Teresa Kok

The Irrawaddy News Magazine
Some Coups are Good (Online Commentary)
September 20, 2006
By Bruce Kent

Most coups are bad affairs, normally involving a military figure or faction seizing power. Then there are relatively benign ones, not simple power grabs but a forceful way to put things right in the country.

The latest one in Thailand on Tuesday night appears to fall into the latter category. It will, however, inevitably be condemned by most world leaders, particularly in the West, because it constitutes a military ousting of an elected government by non-constitutional means. They are almost duty-bound to make such statements.

It is normal after many coups for the military victor to proclaim that it will only be a short period of military rule before the return of civilian democracy. In most cases these prove to be empty words, but this is almost certainly not the case in Bangkok. The new controlling Democratic Reform Council, comprising powerful Army Commander Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, the two other service commanders and the police chief, have given similar assurances of a return to civilian rule, but somehow they ring true.

The coup was mainly to remove Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and a government that he totally dominated. While popular at election time, mainly because of the large vote from the huge poor, rural area of northeast Thailand where his populist policies dazzled villagers, he was increasingly unpopular with a large segment of the urban population. The urban middle-class, most businessmen, academics and professionals, tend to be much more aware of what’s happening at the top than rural farmers, who have less access to newspapers and rely more on TV and radio, which in Thailand are totally under state control.

Thaksin’s critics, who gathered peaceful protest crowds of sometimes 100,000 earlier in the year calling for him to leave, accused him of abuse of power and allowing rampant official corruption. He eventually reacted by calling a general election on April 2, which he won because the opposition boycotted it. Thaksin said afterwards he wouldn’t be prime minister again, and indicated he would be leaving the scene soon. The poll was eventually annulled by judges and Thaksin has remained in power ever since as caretaker prime minister, with no real signs he would leave any time soon.

A new election was scheduled for November, but was massively wealthy Thaksin ever going to go, or at least allow an investigation of dubious business deals he was accused of? Among other things, his opponents accused him of dividing Thailand-between those for and against him-in an unprecedented way in a country normally remarkably united and stable. And this seemed to be becoming more pronounced the longer he stayed.

Soon after the coup, the new military leaders said they had taken over for four main reasons: there were unprecedented divisions in the country; widespread suspicion of abuse of power; and activities based on lese majeste, a curious law which makes insulting the monarchy a crime; and for leaders taking power for a period they promised would be temporary.

Although not named, these are all charges laid by the opposition at Thaksin’s door.Gen Sonthi is known as a professional soldier. He recently moved several of Thaksin’s defense academy preparatory school classmates-Thaksin was once a police colonel-from key commands in Bangkok and nearby. There has never been any hint he wanted power for himself, or anyone else. He and other similarly professional officers were known to be concerned about Thaksin’s meddling in the ranks to get his men to the top, particularly now, when a reshuffle of top commanders is due in October. Of more immediate concern to Sonthi apparently was the threat of violence at a massive anti-Thaksin rally planned to be held in Bangkok on Wednesday evening. A unit of well-armed forestry police from outside Bangkok was rumored to have been martialled by the government to be drafted into Bangkok to confront the rally.

Overall, it doesn’t look like Thailand is set to have another prolonged military regime, as in the old days. For a start, civilian Thaksin opponents, now happy he’s gone, would violently oppose it. So maybe this was one of the better coups.

Irrawaddy.org
http://www.irrawaddy.org/

Given at the University of Regensburg on Sept. 12, 2006
Posted Saturday, Sep. 16, 2006http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1535672,00.html

It is a moving experience for me to be back again in the university and to be able once again to give a lecture at this podium.

I think back to those years when, after a pleasant period at the Freisinger Hochschule, I began teaching at the University of Bonn. That was in 1959, in the days of the old university made up of ordinary professors. The various chairs had neither assistants nor secretaries, but in recompense there was much direct contact with students and in particular among the professors themselves.

We would meet before and after lessons in the rooms of the teaching staff. There was a lively exchange with historians, philosophers, philologists and, naturally, between the two theological faculties…. The university was also very proud of its two theological faculties. It was clear that, by inquiring about the reasonableness of faith, they too carried out a work which is necessarily part of the “whole” of the universitas scientiarum, even if not everyone could share the faith which theologians seek to correlate with reason as a whole (more…)

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Some instances in which Pope John Paul II admitted errors or apologized for actions of the Roman Catholic Church:

– 1992: Declares the church was wrong to condemn astronomer Galileo for maintaining the earth is not the center of the universe.

– 1992: Visiting Senegal, begs for forgiveness for Christians who were involved in the slave trade.

– 1995: Issues document saying church is “truly sorry” for discrimination or mistreatment of women.

– 1995: During trip to Czech Republic, asks forgiveness for violence by Catholics against Protestants during 16th century Counterreformation.

– 1998: In document on Holocaust, expresses remorse for cowardice of some Christians during Nazi persecution of Jews.

– 1999: Denounces persecution of Jan Hus, 15th century religious reformer and precursor of Protestantism who was burned at stake.

– 2000: Asks forgiveness for sins of Catholics through the ages, including wrongs inflicted on Jews, women and minorities.

– 2000: In stop at Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, says Catholic Church “deeply saddened by the hatred, acts of persecution and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews by Christians at any time and in any place.”

– 2001: On visit to Greece, issues sweeping apology for wrongs committed by Roman Catholics against Orthodox Christians.

– 2001: Apologizes for missionary abuses against indigenous peoples of South Pacific.


Last modified: September 17. 2006 5:36PM

15 September, 2006
by Samir Khalil Samir, sjhttp://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=7224