Coup d'Etat: Day 1

Wow. That's all i can say really. How should one feel in such a situation? I guess i shouldn't be surprised. There have after all been 17 previous coups in the last 70 years.,

Today i saw a tank on the street. It was the 1st time since being in Thailand, but i didn't think it was strange, since i was quite used to seeing military vehicles on routine moves in Switzerland.

On one hand i should be very worried. The Army has taken over the Government building, closed all main roads, and is referring to the Primeminister as 'ex-Primeminister Thaksin'. He is currently at a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York, from where he has declared a national state of emergency, we have been told to stay inside, and the Airport is closed. The head of the Army has now retaliated by ordering all soldiers to report to base and not move unless they receive orders from the top, to quell any possible splits in the Army itself (since many individual soldiers are believed to actually support Thaksin). We are now hearing that the Constitution has been suspended and Parliament dissolved.

On the other hand, life is going on pretty normally outside. Taxis are driving past, cars are refuelling, people are crossing the street.

In fact the overriding feeling is one of confusion. This was made worse because the Army took over all Thai tv & radio stations, and they were only showing pictures of the King & Royal Family and apologising for the inconvenience. The King himself is yet to make any kind of official statement, which is adding to the confusion.

In fact when my Mum called i realised that she knew just as much as i did about the situation, from watching the BBC 6 o'clock news!

In a way i also find this constitutional struggle completely fascinating. Especially since everything right now is being decided and played-out in Bangkok, while in most rural areas (the majority of the population) most people are strongly in favour of the Primeminister. This also makes me feel very sad for them. I know that, if the British Army decided to take over Westminster and dissolve the UK Parliament because they no longer approved of Tony Blair - well it just doesn't bare thinking about.

And yet these people seem to pretty powerless to stop events, with their capital city under the complete control of the Army. It's not even as if we were on the verge of a national emergency or civil war - in fact the whole thing seems to me to be about the people with the guns flexing their muscles to get their own way. And the peace-loving Thais will most likely accept it all with quiet resentment.

Not really a good advert for democracy.

But the main thing i want you to know - I AM SAFE! :)