem.

The expensive government-funded public relations advertisements and TV shows praise the airport and avoid mentioning the existing problems. To be sure, balance and accuracy are not the first priority of PR companies, so users have to depend on common sense to weigh the risks of using these routes by the airport.

It is understandable why the authorities have chosen to close one eye to these problems, as they are very, very hard to fix.

Ironically, Suvarnabhumi Airport's most significant contribution to the public is that it exposes the country's staggering failure to provide sound economic planning.

Under the Eastern Seaboard project mapped out 30 years ago, which included a blueprint for a new airport at Nong Ngu Hao (before it was renamed Suvarnabhumi), the whole idea was to expand the country's industrial growth in a systematic, logical and sustainable manner.

One of the keywords of the plan was decentralisation, in order to diversify business activity out of Bangkok to the poorer coastal towns such as those in Chon Buri, Rayong and provinces beyond.

For its original planners, it seemed rather absurd - if not outright irresponsible - to have wealth concentrated purely in Bangkok. Decentralisation would resolve so many social, commercial and political problems surrounding an over-centralised system.

The plan also called for Klong Toei port to be shut gradually and for the port authority to shift to Laem Chabang and Map Ta Phut. Thirty years later, Suvarnabhumi Airport has been built, but without many of the other corresponding programmes put into practice.

Worse, the country is now more centralised than ever and the decentralisation plan has been quietly shelved.

Instead of shifting all the ports, oil refineries and other hopelessly outdated industries out of the inner city, all the vested interests are still located downtown. The container yards along Bang Na from Klong Toei to Bang Pakong are one of the key reasons why congestion is so bad and why expensive road repairs have to be conducted so often in town, thanks to the wear from overloaded trucks.

The reluctance to decentralise, and the failure to implement a sound plan that would help the country tremendously, is already costing billions in traffic delays and wasted fuel consumption lost in traffic jams all around town.

For the moment there is much effort to make Suvarnabhumi appear as if it is a great success.

One would do well to recall Abraham Lincoln's famous line, "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all the people all the time."

Evidently, shipping in armies of foreign journalists to write puff pieces about

Suvarnabhumi is a good strategy to boost one's standing. But it could backfire as the press corps will themselves be stuck in the quagmire that is frothing in what was once Bangkok's real-estate gold mine.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The STAR dated Monday 18 September 2006 :-

Blasts from the past

Sept 15, 2006: Malaysian fisheries officer Che Ayub Yaakub, 52, gunned down together with a friend when travelling on the Takbai-Sungai Golok road.

June 18, 2006: Two Malaysian reporters and a cameraman narrowly escaped death when a bomb exploded in an entertainment centre at a Yala hotel.

Jan 7, 2006: A Malaysian businessman was injured when an explosion tears through a coffee shop in Sungai Golok.

Nov 20, 2005: A former Malaysian Customs officer was injured during an explosion in a market in Sungai Golok.

Oct 31, 2005: Shahrul Anuar Chin Abdullah, 39, injured in bomb blasts near hotels in Sungai Golok.

Feb 18, 2005: A Malaysian man was among 44 injured in a car bomb blast in Sungai Golok which also killed six. He dies from severe burns a month later.

Oct 30, 2004: A Malaysian was killed in bomb blasts in Yala.

Oct 28, 2004: A Malaysian was among 20 injured and one killed in a bomb blast in Sungai Golok.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The STAR dated Sunday 17 September 2006 :-

A struggle to speak English right

By Philip Golingai

IN Thailand, The Lord of the Rings is the rord of the lings. Thais mix their “L” and “R”, according to Christopher Wright, a 29-year-old British-Thai who wrote two pocketbooks in Thai, Farang Kao Jai, Kon Thai Get Part I and II (English That Foreigners Understand and Thais Know How To Use).

Bad pronunciation is one of the problems Thais have with speaking English, notes Wright.

For example, when a Thai says, “I want to pray at the temple,” he doesn’t pronounce the “R” and it comes out as “pay”. Or he says it with an “L” and it becomes “play”.

Why the mix-up? “This is – and most foreigners do not know about this – because when Thais speak Thai, they make a lot of mistakes in their pronunciation,” he explains.

“In Thai culture, we are sa baay sa baay (happy) and mai bpen rai (it does not matter) in our pronunciation. But in English, the ‘L’ is an ‘L’ and the ‘R’ is an ‘R’.”

The other letter that Thais have difficulty with is “X”. And the mispronunciation is one of Wright’s favourite “X” jokes. Well, it is about a salesman and the word “fax”. And it rhymes with “duck.”

Mispronunciation or not, English is big business in Thailand.

Even the government has got into the act. Last month, the Cabinet approved a baht 2 billion (RM200mil) budget for a four-year project to upgrade the English competency among the Thai people to an international level.

In cosmopolitan Bangkok, where about 10% of its six million population speak fluent English, Bangkokians are finding that loosening their tongue to English translates to a better salary.

“I want to learn English because the multi-national companies pay twice more than local companies. But they want Thais who can speak English,” explains Supitch Buaseng.

The 27-year-old building manager plans to attend a baht 2,600 (RM260) six-lesson English course.

There’s a possibility his teacher may be Hannibal Lecter.

In the wake of last month’s arrest of John Mark Karr, a suspect in the 1996 murder of JonBenet Ramsey, an American child beauty queen, the Education Ministry offered to compile a list of foreigners suspected of committing crimes against children.

Why? Because Karr slipped into the education system and taught English for two weeks at one of Bangkok’s most prestigious elementary schools before he was rejected for being too strict.

The Nation reported that some language schools were so desperate to acquire foreign teachers that they didn’t bother with any detailed checking.

That comes to no surprise to Wright. “There is a lot of weird or sleazy farangs (Westerners) teaching English in Thailand,” he says. “Anyone with blond hair who wears a suit can get a job teaching English.”

