Poll On The Coup
According to a popular public opinion poll, the Dusit Poll [figures not exact as I couldn’t here correctly]
83% the people approved the “peaceful” coup as a way to calm the political situation in Thailand.
17% disapproved….
Of course there is a margin of area of about 1%, and I’m pretty sure the majority of the poll takers were Bangkok citizens.
Most of the people I talk to pretty much agree with actions. Quite a few of my friends have even went to the areas where the Army tanks to take pictures WITH the soilders and tank. The situation is stable, and the country is pretty much business as usual.
However, the international view on the situation still differ greatly to those who live in the country. Thais seem to view it as a necessary step to a problem that just wouldn’t go away. The biggest impact I see would be from an econmic standpoint – international investors doubts in putting their bucks in the country where a coup can happen anyday.
Check out Bangkok Pundit for updates >>> Pundit seems to be the most accurate and quickest with the facts.
So what actually happened there? Was it a bona fide coup or something that was staged to take the edge off things?
Here’s a good blurb on why it happened
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/20/insider.thaicoup/index.html
Not a bonafide coup as in a Junta taking over… but like more of the later… to take the edge off months of escalating tensions between factions. There was a feeling that more violent actions may have taken place if something wasn’t done.
I would totally be one of the 83% :)… that’s nice! And yeah it’s probably a survey done in Bangkok… :) where the majority of the people dislike Thaksin anywhere.
A sad day. What sort of message does this send out? Armies have one job and oe job alone, to defend the people. There was going to be a new general election later this year, but could the Army wait? Hell no. Old habits die hard. These past few days gave shown that in some parts of the world generals with dark glasses and tall peaked caps still see themselves as , pardon the pun, kinmakers. A sad day.
Actually Sean, most of the citizens in Thailand favor the military coup. To get to the root of it, you have to understand that turmoil that has been going since February of this year.
Due to loopholes in the constitution, Thaksin has abused the powers to extremes. He collapsed the legally elected parliment (constitution flaw), embezzled money, and basically has taken the system through towards a downward spiral.
Yes, Elections were scheduled to happen soon. But if you talked to anyone living here, you knew no one believed it would happened until probably 2007 because the new Election committee hasn’t even selected yet. The old Election committee was found guilty of manipulating the rules for Thaksin.
It was a process long overdue… hopefully things are written correctly this time around, as to avoid future incidents.
Thanks for all the great reporting on your website!
Here is my perspective from the States:
Democracy and Thailand
http://www.rightlinx.com/?p=234
Anyone who hasn’t lived in Thailand won’t understand this, but sometimes a coup is necessary. Thailand has a unique situation where the entire nation is loyal to the Royal Family and the King, so if the military pull off an unpopular coup, they usually don’t stay in power long, as the King has the option to publicly humiliate them (as he did in 1991 with Gen. Suchinda Kraprayoon), forcing them to step down. This is not one of those coups. Thaksin Shinawatra was a corrupt despot with no regard for democratic institutions – rather like a Southeast Asian George W Bush actually, and this coup is imho a relief because he was taking apart the very system that could have seen him deposed from office. The real test now will be to see whether the military can indeed as it promised, relinquish power – in the past it’s proven difficult to Thai Military governments (such as Suchinda).
Long live King Bhumipol Adulyadej.