Communication in another langauge is never easy...

I was recently looking at Thaivisa.com, a site filled with a lot of useful info about living and traveling in Thailand, and I came across this wonderful (and humorous) example of what it can be like communicating with someone who speaks little English when you have limited Thai. I was hysterical with laughter simply because we have all been in these situations :) Classic!

Ref: Christmas Dinner in Kanchanaburi

I just called and booked for 2 people. Im assuming its turkey and all the trimmings. Its 800B perperson with the choice of 24th or 25th December. I wanted to suprise the Mrs with a nice Christmas dinner but now i cant, as the guys over at Felix are not too clever on the English and my Thai is awfull.

The convo went something like this;

Me 'Hello, is that Felix? You have Christmas Dinner on 25th?'
Fx 'What room you stay'
Me 'I dont have a room. I live local'
FX 'When do you want to stay?'
Me 'I dont want to stay. I want to come for Dinner'
FX 'Restaurant open every day sir'
Me 'I know. But i want to come on 25th'
FX 'Ahh on 25th we make only Christmas dinner'
Me 'Great!! Thats what i want!!!'
Fx 'What room you stay?'
Me 'Put me onto someone else'
ring ring
ring ring
Fx 'Helooooooo may i help you sir?'
Me 'I want to come for Christmas dinner'
Fx 'What room you stay?'
Me 'I DONT HAVE A ROOM!!!'
Fx 'When you want to stay'
Me 'I want Christmas Dinner on 25th'
Fx 'Dinner?'
Me 'Yes, dinner'
Fx 'You want only dinner?'
Me 'Christmas. You know Christmas? (singing) jingle bells, jingle bells....'
Fx 'Ah Jingle Bells!'
Me 'Yes!'
Fx 'You want jingle bells?'
Me 'What? Why would i want jingle bells?'
Fx 'When do you want to stay?'
Me 'I dont want to stay. I want to come and have dinner on 25th december for Christmas'
Fx 'Sorry sir number 25 we can not do boat crusie'
Me 'why would i want a boat cruise? I want Christmas dinner, do you not understand a word i am saying?'
Fx 'What room you stay sir, i get someone come see you, i sorry me not understand'
Me 'Are you an idiot? Are you joking around with me? I dont have a room. Its simple, i only want to come for Christmas dinner, ok?'
Fx 'Today we not do Christmas dinner sir'
Me 'I KNOW!!! Today is the 20th december why would i want to come for Christmas dinner on 20th December!!!'
Me 'sorry, that was rude... i apologize
Me 'ill get my Mrs to call you'

I gave in and got the mrs to call. It was booked and confirmed in like, 20 seconds. Now the suprise is over but at least i have it booked.

Thai Rak Thai disbanded

The following article was taken from ThaiVisa.com, originally having come from the Thai newspaper, "The Nation" dated 30-May-2007.

Thai Rak Thai was the Thai political party led by former prime minister, Thaksin. See previous articles on this Blog for further information.

The Constitutional Tribunal disbands Thai Rak Thai

BANGKOK: -- The Constitutional Tribunal disbands Thai Rak Thai

The Constitutional Tribunal Judges found Thai Rak Thai Party guilty of violating the electoral laws and ordered it to be disbanded.

They also revoked the voting rights of the party's 111 executives for five years. The party has committed wrongdoings that have negative impacts on democracy system of the country.

The judges said that senior members of the party, Thamarak Isarangura and Pongsak Ruktapongpisal, guilty of paying and hiring small parties to run in the April 2 national election.

They dismissed the party's arguments that the party's executives were not aware of both members' wrongdoings. They said it was impossible that the executives did not know the wrongdoings.

The party's executives sitting in the court room, including acting party leader Chaturon Chaisang, greeted the verdict with grim face.

The Tribunal also dissolved Pattana Chart Thai and Pandin Thai banned voting rights of their executives for five years.

TRT's acting leader Chaturon said after the rulings that the verdicts were unexpected.

However he said that he and the party will accept the rulings. He urged the party's supporters to stay calm and accept what the Tribunal ruled.

The party will hold a press conference on the issue at 11am on Thursday.

Bangkok on high alert for violence

The following article was taken from ThaiVisa.com, originally having come from the Thai newspaper, "The Nation" dated 29-May-2007.

This article does not necessarily represent our personal view on this subject.

POLITICAL PARTY RULINGS
Bangkok on high alert for violence

13,000 soldiers, police to be deployed in areas considered to be flashpoints; Democrats, TRT deny mobilising supporters

BANGKOK: -- Security will be tightened in areas likely to be flashpoints for violence ahead of tomorrow's landmark rulings of the Constitution Tribunal on the electoral fraud cases against the country's two largest political parties.