Surprisingly, a few years ago when the Mahidol International University business administration graduate applied for a English teaching job in several schools in Bangkok, he was told that they only hired native speakers.

“I told them I’m a native speaker as English is my first language. But they told me that they did not want Thai parents to think they were hiring Asian teachers,” recalls the bilingual Wright, whose father is British and mother is Thai.

In Thailand, he adds, it is all about image. When it was pointed out that he looked pan-Asian, Wright says, “I don’t have blond hair and blue eyes.”

However, he prevailed and managed to teach English at schools and universities in Bangkok. With enough experience teaching Thais to learn and speak English, he wrote two pocketbooks in Thai.

The books are about Thai people’s problems with English. “My books answer a question most Thais and farangs love to ask, ‘Why can’t Thais speak English after all their years of learning it in school and at college?’” he says.

The number one reason is that Thais view English only as a subject. “They study it for an exam. They don’t immerse themselves in English. For example, they watch a Hollywood movie with Thai subtitles,” he says.

Next month, his own English school Wright English Club will open in Bangkok. He will teach Thais to speak English, the Wright way.

Or as some Thais (and Malaysian Chinese) will say, “the light way”.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

The writer can be contacted at e-mail: [email protected]

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Tuesday 19 September 2006 :-

Blasts may cut retail sales by 30% in Hatyai

Retail sales in Hat Yai are expected to nosedive over the next few months following the devastating bomb attacks on Saturday.

Likit Fahpyochon, a former president of the Thai Retailers Association, said sales in the area could fall by 30% on average, due to the impact on tourism and consumer confidence.

"It could take about two months before the situation recovers, judging by what happened after last year's bombing at the Hat Yai airport," he said.

Four people were killed and at least 80 were wounded when six bombs exploded on Saturday in Hat Yai. The next day, arsonists attacked school buildings and destroyed several vehicles.

More than 1,700 people have died since early 2004 in the ongoing insurgency in the southern border provinces.

The Hat Yai attacks, which left a Canadian teacher among the dead, were sure to have a significant impact on tourism, according to Suthep Keusang, the director of the Songkhla office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Hat Yai, the centre of Songkhla and the largest city in southern Thailand, is a major attraction for Malaysian and Singaporean tourists.

Mr Suthep said local tourism operators would meet today to discuss ways to strengthen public confidence. New security measures, including closed-circuit television cameras throughout the town, would also be considered.

Netr Chantrasmi, the managing director of Diana Department Store Co, said traffic had fallen to just 5% of capacity at the company's movie theatres, while sales at the department store on Sunday were down 56% from last year.

He said it took six months for business to return to normal after last year's bombings in Hat Yai.

"With the latest bombing, it's not just tourists but locals who are scared. No one has confidence in the government's security measures," Mr Netr said.

Business leaders called on the government to take urgent steps to revive confidence among tourists and investors.

One Singaporean businessman noted that Malaysian media were reporting that about 200 investors and businesses in Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani were planning to relocate to Penang.

"The Malaysian government is offering soft loans and tax breaks to attract investors who want to leave the three provinces," he said.

But Payungsak Chartsutipol, a vice-chairman for the Federation of Thai Industries, said the economic impact would be limited. "Yes, local trade and tourism will be severely hit in the short-term," he said. "But we can see that the impact from last year's bombs at the airport eventually faded."

Tarisa Watanagase, a deputy governor of the Bank of Thailand, said the bombings would have an impact on tourism, investor sentiment and related industries.

"Everyone wants to see the troubles end and a recovery in confidence. We shouldn't panic, however, otherwise we face a greater impact than warranted," she said.

Banks in Songkhla and the three border provinces have remained on high alert since last month's bombings in Yala, where 22 branches were hit with nearly simultaneous explosions injuring two dozen and killing two.

Atchana Waiquamdee, an assistant central bank governor, said officials were still assessing the impact the most recent attacks would have on the economy.

She said that while tourism and investment would be negatively affected, the overall economy would receive gains from declining world oil prices and strong agricultural commodity prices.

Investors on the Stock Exchange of Thailand yesterday appeared to shrug off the latest developments, with the main index closing up 0.75% at 705.89 points in trade worth 14.3 billion baht.

Foreign buyers had a net buy position of 2.05 billion baht, as Thai stocks gained in line with a regional rally.

SET chairman Vijit Supinit said local investors sold off positions in the morning.

"I think that investors should not worry much, as the economy continues to be fundamentally strong," he said.

Montree Sornpaisarn chief executive officer at Kim Eng Securities, said investors were generally more cautious about such events than in the past.

"I don't want to say about what might happen next in our country. I hope that the government and authorities take action, and that things are settled peacefully without more losses," he said
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 19 September 2006 :-

Hatyai bombing fall-out - Entire economy at risk: BOT

Business leaders call urgent meeting to discuss impact; officials fear violence will spread to other tourist destinations

Saturday's bomb blasts in Hat Yai would have negative repercussions for the national economy as business people fear that the violence may no longer be contained within three provinces in the far South, the Bank of Thailand said yesterday.

The Bank of Thailand deputy governor Tarisa Watanagase said the blasts would have an adverse impact on the entire country, as Hat Yai was one of the country's main tourist and commercial hubs.

The blasts have already dealt a serious blow to tourism as more than 7,000 tourists have cancelled trips to Hat Yai after the blasts. The loss in tourism revenue has been estimated at Bt100 million.

The Chamber of Commerce will today call a meeting to discuss the impact of the blasts on the business sector.

While the violence has yet to affect stock market - the Stock Exchange of Thailand's index closed 0.75 per cent higher at 705.89 yesterday - the incident is likely to dampen business sentiment in the medium term.

Hundreds of foreigners fled the area following the bombs on Saturday night. Somchart Pimtha-napoonporn, president of the Hat Yai Hotels Association, estimated that more than 7,000 tourists, mostly Malaysians, had cut short holidays in Hat Yai, which had been a popular destination for Malaysians and Singaporeans.

