A
curfew - but there are few soldiers
by WONG CHUN WAI in Bangkok
The situation in the Thai capital is
pretty normal except for the military-imposed curfew. Hotels have slashed room
rates, it’s cheaper to shop now and there are still more traffic jams than
soldiers in the streets.
THAILAND’s police general Adul
Saengsingkaew arrived at the Wat That Thong in Ekamai, Bangkok, on Saturday
evening to attend the wake of the 101-year-old mother of the country’s most
famous journalist, Suthichai Yoon.
The political, business and media
elite of Bangkok had showed up in full force to offer their condolences to the
boss of the powerful Nation Media Group. Almost everyone came in dark suits and
ties, making the ceremony very formal.
But just after 20 minutes, Adul,
looking distressed, asked to be excused as he quietly made his way out of the
temple.
We found out, not long later, that he
had been sacked by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), which now
runs the country.
The army has taken over the country,
imposed martial law, suspended the constitution and the Senate, detained over
200 squabbling politicians from both sides, including former prime minister
Yingluck Shinawatra, and imposed a curfew between 10pm and 5am.
Events are happening fast and furious
in Bangkok.
Just last week, Adul was seen seated
with army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha at a press conference to announce the
coup but now he has been moved to an inactive post in the Prime Minister’s
Office, before he retires soon.
Also axed were Tarit Pengdith, the
head of the Department of Special Investigation, and Nipat Thonglek, the
Defence Ministry’s permanent secretary. Both men had been seen as loyalists of
the ousted government and former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
Nineteen editors of the country’s top
media group were summoned by the military on Sunday for “an advice on national
building” and “direction of news reporting in an abnormal situation”.
In short, they were told of their
limits.
On Saturday night, The Nation reporter
Pravit Rojanaphruk was told to meet the military junta, and when he showed up,
he was immediately detained and taken to an undisclosed army base.
The outspoken columnist had posed for
photographers with his mouth taped to symbolise he was being silenced.
Apparently, that did not amuse the army generals.
At The Nation office, this writer saw
two soldiers, looking bored, inside the television monitor room where the
visual feeds were sent in.
Still, media rules have begun to be
relaxed.
The NCPO has allowed free-to-air
television channels, radio and satellite stations and cable operators to
broadcast normally after the situation returns to normal. Earlier, even MTV
Thailand and cartoon shows from cable TV were banned.
Despite the dramatic coverage by the
media on the military and sporadic anti-coup protests, the reality is that it
is actually difficult to detect the presence of soldiers.
The Victory Monument in Ratchathewi
district is a popular spot for demonstrations while another protest took place
outside the stylish Amarin Plaza in Ratchaprasong.
But during the weekend I was there,
there was continuous presence of the army outside the famous Mah Boon Krong
(MBK) shopping mall, as it is regarded as a strategic location.
The presence of the men in uniform,
however, seems to have sparked off more excitement than fear for tourists.
But don’t expect to see soldiers in
every street corner, as the media would want you to believe.
It is regrettable that Bangkok has
been made to look like a city under siege when the reality is the opposite,
especially in the day time, where traffic jams are still a daily affair.
Most hotels have slashed their rates
and placed guests on certain floors to cut down on power use. Essentially, this
is the best time for bargain hunters to go shopping in Bangkok. Hotel guests
have found themselves getting upgraded to better rooms.
While most city folk respect the
curfew, with most eateries in shopping malls shutting down at 8pm to enable
their workers to return home, the rules are generally pretty relaxed as it is
not a “shoot on sight” curfew.
Outside the near-deserted Dusit Thani
hotel in Silom, most of the bars were still open, even when the curfew began,
and my colleagues still got to watch the Thomas Cup final.
But one thing is for sure – most Thais
expect the army to be in control for a while with a new PM to be appointed
soon, but it’s the generals who will be calling the shots.