A 13,000-strong combined force of police and soldiers will be deployed to maintain order and prevent violence, Council for National Security chairman General Sonthi Boonyaratglin said. He was speaking after a meeting of officials in preparation for judgement day.

There has been concern that supporters of the rival parties are likely to gather in great numbers in the capital and could cause trouble if they find the rulings disappointing.

From this afternoon, police will seal off the Constitution Tribunal building and search its compound to ensure no explosive devices have been planted, Police Lt-General Adisorn Nonsee, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, said.

He said the police would also secure nearby bridges tomorrow, when the tribunal is scheduled to read its verdicts on the separate cases against the Democrat and Thai Rak Thai parties, as well as three smaller political parties.

Police will work with military officers and city officials to prevent any violent incidents, Police General Vichien Pojphosri, a senior police commander in charge of security, said.

Hundreds of police officers will be stationed at Sanam Luang and the Royal Plaza, where Thai Rak Thai supporters are expected to gather, and at the headquarters of both the Democrat and Thai Rak Thai parties.

Authorities have been on alert after receiving intelligence that party supporters from the provinces are travelling to the capital. However, the Democrat and Thai Rak Thai parties have dismissed reports that they are mobilising their supporters.

Thai Rak Thai's caretaker leader Chaturon Chaisang yesterday accused the junta of spreading rumours to paint a bad image of the "old power clique" of which the party was a part.

The use of a backup military force, comprising another 43 companies from Bangkok-based Army units, if needed, would be "decisive" and "lawful", Army commander General Sonthi said yesterday.

Sonthi said he gave direct orders during yesterday's meeting with unit commanders that all soldiers participating in all security operations "must be unarmed" and would not be positioned in areas involving direct confrontations with protesters.

The 13,000-strong force comprises soldiers from 29 companies, Bangkok-based policemen and municipal policemen. Its main duty is to guard against possible violent incidents between supporters of Democrat and Thai Rak Thai parties, or anti-junta activists and the soldiers themselves.

Police will concentrate their efforts on curbing anti-junta movements that could be supported by taxi motorcyclists and taxi drivers.

A police intelligence report warned that the groups, referred to as "mobs in red shirts", might operate across the capital to create disorder if the verdicts dissolve any of the parties, or both.

Bangkok police chief Pol Lt-General Adisorn Nonsee said all 88 police stations had been observing the group's ongoing movements and their expected activities in the next few days.

Checkpoints will be set up on major city streets to intercept their vehicles or make arrests in case the group members showed signs of disobedience.

Elephants will also be barred from entering Bangkok at this time.

A bomb threat was received on telephone at the Thai Rak Thai Party's former headquarters on New Phetchaburi Road yesterday morning.

The caller said explosives would be set off but did not specify at which TRT office the attack would take place.

The official who received the call at 10am then telephoned the party's new headquarters at Navasorn Building on Rama 3 Road. Security officials and two sniffer dogs were called in to search the building but found nothing suspicious.

Meanwhile, Chaturon has called a meeting of party members to ensure there are no disturbances tomorrow when the Constitution Tribunal rules on the party's possible dissolution.

Chaturon is worried that if there is any disorder following the ruling, or if ill-intentioned people disguise themselves as Thai Rak Thai Party supporters and create disturbances, the Council for National Security may blame the party for any turmoil.

The party plans to send a few members to hear the verdict but Chaturon has instructed all other party members and supporters not to go to the tribunal but to hear the verdict at the party's headquarters.

TRT has also asked the police to deploy 200 officers at its headquarters tomorrow to maintain security.

Cival War in Southern Thailand

The following article has been taken from: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=107670&st=0

High risk of civil war in southern Thailand

BANGKOK: -- Violence is rising in southern Thailand in what seems to be turning into an all-out civil war. Islamic extremists, who continue their attacks against the Buddhist population, now have set their eyes on the industrial infrastructure. The killing of Muslims is also increasing. Meanwhile the ruling military junta seems to be more interested in consolidating its power in Bangkok than in finding a solution.

Last night suspected Muslim rebels set fire to a large warehouse for rubber in Yala province. More than 30 fire trucks struggled to douse the flames. According to an official of the Southern Land Rubber Co., a leading company in the sector and owner of the destroyed material, losses were estimated at 400 million baht (US$ 10.28 million). He said the company might even shut down because of the rising tide of violence and its 500 workers may lose their jobs. Rubber is a cornerstone of the region's economy.

This morning Islamic teacher Hamsao Yakariya, 45, was shot dead as he rode his motorcycle near his village of Ban Jurae in Tambon Rico, Sungai Padi district.

On the night of February 19-20, as thousands of people (especially Chinese) were celebrating Lunar New Year, a series of attacks took place, including 29 bombings within 45 minutes. Three people of Chinese descent were shot and killed that same night. Altogether, eight people were killed and nearly 70 wounded.

