Today in Thailand...

As some of you may know, yesterday there was a military coup in Thailand. Led by Thai army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army declared martial law after months of protests that paralyzed the government.

The military threw out the entire 2007 constitution except section II, which acknowledges the king as the head of state. Schools have been shut down nationwide, a curfew has been enforced, and all television providers are limited to only broadcasting the military line.

Throughout this all, many Bangkok residents see this as a normal, and hardly unprecedented, situation, as Thailand has seen its military take over 12 times already. "They just go home and don't go out after 10," Said one resident for whom this is his second coup. "... People just live their normal lives."

The situation has escalated today. Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and more than 150 other politicians and activists were detained and banned from leaving the country. They had all been summoned to a military compound to submit to authorities, and were warned that if they did not comply, they would be arrested. The current military government claims this is for their own safety, as they close the Thailand-Laos border to keep redshirts, or supporters of the old government, from fleeing.

America, in addition to several other countries, has expressed its disapproval, and called for the reinstatement of democracy. However, no direct action has yet been taken.

What, if anything, do you think should be done by the international community?


http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/22/world/asia/thailand-martial-law/index.html
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/23/yingluck-shinawatra-detained-thailand-coup-military
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/23/us-thailand-protest-idUSBREA4J0HN20140523
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/23/world/asia/thailand-coup/
http://cir.ca/news/thailand-anti-government-protests/125977