Martial law was declared this morning by the military. They are insisting that it is not a coup. Things are calm where I’m at, so no worries there. Considering that there was no clear rule for who was to replace Yingluck, this isn’t entirely surprising.
This follows months of protests, the dissolution of the government and new elections. The situation is still unfolding, and as more information comes out and I see how my friends and colleagues are impacted, I’ll update you.
In my last political update, things in Bangkok were looking pretty calm. Most protest sites had been cleared and consolidated to Lumpini Park. Government-wise, a lot of things were up in the air: the election had been declared void and caretaker prime minister Yingluck was facing two sets of charges (one for the removal of the head of the National Security Council and corruption charges for negligence in her overseeing of the rice subsidy program.)
For the past few months, Thai politics have been in a bit of a turmoil. It started with protests, that escalated into the prime minister stepping down and dissolving the government. The protests continued, demanding reforms before any election. There was an election last month, however it had some issues. Things have continued to be somewhat unstable and there are a lot of unanswered questions about the political future of Thailand. Here’s a run down. more “Post Election Political Instability in Thailand”
It was early December and I was stopped over in Bangkok on my way back to my site after a vacation in the South to go diving and visit Khao Sok. I meet up with another Peace Corps volunteer who was also in the city at the time, and we were wandering around Khao San Road when he got a text. It said the prime minister had resigned and was calling new elections. I soon found out that the date for the elections was set for February 2. On Sunday, the voting was scheduled to be open from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Earlier this month, a royal decreed set February 2 as the date for new elections after the Thai government dissolved in response to protests. There has been some recent developments, that I thought I would share and document for the benefit of future Peace Corps volunteers in Thailand should political turmoil happen again in the future (which if history is any indication, is likely).
Nearly a month ago, Thailand’s government dissolved as a response to ongoing protests in Bangkok. The crown issued a decree for new elections to be held.
The election date has been set for February 2 and registration for the election has taken place. The Democrat Party, which is in support of the protests calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and an appointment of a “people’s council”, has vowed to boycott the elections. The Democrat Party has not won an election since 1992 and the common analysis is that Yingluck’s Puea Thai Party will win in the new election, as it has won every election since 2001.
Things here in Thailand have taken a turn, politically. Over the past few weeks, anti-government protests have broken out in Bangkok, particularly focusing on the prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, and her attempt to obtain amnesty for her brother.
Since then there was a truce to not protest during the King’s birthday. The King is the most revered person in Thailand, with his image plastered along roads, in front of buildings and hung up in every Thai house, restaurant, school and business. His yellow flag flies everywhere the Thai flag does. He, along with Buddhism and country make up the three parts of the motto of Thailand. It would have been in extreme poor taste to protest on a day set aside to honor him. The truce lasted through the weekend, which was the time the protests turned violent the week before.
Today is Constitution Day here in Thailand, a national holiday. Recently, there have been protests against the government in Bangkok. Many of the protesters are calling for governmental reform and for the prime minister to step down. But how exactly does the government operate under the current constitution?
Right now, protests in the streets of Bangkok are grabbing international headlines. Political tensions in Thailand have been on a low simmer for years, and the current protests are ultimately an escalation of dissatisfaction with the last democratically elected government. But how is the government that was overthrown in a coop in 2006 connected to the government today?
Healthcare is a seemingly constant policy issue coming up in the United States. Frequently, the healthcare systems in other countries are held up as either examples of improvements or as warnings. Healthcare in Thailand is an interesting topic, as the top reason for tourism to the country is actually medical tourism. In addition to the world class medical centers in Bangkok, people in the rural areas are covered by a universal healthcare scheme.