Organising and carrying out the various attacks must have involved at least 200 people.

Three people were arrested shortly after the attacks. They are said to have confessed their involvement and blamed a group known as Runda Kumpulan Kecil, which in Malay means Pattani State Restoration.

In the three southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani Muslims are in the majority in a predominantly Buddhist country. In all three there have been clashes between Muslims and Buddhists. Muslims want to secede from Thailand. Since 2004 about 2,000 people, mostly civilian, have been killed in what is a virtual terror strategy.

The rebellion broke out when former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra adopted strong-arm tactics to nip separatist aspirations in the bud. The government sent in the army and gave it emergency powers under an emergency decree adopted in July 2005.

In the three years since Bangkok deployed 25,000 troops in the provinces (combined population of 1.8 million), the violence in those areas has risen instead of declined.

Emergency rule has led to an increase in insurgency violence and widespread abuses by the military and police. The government has not taken the necessary steps to find a peaceful solution.

Violence has increased since the military took over in September of last year as officers are more concerned with consolidating their power than with the situation in the south.

The coup's top brass were so concerned about ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra that they had radio- and phone-tapping equipment moved from the south to Bangkok.

The net result according to local sources is that rebels are now in control of much of the territory, in particular Muslim communities, through a network of informers.

“When a teacher was shot and set ablaze in the middle of a Muslim village, nobody dared give police details,” said Pranai Suwannarat, head of a multi-agency body charged with developing the relatively poor region. “No one wants to be seen as siding with the government, or they will face a similar fate.”

According to Srisompob Jitpiromsri from Pattani's Prince of Songkhla University, the situation has deteriorated so much that “clashes between Buddhists and Muslims may be inevitable if the government fails to stop the attacks.”

-- AsiaNews/Agencies 2007-02-21

The Songserm Joint Ticket

Many visitors to Thailand choose to travel to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan or Koh Tao, three islands located close to each other in the Gulf of Thailand, 700km south of Bangkok in the Suratthani province.

Most people choose Koh Samui, the largest of these islands, as their first destination, and explore the other islands in the area from there. There are already many websites advertising the beauty and wonder of Koh Samui and the surrounding islands and hundreds of beautiful pictures of this delightful area. Although, you will only truly discover the wonder of this area by visiting yourself.

The easiest way to get to Koh Samui is to fly directly to the island from Bangkok. This is a short and comfortable flight, but many find this form of transport too expensive as Bangkok Airways own the island's airport and charge much higher rates and airport taxes than other equivalent trips. Many people boycott this manner of transport purely in protest to Bangkok Airways' non-competitiveness.

Remaining, popular, possibilities for getting to Koh Samui include :

• Flying to to Suratthani - There are a few domestic airlines that fly to Suratthani, with very low prices available if you book online or/and in advance.
• Sleeper Train - Although there are other trains that go from Bangkok to Suratthani, most travellers prefer and recommend the cheap, fairly comfortable night sleeper trains. Beds are comfortable and the trip is shortened by sleeping for the majority of the trip.
• Tour Bus - I have personally never taken this mode of transport as it is easier and more comfortable to sleep on the train. I have heard that it is even possible that your bus may board a ferry and take you to one of the more major towns on Koh Samui.

The purpose of this article is neither to discuss these islands, nor to recommend any particular mode of transport or to advise prices and schedules. Instead I would like to take the opportunity to provide some insight and details of how one particular company operates and hopefully give you good reason to avoid using them.

If you choose to take a Tour Bus or the train to Suratthani, and you book from Bangkok or over the internet, then you will probably be offered a joint ticket through Songserm. This ticket is an open, non refundable ticket; so you can use it on any day, any time in the future, but can not get a refund for it. Although sold as one ticket, you will receive a train/bus ticket and then a separate Songserm bus (transfer from Suratthani to the ferry - 1 hour) and ferry ticket.

Pleased be warned before purchasing a ticket from this company, and if you still choose to, please be careful.

The Songserm service is advertised as a fast/express boat. The boat is definitely their fastest boat, mainly due to the fact that this company only has one boat from Suratthani to Koh Samui. In fact, this service is the slowest service you could choose to take. The other companies all have much faster boats with better schedules and, more importantly, for a much cheaper price.

Some places advertise that this boat sales from Suratthani to Koh Samui once per day, and some say it sales twice per day. Going to the office at the Suratthani wharf and speaking Thai does not clarify this question. Some staff say "once per day" and some staff say "twice". I even spoke with one gentleman who changed his answer 2-3 times during our conversation leaving me no clue as to how many sailings there actually are.