Shortly after the blasts, the average hotel occupancy rate in the city plunged from its normal 80 per cent to single digit figures. The occupancy rate is usually 100 per cent on weekends.

"It will take about three months for the tourism industry to recover," Somchart said.

Nimitr Chaijiratheerahul, president of Songkhla Tourism Federation, also feared the violence may begin to affect bigger tourist destinations in the South, such as Phuket, Koh Samui and Krabi.

"So far, most tourists are still planning to visit those areas as their trips were booked in advance. Only a few are choosing to avoid the South," he said, adding that domestic travellers might switch to other provinces.

Anake Srichevachart, president of Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA), said that the coming high season could well be affected because of the violence.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) southern region, said two major events were due to be held in the coming peak season - Tak Bat Thewo - the merit making that marks the end of Buddhist Lent, and the Vegetarian Festival. But it was too soon to say how these events would be affected, Anake said.

A Central Retail Corporation (CRC) executive said the blasts in Songkhla would certainly affect revenue at its two stores - Central and Robinson - as well as the Big C Supercenter, which the company partially owns.

But CRC did not know yet how badly revenue would be hit and was still assessing the impact and ways to survive the crisis, said Allan Namchaisiri, the firm's senior vice president and head of marketing.

Although the incident would certainly affect tourist numbers in the province, Allan was optimistic business would continue to run smoothly as over half the revenue generated comes from local customers, while Malaysian shoppers contribute 20 to 30 per cent and the rest comes from other international tourists.

CRC is checking security in all its shopping malls to see if systems need to be upgraded, he said.

The Bank of Thailand's assistant governor Atchana Waiquam-dee, said the weekend explosions would hurt business sentiment. However, the losses had not been estimated yet - they would be reflected in October's key economic indicators.

Thai economic growth for the rest of this year would not be affected by the blasts as lower oil prices and better-than-expected prices for agricultural products would cushion the impact.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said in a statement that all 18 trading rooms in Hat Yai would provide services as usual. Kim Eng Securities, Kiatnakin Securities, KGI Securities (Thailand), Sicco Securities, Syrus Securities, Trinity Securities, SCB Securities, Thanachart Securities, Bualuang Securities, BFIT Securities, Finansa Securities, Far East Securities, UOB Kay Hian Securities, and Asia Plus Securities have one branch each there. Phillip Securities and Adkinson Securities each have two branches.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand Patareeya Banchapolchai said the blasts would dampen sentiment.

"I admit it will be more difficult to achieve the target of new listings. Nonetheless, the SET will convince companies lining up to list on the stock market to proceed according to their schedules," she said.

SET executive vice president Vichate Tantivanich said some companies queuing up to list on the Market for Alternative Investment (MAI) had delayed their initial public offering following the blasts. However, the corporate tax incentive should help convince some companies to follow their listing plan as scheduled.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 19 September 2006 :-

Analysis : Insurgency 'has crossed a new threshold'

The crisis in the deep South crossed a new threshold with the weekend bomb attacks in Hat Yai, because of the scale of the damage and the choice of targets.

However, targeting areas beyond Hat Yai is still a long way off, security officials say.

The deputy commissioner of the Ninth Police Region, Maj-General Thani Thawidsri, said the attacks on Saturday night did not reflect the work and mindset of the vast majority of insurgents in the Malay-speaking South, which includes the provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, and a couple of districts of Songkhla.

Authorities believe the Hat Yai bombings were carried out by a cluster of zealous operatives working under the leadership of Faisal Haji Isma-ae and Abdul Kamae Saleh.

The pair were linked to the Hat Yai Airport bombing in April last year, as well as the blitz in downtown Yala three months later. The latter incident featured a brief but deadly gunfight in the heart of Yala, as well as firebombs that torched a number of high-profile places, including a karaoke bar and a shopping complex.

Hat Yai is not far from the boundaries of the troubled Malay-speaking region - about 100km north of Pattani and about 50km east of Saba Yoi, a Malay-speaking district in Songkhla.

Thani, who has overseen the restive region for most of the past two decades, said it was important to understand that the current generation of militants in the deep South were organised into small independent cells of about five to eight people. There was no top-down, pyramidal chain of command and no suggestion that they could evolve into conventional guerrilla outfits with designated chains of command.

However, they had shown they can carry out simultaneous attacks.

More than 50 government offices and 22 banks have been hit in simultaneous bomb attacks in two separate incidents over the past three months. Officials say these were largely designed to discredit the government, rather than to damage for the sake of destruction. The bombs were small and contained no shrapnel.

But with their admission that insurgent violence in the deep South has now spread to the commercial hub of non-Malay-speaking Hat Yai, political leaders and security chiefs are effectively telling the public that the worst is yet to come.

From caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya to police chief General Kowit Wattana, the official response is that the Hat Yai bombings were the work of Malay insurgents looking to separate the Malay-speaking South from the rest of the country. Yet the explosions that ripped through crowded bars and cafes, department stores, a hotel and a massage parlour in the tourist hub of Hat Yai were in an area that is not in the Malay-speaking South.

The bombs killed four people and injured more than 60, shattering the area's tourist industry and its business confidence, and raising implications far beyond the Muslim-majority region, where more than 1,700 people have been killed since January 2004.

Police have questioned more than 40 witnesses, but have yet to pin down any significant leads.

A leading security expert, Assoc Professor Panitan Wattanayagorn, said Saturday's attacks showed the coordination and capability of the group involved was much higher than authorities believed, although the tactics - bombs attached to motorbikes - were more or less the same.

He said the southern violence has crossed a new threshold because the choice of targets and the scale of the damage had far-reaching implications beyond the strife-torn region. And while the insurgency in the deep South may be home-grown, the separatists showed they had learned from foreign militant and terrorist groups that tend to go after high-profile places to create the greatest possible psychological impact, Panitan said.

