The Sound of Silence

So they moved the airport last night, and suddenly it's quiet. Well, quieter. Listen, and you'll still hear the all-pervasive rumble of Bangkok traffic, the odd train creaking past, and the remarkably annoying squawks of tropical bird life... Not to mention the howling soi dogs.
It may sound kind of sudden to move an airport overnight, but they've been planning this since 1973. Various political upheavals have delayed construction, not to mention allegations of corruption involving our dearly departed leader Thaksin. The new airport is snappily named Suvarnabhumi airport; not the most user-friendly name for non-Thai speakers, but apparently an impressive place, with claim to the world's largest terminal building, and the world's tallest control tower...

Done and Dusted

Well, it looks like it's all over remarkably quickly. Martial law is being imposed for a year, with the claim that democracy will be allowed again after that. The only obvious differences are the soldiers on the streets, and the fact that as soon as Thailand is mentioned on the international TV news channels, they clumsily cut to the grinning faces of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Bizarre. Online access to international news is still uncensored - presumably the military boys have never used the internet, or don't have the IT skills to block it yet.

Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old AK47

Given the apparent level of calm, I can't resist going out on the bike to look around our neighbourhood. At the top of our road, a squad of soldiers is assembling a machine gun nest. The fact that they've all tied pretty yellow bows on to their weapons goes some way in allaying my concern.

All Quiet on the Eastern Front

From what I currently understand, the coup has been swift and successful; the country is now under martial law. We head out with Louis to a local supermarket, and I'm secretly disappointed that we don't see any tanks en route; it seems pretty much business as usual. Mostly it appears that the Thais have reacted to the political upheaval by heading out for a spot of shopping.

The Next Day

It's difficult to ascertain exactly what's going on, but UK embassy advice is to stay put, so Sara takes the day off. They've taken the satellite TV off the air, but I still have internet access, though I guess that might be the next thing to go. Everything seems pretty calm, and given the number of coups over the years, I guess Thais take these things in their stride.

Goodnight, and Good Luck

9pm, and our neighbour Louis comes round. He's a well-connected chap, and some contacts in military intelligence have warned of imminent action. Being Latin American, he's experienced at this kind of thing, and offers to drive us to an ATM to get cash out before the banks shut down. An hour later, the BBC website flashes a report of tanks on the streets of Bangkok. The Thai TV stations go off the air, and CNN and BBC are also turned off. Seems like a good moment to go to bed.