How many sailings there are makes a difference as your bus or train could quite likely arrive late at Suratthani, and if it does, you may have to wait 6 hours for the afternoon sailing (if they decide to have one) or you may have to wait until the next day. Of course, the other option is to burn your ticket and buy a much cheaper ticket on a much more reliable service.

Recently my wife and I (we live in Bangkok) wanted to take a short holiday, and although I have previously experienced some of the more trivial pitfalls of using this company in the past, I chose to purchase a joint ticket (taking the train) for the ease of paying all at once in Bangkok, instead of having to organise how we would get to Koh Samui once we arrived in Suratthani. There was little chance of things going wrong anyway as our train was one of the earliest ones, scheduled to arrive very early in the morning.

Unfortunately, our train had problems, and we were overtaken by every other sleeper train. We finally arrived at Suratthani after 9am. Because we were so late, and because I knew that there is possibly only one Songserm sailing per day, and because all of the ferrys are quite some distance from Suratthani (up to 1 hour), and all of the others are miles away from the Songserm wharf, and because I can speak Thai, I chose to ask the Songserm staff member who met us at the train a few questions.

I was quite prepared to keep our non-refundable tickets for some other trip in the future, or to give to a friend, and to instead take one of the other forms of transport to another ferry terminal and buy further tickets. We couldn't really be unhappy - what could we do? There was nothing we could do about our train arriving late, and there was nothing we could do if Songserm's sailing had already departed.

The Songserm staff member who met us confirmed quite clearly that the boat had been held as a few trains had arrived late and that it was waiting for us. She was also selling joint tickets at the train to travellers who did not yet have ferry tickets.

We arrived at the wharf to find that the boat had left on time and we were told that we could wait 24 hours for the next one (in the middle of no-where - no where to stay - no transport - nothing) or we could pay an additional price for a complementary service offered by Songserm to take us to the nearest competitors terminal (over an hour away).

Even the Thai people were angry! The Songserm staff said that it was completely the passenger's faults as we had taken a slow train and they stated that they did not need to offer a transfer service to a competitors terminal and that because we had bought Songserm tickets they could leave us waiting there until the next day.

Well, what could we do? This was obviously a scam to get another few baht out of us... It did not worry me too much. We had lost some extra hours because of the lies and needless detour, and we were about to lose some baht for this complementary transfer service. But we still had our ferry tickets for next time or to give to a friend some time in the future. But no. The cost of this complementary transfer service is to surrender your ferry ticket and also to pay an additional 50 baht per person.

So, if Songserm had not lied at the train station, I would have taken another ferry, paying a small additional fee, but still keeping my open, non-refundable Songserm ticket - not a big deal. But instead, we ended up buying this [more] expensive Songserm ticket which we then had to surrender, unused. We then had to pay an additional price to be able to go to another ferry company to be able to buy a reasonable priced ticket on a better service.

So, if you plan to travel to Samui on Songserm, make sure that you confirm the sailing time before you leave Bangkok, and if you arrive in Suratthani any later than 1 hour before sailing time, do not believe anything they say, but take a more reliable service instead.

I asked Songserm about this situation as it seems so extraordinary. Songserm confirmed with me that it is their standard service to take all ticket holders to the wharf, and if the daily sailing has already departed, to then 'transfer' them to a competitor. They also noted that since trains are often late, this situation happens quite frequently.

If you plan to go to Samui, then please take this advice. You should worry about how you will get to a ferry terminal once you have arrived in Suratthani. There are a couple of competing services which have ferrys that leave most hours - some even offer a free transfer to the ferry terminal. And all of the companies have representatives at your arrival point in Suratthani.

I must say that of all my trips to Samui, I have used the Songserm service, successfully, on two occasions. I guess that I have been lucky ;) I know that there are always unavoidable circumstances, and I know that some Thai people in the more touristy areas are trying to take as much money from foreigners as they can by any means (which embarrasses the majority of Thai people), and we take most things as a learning experience.

But this company, first of all, advertises themselves as something that they are not. Don't believe me? Go visit them and one of their competitors and make your own comparison. Secondly, they openly admit that they have a policy to lie to their customers and have this complementary transfer policy, which is such a major ongoing scam that they admit occurs frequently.

How you get to Samui is your choice, and you may opt for the convenience of buying a joint Songserm ticket from the train station, Kao San Rd, or your favourite (and reliable) tourist agent. But it is a gamble as to whether you will get to Samui on that ticket or not. Are you prepared to pay their steeper prices for the worst (go compare the boats and terminals and schedules yourself) service just to gamble that you may then have to pay extra to be taken to a reliable, cheaper service?

Your choice.

 

What Thaksin had done wrong

The following article was taken from ThaiVisa.com, originally having come from the Thai newspaper, "The Nation" dated 21-Nov-2006.