"Repairing the economic infrastructure and the tourist industry is much harder than repairing damage inflicted on military and government targets," he said.

What was most worrying, Panitan said, was that every successful hit usually leads to a bigger attack, more lethal, efficient and precise than the first.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday September 2006 :-

Trade in Hat Yai may take many months to recover

Despite the government's insistence that a curfew will not be declared in the far South after the Hat Yai bombings, tourism operators agree that they have been brought to their knees and a business recovery in the region could be months away. Supreme Commander Ruengroj Mahasaranont ruled out the imposition of a curfew yesterday and made it clear that the enforcement of the emergency decree will not be extended beyond Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

The multiple bombings in Hat Yai have shaken the confidence of local tourism businesses and the city administrators have admitted that putting the sector back on its feet would be an uphill task.

Gen Ruengroj dismissed speculation that Fourth Army Commander Lt-Gen Ongkorn Thongprasom was planning to announce a curfew in the insurgency hotspots of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. He said the situation had not deteriorated to a point that the Executive Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations should be extended to also cover Songkhla, Satun and Phatthalung, which are adjacent to the three restive Muslim-dominated provinces.

Authorities are in control of the security situation in those six southern provinces, assured Gen Ruengroj.

Local officials began assessing the impact of Saturday's bombings in Hat Yai yesterday, said the supreme commander.

Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ordered relevant authorities to quickly help restore tourism, business and investor confidence in Hat Yai.

The Songkhla governor will act as the coordination centre between local authorities and business operators and the Songkhla chamber of commerce.

Songkhla traders yesterday gathered at a local hotel to discuss the future prospects of their businesses. Acting Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Pensuda Prai-aram also attended the meeting where he heard the operators call for government assistance.

Charn Leelaporn, deputy mayor of Hat Yai City Municipality, said he believes it could take as long as two to three years to recoup the shattered business sentiment in Hat Yai.

Songchai Mungprasitthichai, chairman of the Songkhla Professional Guides Association, said his association would call for an adjustment to tour programmes in a bid to lure tourists back to Hat Yai.

Some tourism operators had to make abrupt adjustments to tour itineraries so customers could continue to enjoy the tour without having to stay overnight in Hat Yai. Some packaged tours have already reduced the number of nights to be spent in Hat Yai in order to assure the safety of customers.

Security has also been stepped up for tourism businesses in other major cities such as Chiang Mai, Trat and Ayutthaya in the wake of the Hat Yai blasts
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Wednesday September 2006 :-

Months of rumours come true : Finally, it had come down to a military showdown.

Fighting vehemently to ward off a coup plot against his government while he was still in New York, caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had to act first. He went on TV Channel 9 at about 10:20 PM in a voiceover to head off the coup at home by placing Bangkok under an emergency law.

Strangely enough, other TV channels did not cover the prime minister's speech. TV Channel 5 still aired a programme about the royal activities as if nothing had happened. But the Thais all knew that something very unusual was going on when Channel 5, controlled by the Royal Army, removed its usual programme from the air.

Rumours had swirled around the capital since the morning that a coup was imminent. There were unusual troop movements from the upcountry moving into Bangkok. The two persons who got the most attention from the Thaksin camp were Gen Sonthi Boonyaratklin, the army chief, and Gen Anupong Phaochinda, the head of the First Infantry Division.

The First Infantry Division had turned out to become the headquarters of unusual troop|movements. One military source said troops from Prachin Buri, which used to be under Gen Anupong, were arriving at the First Infantry Division on the Viphavadee Rangsit Road in the evening. They were joined by the troops of the Special Warfare Command from Lopburi, which used to be under the command of Gen Sonthi.

But the members of Class 10 of the Chulachom Klao Military Academy, who are loyal to Thaksin, were standing by. They knew that the final showdown had come. They got the Third and Fourth Calvary Battalion, the AntiAircraft Artillery prepared within their barracks.

There was a tense confrontation between the two opposing sides. Who would blink first?

Whoever moved first in this dangerous game could be charged with treason against the state or the Constitution.

A fuming Thaksin had realised all along that his battle against the Thai elite would boil down to this military confrontation. Through a voiceover heard over Channel 9, Thaksin read out the emergency statement ordering Gen Sonthi to report to the Office of the Prime Minister under the command of Pol Gen Chidchai Vanasaditya, the deputy prime minister.

This technically amounted to a removal of Sonthi from his powerful post. He then assigned Ruengroj Mahasaranond, the supreme commander, to be in charge of all aspects of security in Bangkok.

Thaksin learnt about the plot while he was in New York. At 9pm Bangkok time, he went to his hotel room and called the reporters from the Mass Communication Organisation of Thailand and Channel 11 to tell them that he would have an important message to tell them.

As it turned out, he would declare a state of emergency covering Bangkok in order to preempt a military coup at home. He thought he had an upper hand because he was an elected leader of a democratic country.

But logistics did not go his way. Thaksin planned to have his message sent via satellite signal to Channel 9. But he was told that it could not be done technically. It would work out better if he spoke over the phone directly to the TV channel.

Thaksin decided to switch to Channel 11 to air his state of emergency declaration. But before he could do so, the military took over Channel 11. The editors and reporters were taken to another room.

All the other statecontrolled TV stations, owned by the military, were ordered to stand by to air an important message.

But somehow Thaksin did not face a total blackout. He was allowed to air his state of emergency declaration on Channel 9, with a still photo of him accompanied by his live telephone speech.

Sources said the military confrontation could last until tomorrow while all the combat military personnel were summoned to station in their bases.

At the time of going to the press, nobody would dare predict the final outcome.

Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai appeared on CNN to try to calm the international audience, who had been wondering all along about the timing of the new election, about the political crisis in the capital. He said the army chief was trying to oust the democratically elected government and that Thaksin was still prime minister.

But a few minutes later, at 11pm, the Gen Sonthi camp effectively took over with tanks parking at all the strategic places around the capital.

