Well, this came as no surprise to most people. After a couple of days of martial law, the army staged a coup on Thursday and seized control of this volatile nation. We were in the middle of watching the finale of “The Voice” when it was suddenly replaced by a static screen showing military crests and the junta’s self-declared name: “National Peace and Order Maintaining Council.” They could have jazzed it up a bit by playing some nice hard rock for background music but, oh no, they had to have depressingly somber patriotic music filling the airtime. As we switched channels it was a repeat on most other stations. I think we are down to about three foreign stations now. Apparently most radio and television stations have been shut down.
Schools and universities have been closed for the next few days. It is interesting to note that China took the opposite approach in times of political unrest. When there was a chance of demonstrations taking place one weekend, they mandated schools remain in session on a Saturday. We were informed on Friday afternoon that we would have to show up for work on Saturday. Their theory was to keep all the students busy so there would be less likelihood of them participating in the expected demonstrations.
In addition, there has been a curfew imposed between 10pm and 5am. This will definitely take a toll on the bars, restaurants and other businesses that rely on walk-in traffic in the evenings. Also, a lot of mom and pop vendors spend the early mornings getting ready for their day. This will certainly be an inconvenience to them. From reading the various online forums, it seems that this curfew is being enforced in most places. Even our infinite numbers of trusty 7-11s around the countryside that are normally open 24-7 are closing down at 10:00pm. Some people are saying they haven’t slept so well in years!
As foreigners, we are staying out of the politics. It is a complex situation and only those with a history of being here for the last decade or two can really begin to see the big picture. The next couple of days should give everyone a pretty good indication of what is to follow. So far, the army has remained neutral.; leaders from both sides are now being detained. However, if they start leaning towards one side or the other in this ongoing conflict, what little credibility the armed forces have will soon be lost.
Word on the street is that this will not last more than two or three days. Nobody really knows, but if it goes on any longer than that, the fragile situation could quickly escalate. We are going to buy a trunk for our scooter in the next couple of days and be ready to leave at a moments notice if we feel the need. For now, we are not really worried. Life in Chiangmai seems to be carrying on as usual. These days, we are always home a lot earlier than 10pm so the ongoing curfew is not exactly an inconvenience to us. Only time will tell if Thailand is going to remain the Land of Smiles or deteriorate even further into a nation of two bitter opposing sides. For now, the kids are not playing together nicely so they have shut down the playground.