This article does not necessarily represent our personal view on this subject.

Summary of Council for National Security's "White Paper" detailing Thaksin's alleged wrongdoings. Why did Council for National Security overthrow the Thaksin administration?

Corruption/conflict of interests

• Changed concessions on mobile phone business as excise tax
• Created satellite business to gain promotion from Board of Investment
• Corruption at Suvarnabhumi Airport and the purchase of CTX bomb detection scanners
• Corruption in the construction of railway Airport Link
• Lack of transparency in privatisation of state enterprises
• Media interference

Abuse of power

• Appointed family, relatives, close aides to highranking positions of the state
• Used state budget without seeking approval from the House in projects to promote government popularity
• Abuse of power by negotiating with foreign countries for the interest of themselves (Exim bank loans)
• Abuse of power by instructing state agencies to investigate assets of government opponents

Infringe on ethics and moral integrity of country leader

• Sold satellite concession and television station to a foreign country
• Evaded taxes from share sale

Interference in political check system

• Interfered with the Senate which appointed independent agencies that checked the government
• Interfered with the appointment of Election Commission, Constitution Court judge and National Counter Corruption Commission and Auditor General

Policy flaws that led to human rights violation

• Extrajudicial killing of drug suspects
• Policy mismanagement and abuse of power in solving violence in the south

Created rift and destroyed unity of the public and instigating confrontation

• Blocked information that checked the government and the prime minister
• Created confrontation between anti and pro government supporters.

Siam Kitchen Cooking School

Located near Lamai Beach on Koh Samui Thailand, Siam Kitchen Cooking School provided a truely great way to learn to cook Thai food at a very reasonable price.

According to their website:

We are a small family run business in the heart of Lamai Beach in Koh Samui.

My wife Daow & I really enjoy showing people like you around our local market and demonstrating how to cook wonderful Thai food.

We will guarantee you a warm welcome to our home.

The school is run by a maaried couple in their own home and has a truely personal touch. With a maximum of 4 students to a lesson, you are not going to be lost or left behind. One of the best things about the school is that you can select a set menu to make or you can select your own dishes. All 4 students must cook the same dishes, so if you are first to sign up for a class, then you choose what everyone will cook! If you are going as a group this works out perfectly.

The chef (Sont) has worked in a number of restaurants and hotels within Thailand. He has an excellent teaching manner and although he admits he has never studied English, and has only picked it up during his career, he speaks amazing English and there were no problems with communication.

Before the class began Sont took us on a trip to the local market. This was great because I learnt the Thai names for many vegetables, herbs and meats, which he later gave us all written down with our recipes.

There were 2 students on the day I attended the class, and as I was the first to book the lesson I chose the following dishes:

• Thai green curry
• Fried vegetables in oyster sauce
• Laab (a very spicy salad)
• and Pud Ga Prao (Chicken fried with hot basil)

I would definately recommend this cooking school to anyone visiting the island. I had a great time, learning from a great couple who work excellently as a team, and I would definately go back to learn more!

Why don't you check out their website at : www.siamkitchen.net

Sonthi outsmarted Thaksin at the eleventh hour

The following article was written by Thanong Khanthong for The Nation newspaper on the 22 Sept 2006.

We still maintain our view that Thaksin has done a lot of good for Thailand, and has really tried to clean up Thailand's image, and improve quality of life for the Thai people. But he was also Thailand's leading entrepreneur trying to make himself wealthy as any business man would. To want the best for both your country and your own business must be difficult to manage, and we think Thaksin fell to using his position and power to make the best for his own business.

Had Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin not moved as fast as he did to stage a coup on Tuesday, Thaksin Shinawatra would have launched his own coup a day later. Don't be fooled by Thaksin's claim that he stands for democracy.

As the political crisis developed to the point of no return concerning whether Thaksin should stay or be booted out, General Sonthi had no choice but to swallow his words about the days of military coups being over. He had been very reluctant to resort to a coup, as he was known not to have any political ambitions. Moreover, he was not known to be an enemy of Thaksin. Although General Sonthi has a good relationship with both Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda and Privy Council member General Surayuth Chulanont, he came to power partly due to a political compromise struck with Thaksin.

However, an intelligence report reached General Sonthi's camp stating that there would be bloodshed on Wednesday. The People's Alliance for Democracy had planned to hold a political rally that day at the Royal Plaza in order to force Thaksin out of politics. Had that rally taken place, there would have been clashes between the People's Alliance for Democracy and Thaksin's supporters and blood would have been spilt on Rajdamnoen Avenue. If only Thaksin had promised that he would take a break from politics and allow a period of political reforms to take place, the PAD and other branches of the anti-Thaksin movement would have declared victory. All political confrontations would have subsided. Thaksin could have run for office once the Constitution was amended, and he would have been returned to the premier's post, probably in the latter part of next year.

