September 27, 2006 at 05:39:47

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Thailand: Democracy Removed by Military Coup

By John Carey (about the author)     Page 3 of 3 page(s)

opednews.com     Permalink

"The real issue is not having basic freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of the press," said Ungpakorn, who helped form the Network Against the Coup d'Etat. "We don't have basic human rights. They can parade a hundred beauty queens but without these freedoms, we don't have anything."

In a sign, perhaps, of progress and forward thinking, Thailand's military council on Tuesday named dozens of prominent civilians to serve as advisers.

The military council announced on television that it had appointed businessmen, civil servants, academics and other prominent figures to advisory committees on matters including the economy, foreign affairs, ethics and governance, and reconciliation.

Several critic of the coup were on the list of new "advisors."

But this may be another clumsy move by a naive military.

"I have not been consulted whatsoever. I have said that the coup is wrong, how can I serve as its advisory board?" said Chaiwat Satha-anand, who teaches political science at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.

Thailand also has a dark human rights side. The sex trade has been booming in Thailand for generations and police are largely complicit, on the payroll or looking the other way. Trafficking in young girls and women is common.

One might hope this will this criminal activity can be lessened under a new government but the problem has lasted through many regimes.

The military is ruling under martial law and public gatherings of more than five people are banned. It has also called on the media to exercise self-censorship and decreed that all organizations at the district and provincial levels cease their activities for now.

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