Thailand national hobby thread

[Junkenstein]

Apparently some kind of Coup d'etat is ongoing as we speak. I've caught a couple of tales but this is mainly a placeholder for the moment to remind myself to look at it more.

[Telarus]

Note: The US was doing large rapid "training" maneuvers a few months ago with the Thai army, "disaster response" with large caliber arms, which was a thinly veiled middle-finger at China. Thailand's recent political instability was threatening that relationship.

Not causal, just "related". 

[Junkenstein]

So I got a chance to actually look at this, and it's as you would expect. Bad, with a side of fucked up.

http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-thai-military-rulers-get-to-work/1923239.html

BANGKOK — Thailand's ruling military has detained a minister in the ousted government, minutes after he denounced last week's coup as illegitimate.

Soldiers burst into the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Thailand Tuesday and took former education minister Chaturon Chaisang, who had just given a talk.

Chaturon had defied the junta's order to surrender under martial law.

Speaking to journalists minutes before he was taken away, Chaturon insisted it was legitimate for anyone to peacefully demonstrate or speak out against the coup - acts also deemed illegal by those now in control.

Thailand's army has staged 12 coups in the last 80 years.

There's still more unpleasantness to come no doubt. Then again in another 6 and a half years or so.