However, Thaksin never considered taking a break from power. Again, don't be fooled by his "taking a break" story - the idea never crossed his mind.

The General Sonthi camp learned that during the PAD rally, Yongyuth Tiyapairat and Newin Chidchob were planning to rally their supporters to create an ugly scene at the Royal Plaza. During the ensuing commotion, there would be human casualties. Thaksin would then have stepped in and declared a state of emergency, placing the country under martial law.

Now you can understand why he had time to prepare his state of emergency statement and read it at 9.20pm on Channel 9 from his New York hotel room. You can also understand why Yongyuth and Newin are now at the top of this country's most-wanted list and have surrendered themselves to the CDRM for interrogation.

Once the situation was under his complete control, Thaksin had planned to fly back yesterday in order to declare victory over anti-democratic elements in society. He had a military reshuffle list in hand that would have further consolidated his control over the military. With that accomplished, everything would have been easy. Virtually all institutions in the country would have been under his directive.

From his New York hotel, Thaksin was preparing to deliver an address at the UN Assembly. The room instead turned out to be the headquarters from which he attempted to launch a counter-coup and negotiate a political settlement. In New York, he planned to recruit top-notch American political consultants to advise him on his political campaign for the next election, which would have been pushed back from October 15 to some time in November.

Thaksin's talk of taking a break from politics was simply lip service. He told the Thai public he would decide whether to take a break from politics only after his Thai Rak Thai went to the Election Commission to register as candidates. This means Thaksin would have liked His Majesty the King to endorse a new election date before he made his decision.

Members of the Thai elite and the PAD, however, would not allow this to happen. If Thaksin were to run in the next election, he would have won. With 12 million votes or so, he would have claimed a democratic majority and he also would have stayed on as prime minister. After that he could rewrite Thai history by turning Thailand into his own regime.

General Sonthi had to act fast to head off Thaksin's coup. He staged a military coup on Tuesday, a day before the bloodshed was set to take place. He and Thaksin did have a telephone conversation on Tuesday evening, with Thaksin trying to buy time and negotiate a settlement.

He told General Sonthi that if he kept his cool, Thaksin would take a break from politics. He asked Sonthi to wait until he returned from New York so that the two could talk things out and said that he would reschedule his return flight to Bangkok to Wednesday, instead of yesterday as he had planned.

General Sonthi was polite, but told him that he had no choice, that he had to stage the coup.

In the meantime, Thaksin was checking on his military allies, who had control of Bangkok, for the most part. He remained certain that in a military power play, he could still emerge the victor. Maj-General Prin Suwannathat, commander of the First Infantry Brigade, is a close ally of Thaksin and he holds the most powerful military post in Bangkok. The commanders of the Air Force and the Navy are also good friends of Thaksin.

General Sonthi had the support of Lt-General Saphrang Kalayanamit of the Third Army, who had been outspoken in his anti-Thaksin remarks. The Third Army is in charge of all military operations in the North. Another key ally of Gen Sonthi is Lt-General Anupong Phaochinda of the First Infantry Division in Bangkok. Maj-General Sanit Prommas, the commander of the Second Cavalry Brigade, also came to play an important role in the power play to seize the capital.

Troops from Prachin Buri and Lop Buri were also mobilised to the capital to assist in the coup, the decisive outcome of which was ironically the victory of thaharn ban nok (upcountry military).

As it turned out, all of Thaksin's military allies, most notably Maj-General Prin, had been marked out - they could not move. General Ruengroj Mahasaranont, the supreme commander and a Thaksin ally, was to look after Bangkok once Thaksin had declared martial law. He too was subdued. Chidchai Vanasatidya and Prommin Lertsuridej were unable to launch any sort of counter effort.

Thaksin's wife Khunying Pojaman Shinawatra was supposed to take a 12am flight to Singapore on Tuesday night. She quickly changed her flight to 9pm. Well, Gen Sonthi had to let her off the hook.

Twenty-five minutes later, knowing that his wife was safely on an aircraft bound for Singapore, Thaksin read out his state of emergency address from his New York hotel room, effectively sacking General Sonthi.

But an hour later, General Sonthi declared a counter-coup to overthrow the Thaksin regime and tear up the Constitution.

The rest is history.

Thaksin causes division and destroy unity : Royal Order

The following article is taken from The Nation newspaper on the 22 Sept 2006.

BANGKOK: -- Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin Friday entered a ceremony to officially receive His Majesty's the King's endorsement of his leadership as leader of the Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM).

In a ceremony broadcast on TV pool, Army Commander in Chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin stood before a shrine to HM the King while Adjutant Generals Department's Adjutant Maj Gen Manote Premwongsiri read out the Royal Order.