A military coup was finally staged.

It was as much a military war as a media war for control of the time slot.

A statement was read out through all the TV channels that all the armed and police forces had taken control of Bangkok and the neighbouring areas without resistance. The names of the coup leaders, who called themselves a military reformist unit, were withheld. To maintain peace, the statement on behalf of the Political Reform Group sought cooperation from the public to maintain peace. It also apologised for any inconvenience the coup may cause to the Thai public.

At first, it looked like a deadlock situation, without any party showing an upper hand or a convincing victory as yet. The situation was very confusing and remained very fluid.

Troops supporting to the Thaksin camp still put up a resistance as of last night. There were reports that troops from Prachin Buri and Chacheongsao would move into the capital early this morning to fortify the position of Gen Sonthi.

As the day was over, it appeared that the Gen Sonthi camp gained the advantage. Gen Sonthi appeared from the shadow to make a countermove by announcing a state of emergency to override Thaksin's announcement earlier. He forbid any troop movements without his order.

Political sources said it would be interesting to see how the confrontation would develop and how the Thaksin camp would rally supporters to protest against the coup.

Nobody could predict the final outcome as Thaksin looked serious that he would fight to his political end. Thaksin could go to the UN to tell the whole world not to accept the coup at home.

The Sonthi camp has also crossed the threshold into uncharted territories.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Wednesday September 2006 :-

PM's men detained, wife in Singapore

Many politicians and those with links to caretaker prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra were spread far and wide last night as the news of the coup broke in Bangkok.

First lady Pojaman reportedly flew to Singapore on Monday and it is not known whether Panthongtae, the family's only son, followed his mother last night.

The whereabouts of the PM's daughters Paethongtae and Pinthongta were not known.

Thaksin is in New York at a hotel, where he has reportedly been watching the United Nations General Assembly and keeping abreast of developments here.

Many Cabinet members and other people deemed hostile by the "Council of Administrative Reform" have been detained. Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya and Supreme Commander Ruengroj Mahasaranont and pro-Thaksin television host Dusit Siriwan are among them.

Head of the Mass Communications Organisation of Thailand Mingkwan Saengsuwan was apprehended by anti-Thaksin troops at Channel 9 compound after it aired a statement of Thaksin, from New York, announcing a state of emergency and relieving Armycommander Sonthi Boonyaratglin from his post.

Deputy Thai Rak Thai leader and caretaker Agriculture Minister Sudarat Keyuraphan reportedly flew to Paris with her family.

Defence Minister General Thamarak Isarangura na Ayutthaya reportedly escaped arrest narrowly and has fled upcountry.

PM's secretary-general Prommin Lertsuridej reportedly made an unplanned landing in the Phillippines during a trip abroad while Bank of Thailand governor MR Pridiyathorn Devekula was in Singapore.

Deputy Thai Rak Thai Party leader Somsak Thepsuthin said he was shocked by last night's coup and never thought it could really happen. A number of TRT MPs may meet today at the party headquarters.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Channel News Asia dated Wednesday September 2006 :-

Military stages coup in Thailand

BANGKOK - Thailand's armed forces said Tuesday they had ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless coup and imposed martial law to restore order after months of political turmoil in the kingdom.

Troops poured into the streets and tanks surrounded the offices of Thaksin, who was out of the country at the United Nations, while military leaders said they had suspended the constitution and the government.

Officials at the royal palace said top military commanders including the head of the army, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, had met with the nation's influential King Bhumibol Adulyadej after announcing the coup.

The uprising capped months of uncertainty and unhappiness about Thaksin, who was accused of corruption after his family sold nearly two billion dollars of shares in his company earlier this year without paying any tax.

Thaksin temporarily resigned and called new elections in April to draw a line under the crisis but the vote -- which he hoped would shore up his position -- descended into chaos amid a widespread boycott by his opponents.

It was not immediately clear if Sonthi had taken over as prime minister, but a statement in his name read out on state television and radio declared that Thaksin's controversial time in power was over.

The statement said a provisional "Council for Political Reform" had taken action to restore law and order, effective immediately.

"The council found it necessary to seize power as of now," it said.

"As the country has no prime minister, all legal powers authorized by law to the prime minister must be transferred to the leader of the Council," the statement said.

The seizure of power by Sonthi, the largely Buddhist nation's first-ever Muslim army chief, came amid widespread criticism of Thaksin's handling of a militant Islamic uprising in the south of the country.

More than 1,400 people have been killed in nearly three years of violence in the south and the unrest has continued to intensify despite Thaksin's imposition of martial law in parts of the region.

Thaksin repeatedly dismissed criticism of his leadership and rejected allegations of wrongdoing in his family's stock sale. From the sidelines of the UN meeting in New York, he insisted he was still in power.

"The Thai prime minister is quite calm," said an official from his delegation to the United Nations, where Thaksin was to speak later in the day.

"He feels that he is the elected prime minister and he would like to safeguard the constitution of the country," the official said.

But Songti's statement said the constitution had been annulled and that the country's main constitutional court would not be allowed to operate for the present time.

Not known for political stability, Thailand has lived through more than a dozen coups in recent times -- and many here said the upheaval would add to the growing concern over the insurgency, which has hit the tourism industry hard.

"This is very bad for Thailand, its economy and its tourism and everything," said Yong Suphachai, the 29-year-old owner of a body-painting shop in Bangkok's main tourist area.

"This is a big change but I don't know what it is," he said. "I don't know what will happen to Thailand."

In the face of mass street protests over his family's stock deal, Thaksin appeared to hope that his solid support from rural Thais would offset his critics in the country's urban areas.

But the snap election he called to put an end to the crisis brought only temporary relief. Members of the election commission were later imprisoned after being found guilty of working in favour of Thaksin's ruling party.

Before the vote he went to visit the king, a widely revered monarch who occasionally has stepped into the fray to force unpopular political leaders to stand down.

