June 2014

Welcome to the blog post for June 2014.

As mentioned in the newsletter, things have gotten a little out of control in Bangkok, Thailand.  The army have taken control of the country by coup on Thursday, 22 May 2014.  

For those that don't have the time to read, here is a 60 second video summary....

for more info...

How did things get to this point?

"Thailand's politics have been in turmoil for years, driven in large part by a schism between populists, many of them rural and poor, and a largely urban middle class and elite in Bangkok partial to the nation's royal establishment.

The current disruption has its roots in the 2006 military ouster of billionaire Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who built a strong political base with populist policies that appealed to rural villagers in Thailand's north.

Thaksin's removal led to a broad-based opposition movement that came to a head with widespread demonstrations in parts of Bangkok in 2010. The military violently suppressed the protests, resulting in some 90 deaths.

A year later Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, rode a wave of opposition votes into power.

In 2013, Yingluck proposed legislation that would have granted amnesty to Thaksin and others. The move set off a new wave of protests and anger -- this time among Bangkok's urban elites and middle class sometimes known as "Yellow Shirts" -- who want an end to the involvement of Thaksin's family in Thai politics for good.

In May, Thailand's Constitutional Court removed Yingluck and nine Cabinet ministers from office, saying she had violated the Thai Constitution by reassigning a senior security official in 2011.

Populists known as "Red Shirts" saw her ouster as a "judicial coup" and have been protesting what they consider a bias by many of the country's institutions against their side.

Things escalated last week when three Yellow Shirt protesters died and 23 were injured after gunmen opened fire on a protest camp. The violence prompted an ominous warning from the army chief that troops would have to step in if the situation didn't calm down.".

Whats next?

"Before the coup, the army chief, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, said the next step would be bringing "rival parties to talk in peace."

It wasn't immediately clear if such negotiation is still on the table, or if the military has other plans.

Previously, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political science professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, said the military was in a precarious situation.

"They have to be evenhanded," he said at the time.

"If it's seen as favoring one side or the other side, then we could see more violence and turmoil against the military," he said".

Has anything like this ever happened before in Thailand?

"Thailand is no stranger to military coups.

Including Thursday's coup, the military has attempted 19 coups in 80 years; 12 have been successful.

Before Thursday, the last one was in 2006 when the military sent tanks onto the streets before ousting Thaksin".

Please pray with us for our visas.  We are not sure how this will affect us but we know that with God nothing is impossible and He is in control no matter how our circumstances look.

Blessings for the month ahead.

Johan