"Gen Sonthi informed HM the King that Thaksin Shinawatra as the prime minister severe division within the nation and destroyed national unity. This is something that has never happened in the country's history," according to the order as it was read out

Most people believes that his administration was plagued with irregularies and corruption. Political interventions on independent bodies were rampant under Thaksin's watch. These interventions have created conflict and division. Many parties have tried but failed to accommodate the matters.

Therefore, the armed forces, police and civilian have decided to seize advministrative power under the leadership of General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the head of the Council of Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy.

For the sake of peace and national unity, HM the King has issued the Royal Order for General Sonthi as the leader of the Council of Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy.

We urged the public to remain clam and we asked that all government civil servants support General Sonthi Boonyaratglin.

In white uniform, Sonthi -- flanked by other officers -- kneeled and bowed before a portrait of the king above the flower-bedecked shrine.

Analysts say royal support for the coup is the main reason why there has been no violence. Soldiers patrolling the streets have tied yellow ribbons on their weapons out of respect for the king.

Koh Samui - Tourist Destination

Koh Samui, the beautiful island of coconut trees, is the third largest of Thailand's islands. It is located 700 km south of Bangkok in the Gulf of Thailand, in the Suratthani province. This island has become well known for its beaches, including Chaweng & Lamai, and for its other tourist attractions. There are many other islands nearby, but the most popular, other than Samui, are Koh Tao (one of the best diving locations in Asia) and Koh Phangan (well known for its Full Moon parties). In recent years, Thailand has started promoting Koh Samui as a tourist destination of choice. This, along with the tragic tsunami which struck the west coast a couple of years ago, has caused Koh Samui to become much more popular, and as a result has been westernised and developed much more than some other tourist destinations. There are many tourist attractions on Samui, and many places to stay, and also many websites that you can visit giving advice on how to get there, where to go and what to do while on Samui. This article does not intend to address any of these well covered topics, but seeks to share some of what it is like to holiday on Samui, and a little of what you should expect. I first visited Koh Samui in 2000, and from 2000 to 2002 I visited this beautiful island a number of times. In recent years, I have not had the opportunity to return, and as I am not a fan of heavily touristed areas, or of places where the Thai people have begun to loose some culture as they soak up the western culture, I have had little desire to try. I have also heard stories of just how 'touristy' Koh Samui has become in recent years, which has not helped improve my image of what this island has become. Recently, my wife and I had the opportunity to visit Koh Samui for a few days (currently we live in Bangkok), which excited me that I should once again be able to return to the island, but also made me nervous that we might have an awful time because of what might have happened to the island since I last visited. We stayed on Samui for the last week of August, which is at the end of the high season, but in actual fact, many tourists leave during August, making this last week of the month quite quiet. What struck me as amazing, was how much the island had been developed in the past few years. Towns had grown by at least 50%, which is not that surprising, I guess, considering that in the early 70s, the only business was coconuts and fishing, with large hotels and tourism only having been introduced relatively recently. The next shock was the prices. We expect that prices might be higher in tourist areas, but some prices while on this recent trip to Koh Samui were quite unbelievable. Being used to Bangkok prices, and earning Thai money probably did not help us legitimise some of the costs. When we first arrived on the island, after a 100 baht boat ride, which took 1.5 hours, we discovered that the 20 minute taxi trip to where we were staying was going to cost 200 baht per person. This was a flat price (differing per location), so could not be bargained down by much. It was especially crazy to be bargaining a 'per person' price; we really felt for families of 5 who would need to pay an extraordinary price to get anywhere. We hardly ever take taxis in Bangkok, as they are too expensive for us to use frequently, but as a comparison, a 2 hour trip from the airport to any distant destination in Bangkok is not likely to ever cost more than 200 baht, regardless of how many passengers there are. Most trips of 20 minutes cost approximately 40-50 baht. We heard, while on the island, that most Taxi drivers are looking out for just one or two, 4 person fares per week so that they do not have to work the rest of the week. It certainly says something, where the lowest possible 20-40 minute fare anyone could achieve is enough to keep a man's family for a week without the need for him to work further. This fare was a little too expensive for us, so we hitched a 10 minute ride to the main road, and jumped on a Sawng Taw (a ute taxi where you sit on the back, in two rows (Sawng Taw means 'two rows'). Every Sawng Taw we ever use is always fixed price - this is normal - and every trip I have made to Samui in the past has been the same. We even saw the fixed prices listed on the back of the ute cab (in Thai) depending on which town you get on and off at. When we arrived, we paid the correct fare, but then the Sawng Taw driver told us that Westerners must bargain a price first and it must be at least twice what a Thai person would pay, so we were required to pay an additional fee.... But still, instead of our 20 minute trip costing 400 baht, we arrived at our destination for just 100 baht for the two of us. The cost of transportation aside, all other costs seemed quite reasonable. The price of hiring a motorbike has not increased at all in the last 5 years, and food has not increased much at all. Surprisingly enough, the cost of clothes and touristy items have not increased by much either (although you must sometimes bargain down to that reasonable price). Some authors speak of food being more expensive, but we found that the price of food was similar to other tourist areas and was also the same as what locals would pay in some areas of Bangkok.

