NEWS STORY: El Centro man Jon Willis experience Thai coup
When many Americans think of the term coup d’etat, visions of bloody regime changes come to mind, warring in the streets between oppressive governments wielding military might and rebel factions pitching rocks and Molotov cocktails, similar to what played out in the Ukraine over the winter.
Yet ask El Centro resident Jonathan Willis about the current military coup in Thailand, where he has been vacationing with his girlfriend since May 17, and his answer might be surprising.
“It’s a major inconvenience at best,” said the Imperial Valley attorney from his Bangkok hotel room Friday evening, which was Saturday morning local Thai time. “It’s nothing like you think would occur in a more unstable country like in South America or the Middle East, where there would be gunfire.”
In fact, about the only discernible impact for Willis has been the presence of military checkpoints at major intersections, a nationwide curfew that demands everyone be indoors by 10 p.m., and a lack of “shirts” on the ground, that is, the presence of rival factions of “red,” “yellow,” “white” and “green” shirted protesters who have been rounded up and jailed — about 150 in Bangkok in all — to keep the peace until a stable form of government can be put into place by the next possible election.
As far as coups go, this is the one an American abroad might want to be in. If he has to.
On Saturday, it was business as usual for Willis and his travel partner, as they have gone anywhere they have pleased, leaving metropolitan Bangkok for the more rural environment of Kanchanaburi, a city the size of El Centro on the banks of the Kwai River, a trip he says is like leaving San Diego for the Valley.
Thailand and Willis know each other well. He’s fallen in love with the country, having first visited in May 2010 as part of a Rotary International convention trip. This is his fifth visit to the Asian nation.
“I got hooked on the place; the sights, the weather. It’s a beautiful country,” he said.
One look at Willis’s Facebook page — his photos posted, his and his girlfriend’s smiles wide and plentiful, his status reports whimsical and cheery — and the unrest being reported through the media seems relatively restful.
“There’s no violence to speak of that I’ve seen,” Willis said. “I’m not apprehensive about anything right now.”
That’s not to say this isn’t a serious situation. Thailand has been in a period of political upheaval for several years, with Thursday marking the second coup in eight years for the tourist-friendly nation. In fact, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry denounced the coup Thursday, saying it would “have negative implications for the U.S.-Thai relationship.”
Military takeover of the country escalated rather quickly last week when junta leader and Thai army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha seized power of the country after two days of talks between rival factions ended in deadlock and failed to yield the resignation of the reportedly corrupt but Democratically-elected “caretaker” government of Prime Minister Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan.
Chan-ocha brought the rival sides together to work out their differences after three protesters were killed and 23 were injured when a gunman opened fire on a “Yellow Shirt” protest camp.
“Yellow Shirts” are the supporters of Bangkok’s urban elite and middle class, who have called for a permanent end to the corrupt government of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who still has a strong political base despite his ouster in 2006.
They are pitted against the “Red Shirts,” considered the people’s group, or populists, made up of the rural poor of the country who still support Thaksin and who consider the caretaker government put in place after his ouster to be oppressive to their side.
The general quickly rounded up many of the Yellow and Red Shirts and their leaders, including several offshoot groups, to quell the protests.
Although news reports in Bangkok say the military will be helping to restore a permanent government through elections in about six months, Willis said, for now the government is in sole control. The junta has also seized control of the airwaves, taking down all television channels, including CNN, with the exception of the Army’s information channel.
With reports of travel restrictions coming in from all corners of the world, including the U.S. State Department warning Americans to avoid Thailand for three to six months, Willis is undeterred. He said the worst effect he has witnessed so far is the effect to Thailand’s tourism-based economy.
“It’s not that big of a deal. The main people that are getting hurt by this are the merchants and the restaurant people,” Willis said, adding nightlife and dining are a lot of the allure of Bangkok.
Although the implications might not be readily apparent on the surface to Willis and others, political analysts see a tumultuous future for a country that has experienced 19 coup attempts over the course of 80 years; 12 of which have been successful.
“We’re likely to see dark days ahead,” Thitinan Pongsudhirak told the Associated Press. The analyst with Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University said he sees the possibility of more violent resistance on the horizon.
The Associated Press and CNN contributed information to this story.
This news story first appeared in the Imperial Valley Press, May 25, 2014.