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Australian man flees coup first


soiarrai

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20sep06

 

A MELBOURNE man said he is "hell-bent" on leaving Thailand despite quiet on the streets following a bloodless coup in the Thai capital, Bangkok, overnight.

 

The Thai army took control of Bangkok last night without a shot being fired, dismissing Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, revoking the constitution and promising a swift return to democracy after political reforms.

 

Tanks and troops took over Government House in the nation's first coup in 15 years. A coup spokesman said the army and police were in control of the capital and surrounding provinces.

 

Armoured vehicles and soldiers took up positions on street corners, but life in most of Bangkok continued much as usual with traffic moving through rain drenched streets and the airport operating normally.

 

Steve Williams, of the Melbourne suburb of East Bentleigh, said he was due to leave Thailand at the end of next week but decided to leave early when news of the coup interrupted the movie he was watching in his hotel room.

 

"We decided to take matters into our own hands after ringing the Australian Embassy, and get to the airport and try to get out as quickly as we could," he told Southern Cross Radio.

 

"On our way to the airport, the traffic was very, very light and there were lots of military personnel trucks and tanks on the streets of Bangkok."

 

Mr Williams said he would leave Thailand even if the situation was resolved and Thai life returned to normal.

 

"We're pretty well hell-bent on coming home because they did have some bombings earlier in the week, down south where we're going to Phuket," he said.

 

"We feel safer coming home. We've had a great two-and-a-half months, so we're happy with our trip so far."

 

Australia's Ambassador to Thailand, Bill Paterson, was on duty overnight with senior staff at the embassy in central Bangkok, monitoring moves by army officers against the government of Prime Minister Thaksin.

 

"We are regarding this as an emergency situation," an embassy spokesman said.

 

Reuters

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OK, tough-guy comedians, lets put this in the context of a man who (reading between the lines) has a family and doesnt have your understanding of Thai politics. The guy only went to LOS for a holiday - he has no capital invested in the place - and would probably have seen the footage of Australians being evacuated from Lebanon in July. All in all, I think its a prudent move - things are reportedly quiet on the streets at the moment, but there are no guarantees in a country where you dont know the language or the mood of the people (come to think of it, thats the way I feel when I get in cab from Melbourne Airport, but thats another story :smirk: ).

 

Later,

 

Artie

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