Of course, we did not even pay these normal prices (approx 40 baht per dish) for our meals, as we prefer to eat Thai, and because so many restaraunts located in tourist areas cater mainly for Western tastes, we usually hunt out the places where the Thais eat, which also usually happen to be cheaper for more delicious meals. As we were staying in Lamai, we often ate at 'Coconut', by the beach, near McDonald's, and at a place with no name which was half way down the same lane. Great Food! (in BKK) The exception to reasonable priced food came when buying food on the beach. I understand that it is a hot and long day for the Thais to wander up and down the beach, and I would expect to pay 2-3 times a normal price for food on the beach. But, we are used to paying 20 baht for three pieces of corn, but on the beach they were charging 40 baht for one. That is the same price as a meal, for a piece of really cheap vegetable. The funny thing with the people on the beach selling various things, is that they do not seem to make many sales at all, people prefering to buy their goods at a seriously cheaper price from their local town. One evening, we asked one lady who said she had not made any sales all day. If only they would charge a modest-reasonable profit, they would make so many more sales, and probably a lot more in total. But then we realised that to do so, they would need to buy more product and do more work. The Thais on the beach would much more prefer to make less sales with larger profit, requiring less effort, than to work more, earning less per item, but much more overall. Much like those taxi drivers I guess; 90% of the taxis we saw on the island were always driving around empty looking for potential customers - who can afford those prices??? The last casualty of Samui, because of the tourism, has to be culture and Thai character. We meet so many Thai people who are so lovely, helpful and friendly. But in tourist areas, many Thais are so different from other Thais as they have soaked up some of the more negative traits of Western culture and Western character. And when westerners get suddenly angry at being mistreated in some way, just as they would with some western person with no morals, the Thai has no problem being angry back and standing on their own self-defined rights, just as any good westerner might. This is such a shame, as the Thai culture, although there are negatives as with any other race, has a real beauty about it which is being lost fast in tourist areas. Speaking of westerner's rights to be able to define their own 'rights' (which I am sure is an offensive thing to talk about with many westerners), the number of tourists who, against all advice, are truly disrespecting Thai culture in the most obvious of ways, and who refuse to change as they "have the right" to be doing what ever they are doing, is truly stunning. The most obvious and easy to speak of is the serious amount of under-dressing on the beach. Maybe it is prejudice to have nude beaches in the west now; maybe people have the right to walk around nude everywhere now; I don't know. But seeing women walk down the beach completely naked without even a towel or anything, is truly embarrassing. Not only does it completely disrespect the Thai culture, and offend most every Thai person, but regular complete disrespect like this brings judgement and detest upon all of us. Samui is well known for it's 'Girlfriend Bars', which are fun places to go and have a drink, whether you are looking for a girlfriend or not. We have our own views on the rights and wrongs of this line of work, and of the people that make use of these lady's services, especially based on what we know of how these ladies think, and what they are actually offering, compared to what the western guys usually think. This 'night-life' is often a put-off for western families coming to Samui on holiday. But it should not be! So many people see this night-life as immoral and seedy and something to keep children away from. Yet the number of families with children, that we saw while on Samui, was quite surprising. I would say that an evening out with the children is safer than being out in some other countries, and is safer for the children than watching some T.V. programmes. You might have fears of your children seeing woman trying to sell sex, but although, as with anywhere, there are some woman trying to earn money by selling sex, most on Samui are not. Most everyone of the girls that work at these bars is actually better dressed than the many western woman still wandering around town in the evening in their beach wear, and most the girls at the bars love children, and would much rather entertain your children than have a drink with some western guy. You, of course, will have your own opinion regarding this, but it really changed our opinion to see so many young, strong looking, families out for evening walks among these bars. Bill Resort I must say, that our stay on Samui was not what I expected it would be. It was so much better. Our accommodation was lovely, the weather and food was lovely, we enjoyed a couple of trips out, and a few nights visiting our 'local' Samui bar where we made some great friends. Koh Samui, remains for me, a place to visit; a beautiful and most relaxing, paradise island. Just remember to bring plenty of cash for transport.... I hope that this article has been of some help to you, and that you will consider Koh Samui for your next holiday, and will enjoy your trip.