Military leaders did not speak to reporters after meeting with the King late Tuesday in the wake of their coup, but most troops in the streets were sporting yellow scarves -- a traditional sign of loyalty to the Thai monarch.

As soldiers took up positions across the capital without firing a shot, residents calmly chatted with them and some delivered food to troops sitting atop their tanks.

Around the Royal Palace, the streets quickly cleared of tourists, but some vendors hurried to Government House and the United Nations building, where they said they hoped to make some money selling food to the soldiers.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Channel News Asia dated Wednesday September 2006 :-

Thaksin: Telecoms billionaire who shook up Thai politics

BANGKOK - Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was threatened Tuesday by a military coup, is a self-made billionaire whose autocratic style of leadership sowed deep divisions.

The 57-year-old tycoon, one of the wealthiest men in Thailand, built his political success on support from the nation's poor, highlighting his own rags-to-riches story.

Opponents despised the former policeman for some of his autocratic tactics, but supporters admired the charismatic leader for his get-tough governance and economic stewardship.

Thaksin finally bowed in April to months of protests demanding his resignation for abuse of power after a huge protest vote against his rule in weekend elections. He announced the decision after talks with Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

But since April the political crisis has limped on with the prime minister's opponents accusing him of political posturing while polls to elect a new prime minister were repeatedly delayed.

Thaksin's great-grandfather was a poor Chinese immigrant who made a fortune as a private gambling tax collector, and by the time Thaksin was born on July 26, 1949, his family was one of the most prominent in northern Chiang Mai province.

But his father suffered a slump in fortunes and Thaksin began school while helping him run a struggling coffee shop and cinema.

Thaksin joined the police force in 1973 and soon after turned his hand to small business. His early ventures, including running a silk shop and film distributorship, failed but undeterred he moved onto new technologies.

In 1981, he started a business leasing IBM computers which also floundered but led to a string of profitable contracts. And he won his first telecommunications concession in 1987.

Thaksin quit the police force the same year after reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel to found the Shinawatra Computer and Communications group.

The company included a unit that evolved into Thailand's largest mobile phone operator AIS.

He served briefly in a coalition government but did not emerge at the forefront of Thai politics until 1998, when he formed the Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party.

In a country where ballots traditionally were cast on regional loyalties, his party launched Thailand's first policy platform.

Thaksin promised to use his business savvy to restore Thailand's fortunes after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, vowing to boost the fortunes of poor villages and to move away from International Monetary Fund reforms.

Under his brand of grass-roots "Thaksinomics", Thailand eradicated the IMF debt from the 1997-1998 financial crisis. The stock market rebounded, real estate surged -- and this year, economic growth is up five percent.

His novel approach won Thai Rak Thai the biggest election victory ever in Thailand, capturing 295 of 500 seats in the lower house of parliament in 2001.
A February 2005 vote extended his grip to 377 seats.

But corruption allegations dogged him. In August 2001, just six months into his term, he narrowly escaped conviction on charges that he wrongly concealed assets which could have banned him from politics for five years.

His habit of installing relatives in key military and police posts has angered opponents, as have persistent allegations of wrongdoing in his business dealings.

His heavy-handed tactics have also raised alarms after more than 2,200 suspected drug offenders died in apparent extrajudicial killings in his 2003 campaign against drugs.

Two highly controversial clashes with southern Islamic separatists that resulted in hundreds more deaths further fuelled concern over his authoritarian leanings.

In February, he dodged another possible career-ending inquiry after the Constitutional Court ruled out investigating conflict of interest accusations -- the same allegations that set off the country's latest political crisis.

Thaksin reacted to the crisis with a characteristic mix of defiance and indifference, but his gamble to call early elections to seek a new mandate backfired when the opposition boycotted the polls and millions abstained in protest.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday September 2006 :-

ANALYSIS: In with the old, out with the new in Thailand

Bangkok - Military coups d'etat are nothing new to Thailand.

Thailand's muddy road to democracy was kicked off with a coup d'etat in 1932, which ended the centuries-old absolute monarchy and replaced it by a pseudo-democray under a constitutional monarchy.

Seventy-four years and at least 17 coups later Thailand is still solving it political crises with military men mobilizing troops and tanks in the streets of Bangkok, the capital.

The 1991 coup was led by Army Commander-in-Chief Suchinda Kraphayoon to oust Thailand's first truly "elected" prime minister Chatchai Choonhavan to put an end to his "buffet cabinet."

Similarly, the military political blitzkrieg staged Tuesday night by Army chief Sonthi Boonyaratklin, was necessitated by rising corruption, a growing rift in national unity and prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's undermining of independent agencies and the monarchy.

Sonthi, in his first public address, insisted he was not interested in becoming a "substitute ruler" and pledged to return power to the people "as soon as possible."

What is new about this coup is it's target, Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) Party, or what some commentators term the "Thaksin Order."

Like him or not, Thaksin, a billionaire former telecommunications tycoon who first became premier in 2001 on a platform of populist policies designed to win over rural and urban poor, became a new phenomenon on Thailand's political landscape.

Not only was Thaksin the first political leader to fully appreciate that government handouts was a far more successful means of winning elections and securing followers than vote-buying - Thailand's traditional method - but he was also the first leader to benefit from the enhanced executive powers of the premiership under Thailand's new 1997 constitution.

Ironically, the "liberal" constitution was designed to strengthen the political party system over the military, while introducing new independent bodies such as an election commission, counter-corruption commission and constitutional court to assure checks and balances on the executive powers.

What the constitution did not foresee, was the emergence of a prime minister of Thaksin's tremendous spending power. Thaksin was one of Thailand's richest businessmen before becoming prime minister.

When his family sold off its 49 per cent share in the Thaksin-founded Shin Corp - Thailand's largest telecommunications conglomerate - to Temasek Holding of Singapore in January, this year, the clan earned another 1.9 billion dollars in tax-free gains.

