No such thing as ‘half a coup,’ especially in Thailand

Thai soldiers stand guard near a pro-government

Thai soldiers stand guard near a pro-government “red shirt” supporters’ encampment in the suburbs of Bangkok on May 21, 2014. (REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha)

There came an odd moment Tuesday morning at 6:30 a.m. in Bangkok when the army seized control of a national television channel to tell everyone that, despite every appearance to the contrary, the military takeover wasn’t a coup.

“We urge people not to panic,” army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha said. “Please carry on your daily activities as usual. The imposition of martial law is not a coup d’état.”

He added: “The army intends to bring peace to the beloved country of all Thais as soon as possible.”

Another politician said the martial law — which comes weeks after Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was ousted on corruption charges — was “softer than a coup.” Another official called it “half a coup.”

There appears to be some rhetorical sleight of hand at work here, and some outside experts say it’s easy to see why. Thailand has been through more coups than just about any other country in recent history. Eleven successful military coups and seven attempted ones have rocked the politically tumultuous Southeast Asian nation since 1932 — decades some scholars refer to as “coup season.”

But the clearest reason Thailand may want to avoid the c-word is because of its last coup.

It was 2006, and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawtara had just been booted from power and sent into exile. The military regime that followed, which called itself the Council for Democratic Reform, was deeply unpopular and castigated as inefficient. In 2007, pro-Shinawtara politicians swept back into power. Today, the current prime minister is Thaksin’s sister.

So, to reiterate: This is definitely not a coup.

But despite what the military says, evidence suggests otherwise.

It’s unclear whether the military has the power to enact martial law sans government approval, but it’s now given itself sweeping power under the Martial Law Act of 1914. The military can now ban public assembly, or bar public travel by land, air or water. It also, according to the Telegraph, can shutter newspapers and television channels. It can search, seize, inhabit or destroy “any place.” It can impose curfews. It can enlist civilians to help the military. And it can detain anyone on suspicion of breaching military law.

Some analysts say where there’s smoke there’s fire.

“I think you can call this a coup,” Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a professor at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University, told Time. “Because this is about taking away power from the people, taking control of the political situation and human rights.”

Indeed, following the army’s announcement, several protests were canceled, and even pro-government forces were seen acting considerably more cautious yesterday.

“Whatever [the military] says, the implication of the military intervention is that the army has in effect staged a coup, even if it does not want to admit it has done so,” Joshua Kurlantzick wrote in the Council on Foreign Relations in an article headlined, “Thailand: It’s a Coup, Let’s Call it a coup.” “If Thai people are now afraid to go about the daily activities of political participation, which include demonstrating, then normal politics have been upended, suggesting a coup has occurred.”

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