THE COUP

Firstly, please do not worry. Last night, at around 9am Thai time, there was a Military Coup, aimed at ousting the current caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. You have to remember that, for Thailand at least, events like this are not uncommon. There have been 17 such coups in the past 60 years, and rumours have been circulating in the past few weeks that something like this was about to happen. Thaksin is in the United States at the moment, and he declared a State of Emergency from there - but it's probably going to have little impact on the ground. Local Thai television channels have all been taken over and are broadcasting the same content, advising people not to worry and pledging their allegience to His Majesty The King. Both CNN and BBC have been blocked, although I am lucky because my CNN comes from a Malaysian satellite. I am in the office right now, and the only noticable difference is that there are very few people around. The BTS was almost empty and there were none of the normal traffic jams. Apparently there are tanks and soliders at some of the major intersections and outside key government buildings, but personally I have not seen any of them yet. I got a call a while ago from my secretary saying that my boss has also said today will be a public holiday for the company, but I am already in the office and will probably stay here for a while now. I am not sure what is going to happen next, and I don't think anyone else here is either. The next few days and hours will be interesting, but you also have to remember that everything is being done in the name of The King, and he is deeply loved and respected by all Thai people.