September 19, 2006

Dear friends,

This is to let you know that we are safe and that the situation at this time in Thailand is peaceful. There are no events happening in Chiang Mai. All schools here are closed, so Chris is home with us. Government offices, banks, and schools are closed and businesses are encouraged to be closed — today has been declared a holiday. Gatherings are forbidden for the time being in order to maintain order and civility. The Army has control over all television stations and cable broadcasts. Last night when the coup began we were able to hear what happened on CNN and BBC News, but during the early morning hours these broadcasts were blocked.

We are currently waiting a message from the Army leaders about their intentions for the near future. So far we have been assured this was done to restore the political stability to the country brought about by the stalemate between the Thaksin government and his political opposition. This has been going on for nearly a year, but over the past eight months it has made it difficult if not impossible for the country to be governed effectively. Important decisions cannot be made as the current government is only temporary, pending elections scheduled for October 15. Elections were held in April in the hopes of solving this crisis, but when it became apparent that these elections were being held for the government to increase its hold on power by manipulating the outcome, other political parties boycotted it. The King then authorized the top courts of the land to investigate the election through suits filed against the government accusing it of manipulating the outcome and creating ad-hoc political parties to replace the boycotting opposition. The courts ruled against the government and that election was void.

Since then the Thaksin government has been in the constitutional status of a caretaker government. This has further hampered its effectiveness in governing the country. The situation with separatist in the southern provinces has escalated and the government has been unable to deal with the situation in any meaningful way. The Army recently decided to enter into talks with the separatists, seen as a long needed move but against the more hard line policy of the government — not to negotiate with terrorists and give them legitimacy. This has been seen as a misanalysis of the situation as this problem has been off and on again for the last 30 years or so and direct talks have always helped stabilize the situation.

Thaksin’s continued refusal to step down and defuse the situation in order to ensure a fair election has increased the opposition’s determination and many feared the conflict could become violent (it has so far been very peaceful and confrontations between opponents and supporters of the prime minister uneventful).

As I am typing this, the military leaders have just gone on the air to assure us that the situation is under control and order is being kept. They have met with His Majesty the King who expressed his concern for a peaceful resolution and that normal democratic rule be restored as quickly as possible to the people of Thailand. The military expressed their desire to comply with the King’s wish in this matter. They say they have no intention of ruling the country, but felt it necessary to resolve the current stalemate by means of a coup as it was apparent the government could not resolve the situation. They will be telling us more in the near future of what steps they will take to set up a temporary government, but for all Thai citizens to rest assured that a normal, calm, orderly, and peaceful situation has been restored and any conflicts will be resolved to return Thailand to a functional democracy again.

Local television programs have now been restored, but cable has not so we still have no access to CNN or BBC or MSNBC. We can still follow the news via the Internet.

Thailand has a history of peaceful, bloodless coups followed by military dominated governments. The last time this happened was in 1991-92 and when the military leaders at that time tried to establish themselves as the government by holding free elections but forcing the new parliament to make the coup leader the prime minister, the streets of Bangkok erupted in protests that turned into a violent and bloody confrontation between the people and the military. The Thai middle class is a large group and politically aware. They want democracy and there is a possibility that if the current situation does not lead quickly to an election and a free government that people could take to the streets of Bangkok again.

Please keep Thailand in your prayers that our situation here remains peaceful and that the military returns the country to a normal and democratically elected government as soon as possible in order to keep peace. We will keep you all informed of what is going on here, but please be assured that everything is peaceful and safe and that everyday life is set to return to normalcy in the next few hours.

Grace and peace in His Name,

Scott, Khanita, and Chris

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 122