Groundhog Day came late this year to the Land of Smiles.

Contact Your Elected Officials

Every blue moon โ€” 1981, 1985, 1991, 2006, and 2014 most recently โ€” itโ€™s the same rigmarole: on whatever pretext, the army commandeers the state with vague promises to restore democracy at some unspecified future date.

Nothing much changes in the interim periods between coups, except a few well-connected elites get tossed out of the Big Club and the rest are allowed to go on getting richer.

Which is to say: itโ€™s really not all that different from Our Sacred Democracyโ„ข in America, but with slightly less compelling window-dressing and more in-your-face optics.

RelatedJohn Bolton Vows to Resurrect USAID Post-Trump

The rumored coup of 2025 comes against the backdrop of a Thai-Cambodia border dispute over territory in eastern Thailand long claimed by each country as its own.

Via Khaosod English (emphasis added):

โ€œThe recent dispute was triggered in May after armed forces of Thailand and Cambodia briefly fired at each other in a relatively small โ€œno manโ€™s landโ€ constituting territory along their border that both countries claim as their ownโ€ฆ

The contesting claims stem largely from a 1907 map drawn under French colonial rule that was used to separate Cambodia from Thailand.

Cambodia has been using the map as a reference to claim territory, while Thailand has argued the map is inaccurate.โ€

In response, major Thai power player in exile and close China ally Thaksin Shinawatraโ€™s daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, current prime minister, was caught on a leaked phone call addressing former Cambodian PM and another Chinese proxy, Hun Sen, as โ€œuncle,โ€ a term of deference in Thai.

She also referred to the Thai commander handling the border clash as an โ€œopponent,โ€ enraging the ultra-powerful Thai military brass.

Via South China Morning Post (emphasis added):

โ€œPaetongtarn Shinawatraโ€™s coalition government in Thailand is teetering on the edge of collapse following the prime ministerโ€™s leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, but observers are mixed on whether a feared military coup will occur.

In the leaked audio clip which emerged on Wednesday, Paetongtarn was heard addressing Hun Sen, a family friend, as โ€œuncleโ€ and appeared to dismiss a Thai military commander.

The clip has sparked outrage from quarters of the countryโ€™s ruling coalition, including the withdrawal of a key royalist partner group of Paetongtarnโ€™s Pheu Thai party, as well as calls for her to resignโ€ฆ

Prem Singh Gill, a visiting scholar at the Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakartaโ€™s faculty of law, saidโ€ฆ that a coup was โ€œincreasingly likely in the immediate termโ€, noting that the leaked audio had created a perfect juridical pretext for military intervention under Thailand constitutional framework.

โ€œPaetongtarnโ€™s characterisation of the 2nd Army Area Commander as the โ€˜opposing sideโ€™ constitutes what legal scholars would classify as seditious speech against state institutions,โ€ Gill warned, adding it could also be seen as a textbook violation of her oath of office.โ€

As one might expect, the Thai military, which at all times exercises near-hegemonic authority even in the periods of nominal democratic rule, took none too kindly to having the prime minister undercut its legitimacy to a foreign adversary in the middle of a border dispute.

Barring some intervention by the Grand Palace, all signs point to Humvees in the streetsโ€ฆ again.

Ben Bartee
Ben Barteehttps://armageddonprose.substack.com/
BEWARE!!! Ben Bartee never minces words, so read at your own risk. Ben is a Bangkok-based American journalist, grant writer, political essayist, researcher, travel blogger, and amateur philosopher -- with opposable thumbs. He is the author of Broken English Teacher: Notes From Exile.

Woke Verses Folk Marketing Mayhem

For purposes of this article woke is about 10% of our population while folk is defined as the remaining 90% of our population.ย 

Late nightโ€™s Javan Rhino ย 

Once upon a time in America, late-night television talk shows were nightly viewing for many following their local news.

MyPillowโ€™s CEO Mike Lindell Wins 2 Court Cases

A federal court tossed the $5M ruling against Mike Lindell, saying arbitrators rewrote the rules of his 2021 Cyber Symposium challenge.

Whatโ€™s The Most Realistic Scenario In Which The West Might Replace Zelensky?

Yermak and Budanov agreed with the Anglo-American Axisโ€™ proposal to replace Zelensky with Zaluzhny and โ€œresetโ€ Ukraineโ€™s ties with the West.

Earned vs. Owed

Not since the Donner Party has a group of people so badly misinterpreted the circumstances of their situation like the players of the WNBA.

Beijing Pays Influencers in Africa to Spread Anti-US Messaging

Chinese and Russian agents are paying social media influencers in Africa to spread anti-U.S. messages worldwide, with the Trump admin the top target.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and Other City Leaders Say Street Brawl Videos Portray City Unfairly

Cincinnati officials said videos showing attacks on two people during a street brawl portrayed city in cynical and unfair manner.

What to Know About Trumpโ€™s Ongoing Federal Funding Dispute With Universities

Reforming higher education was a campaign promise made by President Donald Trump, and it remains among his highest priorities.

Most Americans Wonโ€™t Get COVID-19 Booster This Fall, Survey Says

A majority of Americans said they will likely not receive a COVID-19 booster vaccine this fall, according to a poll released Friday.

RFK Jr. Announces Repeal of Policy That Rewarded Hospitals for Reporting Staff Vaccination Rates

Health and Human Services Sec Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced more repeals of federal policy that rewarded hospitals for reporting staff vaccination rates.

Trump Fires Labor Statistics Chief After July Jobs Report

President Donald Trump announced on Aug. 1 that he has directed the termination of the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Trump Issues 60-Day Deadline for Drug Makers to Lower Prices

Trump told CEOs of worldโ€™s leading pharmaceutical companies that he expects them to implement Most Favored Nation drug pricing within 60 days.

Trump Hikes Tariffs on Canada to 35 Percent

Trump followed through on his threat to raise tariffs on Canada from 25% to 35% saying country โ€œfailedโ€ to stop flow of fentanyl and other drugs into US.
spot_img

Related Articles