I WANT TO EAT A NUT OF LAERMA!

I HAVEN'T DONE ANY SERIOUS GEOPOLITICAL ANALYSIS LATELY...

Military coup in Bangkok while Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is in New York attending the annual United Nations General Assembly.

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Tanks and troops patrolled Bangkok early Wednesday after the chief of Thailand's army said the military was taking control of the country.

The coup against the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is being led by Thai army chief Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratkalin and Thailand's opposition Party of Democratic Reform.

The coup plotters declared martial law and suspended the constitution of the Southeast Asian nation. (Watch tanks roll through the streets of Bangkok -- 3:53)

Thaksin, in New York to address the United Nations, declared a state of emergency Tuesday and said his government was still in control of the country.

Troops on the streets of the Thai capital had yellow ribbons on their weapons, a sign of loyalty to the nation's king, to whom the coup plotters proclaimed their loyalty.

At least four tanks and a number of armored vehicles were stationed around the royal palace in Bangkok, CNN's Dan Rivers reported.

Soldiers apparently were setting up roadblocks, and what appeared to be members of the royal guard surrounded the palace.

It was unclear if the soldiers were loyal to the government or to those attempting to seize power.

Two tanks were parked outside the government headquarters, which houses Thaksin's office.

There have been no reports of violence.

Here's my sophisticated, educated take on this:

This reminds me of the story in Mihona Fujii's Gals! manga, the basis for the Super Gals! anime, wherein Ran Kotobuki, the self-professed Queen of Shibuya, goes to the beach with her kogal friends Miyu Yamazaki and Aya Hoshino and their guy pals Rei Otohata and Yuya Asou, and, while she's out of Shibuya, Mami Honda and her sidekick Harue Kudou come down to Shibuya from Ikebukuro in northern Tokyo and Mami declares herself to be Queen of Shibuya, a situation that even the Ganguro "Tan-Faces", who usually don't get along too well with Ran Kotobuki, cannot tolerate.

I wonder if Prime Minister Frank Sinatra... I mean "Thaksin Shinawatra", will resolve this situation by challenging General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin to a "Para Para" dance-off?¹



Seriously, though, I wonder if these military guys might be associated with Marxists? Or maybe even Islamofascists... I know Islamic terrorists are active in southern Thailand.



¹ Yes, I know, in the actual manga story, they didn't Para Para; Mami tried to use a Tazer stun gun on Ran, but Ran kicked it out of her hand and challenged her to a fight, but Harue didn't think it was a good idea for Mami to fight that day, so she convinced her to stand down.

posted by Steve Brandon @ 7:31 PM