While the sale may have been a smart business move (Thaksin pushed though legislation that hiked the maximum holding by foreigners to a 49 per cent in Thai telecommunication companies three days before the sale) it has proven his political downfall.

The sale sparked anti-Thaksin street protests in Bangkok that eventually forced the premier to dissolve parliament in February and call for a snap election on April 2.

Thailand's three main opposition parties boycotted the April 2 polls, which Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party won. The results, however, were annulled by the constitutional court in May after Thailand's much revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej said he had found the election undemocratic and urged the judiciary to act.

Thaksin's political fortunes were on the decline since, with the game finally coming to end with Tuesday's night coup in Bangkok while the caretaker premier was in New York to attend the UN General Assembly.

How Thaksin failed to see the coup coming remains a mystery.

"He underestimated the rift between his government and the military," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political science professor at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.

Thaksin has been pushing his luck with General Sonthi for weeks, first blaming an alleged assassination attempt against him on the military and then tampering with the military's annual reshuffle.

Now that the military is back in charge, most political observers believe they will stay there until they have succeeded in unravelling the "New Thaksin Order," roots and all.

"The order he has constructed over the past five years is something they have to get rid of, to exterminate, otherwise Thaksin's supporters and loyalists, who are widespread and entrenched, could make a comeback," said Thitinan.

Thitinan predicts that the military will first set up an interim civilian government this week and then launch the process of drafting a new anti-Thaksin constitution, with a new election not expected until late 2007 or early 2008.

In other words, returning power to the people may take more than a year, partly because the people in the past have shown a tendency to vote for Thaksin. His Thai Rak Thai Party has won the past three elections by landslides.

"I think we need an election within six months but the problem is I don't think it will be easy for the military to allow an election very soon, because they are afraid of the Thai Rak Thai Party, but if you restore democracy then obviously the TRT has the right to contest an election," said Jon Ungphakorn, a former senator.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Wednesday September 2006 :-

Profile : General Sonthi Boonyaratglin - Meteoric rise to POWER

Never one of Thaksin's favourites, Sonthi is known to be softspoken and is respected for his professionalism.

When General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the leader of last night's coup, rose to become Army commander-in-chief in the annual military reshuffle last October, he did not really enjoy the confidence of then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Sonthi built his career at the Special Warfare Command. But he was not considered a member of Thaksin's clique.

Therefore, his appointment came as a surprise to many who thought Thaksin would finesse one of his former classmates into the job.

Sonthi's appointment was backed by retired armed forces Supreme Commander General Surayud Chulanont and Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda. Both serve as advisers to His Majesty the King.

The Army chief - the first Muslim to take the powerful post - was reportedly on his way out and on to an inactive post in the current round of military appointments taking effect next month.

This was a result of frequent differences with Thaksin over a number of issues - including the handling of the insurgency in the Muslim majority deep South.

Sonthi, 59, graduated from Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in 1969 and was commissioned into the Royal Army Infantry Corps.

He went on to lead several top units, including the elite Special Warfare Command.

When the country's political conflict worsened recently, Sonthi said: "As a soldier of His Majesty, I would like to help him relieve his worries and the Army will adhere strictly to whatever advice he gives us."

As the political situation worsened, Sonthi repeatedly denied coup rumours stealing headlines and fuelling concerns of civil unrest.

During the past three months, Sonthi was seen with Prem at a number of highprofile social functions and speeches.

These included Prem's controฌversial talk at Chulachomklao calling on cadets to reject corrupt leaders and reminding them their loyalty lay with His Majesty.

Prem likened the military to horses, a government to jockeys and said His Majesty was the real owner of horses.

Softspoken and known for his professionalism, Sonthi shocked the public here and internationally with his admission that security agencies had accumulated "black lists" of suspected MalayMuslim militants in the deep South.

He stopped short of saying the list was used for targeted killings.

He said the list created misunderstanding and was an obstacle to national reconciliation. He called for an end to blacklists.

The Army chief has often been singled out in Thaksin's criticisms whenever serious incidents in the South have erupted. This has failed to tarnish his reputation as a professional soldier. Most analysts see Thaksin as the real obstacle to reconciliation.

The billionaire politician never gave Sonthi a muchneeded mandate to deal with the complex command structures of myriad security agencies in the region.

Interagency rivalries and overlapping division of labour continue to be the hallmark of the government's handling of the insurgency.

This is expected to be high on Sonthi's agenda even amid the political turmoil in Bangkok.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

__________________________________________________ _______________

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday September 2006 :-

Sonthi: The general behind the coup

Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin is a new-breed Thai general, a "soldier's soldier" who has risen through the ranks as a professional, and never tainted with either the corruption nor the political trash that so often marked the military leadership of the last generation.

Now known to the world as the leader of the first Thai military coup of the millennium, Gen Sonthi never was all that well known in Thailand. When he was appointed as army chief last year, the headlines mostly stressed that he was the first Muslim to head any branch of the Thai armed forces.

In fact, he has long been a hard-working, highly respected officer, to those within the Thai military and government who were paying attention.

A Bangkok native, Sonthi graduated from Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in 1969, and served from the beginning as an infantry officer.

Shortly after graduation, he began to focus on Special Forces, the elite branch which also produced army commander and supreme commander Gen Surayudh Chulanont, now a member of the Privy Council.

Like Gen Surayudh, Gen Sonthi is a strong supporter of His Majesty the King. Thus, when the political crisis occurred earlier this year around the April 2 election boycott, Gen Sonthi directly voiced the concern of His Majesty.

As he put it: "The country's problem, which originated some time ago and has prevailed until now, has saddened his majesty, which has upset and worried me.

Prime Minister Thaksin, who appointed Gen Sonthi in the first place, took little notice of such criticism. In the end, his own appointee brought down the former premier.

There is still much to learn about the coup, and why it occurred.

For one thing, many believe that Gen Sonthi was on his way out as army chief and head of the anti-insurgency force for the South. The question of whether the reshuffle list was a major reason for the coup remains unknown.

But few of Gen Sonthi's friends or backers believe he would seize political power for his own advancement.

He was known as a supporter and friend of Privy Council chairman Gen Prem Tinsulanonda, and was shocked by human rights violations when he took over the southern command.

On the other hand, he was often on the receiving end of lectures from Mr Thaksin.
Almost three weeks ago, at a press conference, Gen Sonthi openly defied the then-premier with a call for peace talks with insurgent leaders, and a mischievous call for the government to let the army have a free hand in attempting to solve the southern problem.

Whether that set the final confrontation between the unpopular prime minister and the quiet-spoken general still is unknown. But today it is Gen Sonthi on top.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday September 2006 :-

Coup D'etat in Thailand

The army commander Gen Sonthi Boonyarataglin staged a coup d'etat Tuesday evening (Thailand time) and ousted the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

A so-called "Democratic Reform Council" declared itself in control and declared martial law nationwide. Terse announcements said it included the commanders of all three armed forces and the police. It said the coup was necessary to correct "unprecedented division in the country."

The Council said there seemed to be widespread corruption, and independent agenies were subverted by politicians, apparently a reference to the Thaksin government. "The national government through the current administration has caused conflicts and undermined the harmony of the people as never before in history."

Public acceptance remained unknown. The coup occurred late Tuesday night, when Bangkok was under a major rainstorm, and few people were seen on the streets.

The opposition had scheduled a major anti-Thaksin rally for Wednesday. The last military coup, in 1991, was extremely unpopular and was overthrown by violent opposition in the streets.

Officers this time promised to hold power for as short a time as possible. An announcement over the name of Gen Sonthi, a Special Forces veteran long seen as apolitical, promised: "The council is steadfast in its objective, which is not to take over the government permanently and it will hand back the power to the people as soon as possible."

The Council repealed the 1997 "people's constitution" and dissolved both houses of parliament, the government and the constitution court. Announcements said the Council was under the King, and confirmed that the Privy Council and all courts except the Constitution Court remained in power.

(NOTE: Texts of the first three official announcements are at the end of this story)

Retired Gen Surayudh Chulanont, a respected former military commander now a member of the royal Privy Council, was announced as prime minister to replace Mr Thaksin. There was no early word how log the generals intended to remain in power, or what their reforms would be.

Mr Thaksin was in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, and had earlier tried to dismiss Gen Sonthi and order troops back to their barracks. His order, via a voice broadcast on TV and radio, was cut off halfway as the dramatic coup unfolded.

Tanks and troops of the Fourth Cavalry Battalion moved into strategic points in Bangkok, including the Royal Plaza.

Like most of the previous 19 military coups since 1932, there was no violence. Tanks surrounded Government House and apparently some newspaper offices. All broadcasting on local TV was interrupted, and replaced by a notice which stated the military takeover and apologised "for any inconvenience."

In the early hours of the coup, most other communications continued uninterrupted. But after several hours, all cable-TV broadcasts were cut, apparently because Mr Thaksin and other Thai ministers were giving interviews to CNN and the BBC, which are widely seen in Bangkok.

Thailand airports remained open, including the main international airport at Bangkok.

Thailand websites including the Bangkok Post were operating under very heavy loads as people tried to find out what was happening. The Bangkok Post newspaper was being prepared and printed for Wednesday morning. The front page headline was a huge, black and capitalised statement:


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

COUP D'ETAT

As always, local broadcast media contained no breaking updates.

Mr Thaksin said he would return to Thailand from New York. The shadowy coup administrators said he would not be allowed to resume his post as prime minister.

Sources told the Bangkok Post that Privy Council president Gen Prem Tinsulananonda had tried and failed to mediate between the coup forces and another army faction loyal to Mr Thaksin. Gen Prem was summoned to the Royal Palace.

The whereabouts of most of the members the government were unknown. Mr Thaksin, Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai and Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkol were in New York. Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Wannasathit, the caretaker premier, was reportedly detained by the military.


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Text of Official announcements:

Announcements:

The national government through the current administration has caused conflicts and undermined the harmony of the people as never before in history.

Each side is determined to win by any means and the discord has shown a tendency to escalate.

Many people have been suspicious about the actions of the national administration under a constitutional monarchy.

The country has been governed in a way as to suggest widespread corruption. The independent agencies have been dominated by politics. The constitutional intention has been left unserved.

This has led to political activities becoming problem-plagued on many fronts and the situation had worsened to the point where violations against His Majesty the King, whom the people hold in the highest regard, are in danger of occurring. This is despite efforts by many sections of society to resolve the problem on a continued basis. The efforts have not pacified the growing tension, however. For this reason, the Democratic Reform Council with the monarch as its head, which comprises the armed forces leaders and chief of the Royal Thai Police Office, has found it imperative to seize the power of government from this point onward. The council is steadfast in its objective, which is not to take over the government permanently and it will hand back the power to the people as soon as possible.

The council is committed to preserving national peace and security and to upholding the monarchy whom we Thais hold in the highest respect.


First coup announcement:

In reference to the council's announcement of its power seizure earlier, for the sake of peace and order to prevail in the country, the council has imposed nationwide martial law. The council has repealed the state of emergency declared on Sept 19 at 9.05pm. This announcement is made by Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, head of the Democratic Reform Council.


Second coup announcement:

The council has ordered that all mobilisation and movement of military logistics and manpower be prohibited. Military personnel are absolutely not to leave their units without permission from the council.


Third coup announcement:

1. The current constitution, drafted in 1997, is now repealed.

2. The House of Representatives, the Senate, the Cabinet and the Constitution Court are now dissolved along with the abrogation of the constitution.

3. The privy councillors will remain in their duty.

4. The courts of justice, except the Constitution Court, will retain their full power to adjudicate cases according to the law and the announcements of the council.
--- KatoeyNewsNetwork