Blogosphere Notes: Petition

What are other bloggers saying today? The website 2bangkok.com has some background on the Thaksin government controversies going back several years, and a good page of photos taken the day after the coup d'etat. Newley Purnell has also been blogging the coup from Bangkok.

Bangkokpundit alerts us to a political event scheduled half an hour from now:

Apparently, there will be a meeting tonight at 6pm at Siam Paragon to sign a petition against the coup - see Bangkok Metblogs for more. The people behind the gathering are known as "19 September Network against Coup d'Etat" have (had ?) a website which has been closed by the Thai government - see my post on censorship.

There is an online petition - which many blogs are linking too. Via New Mandala is part of the text on the reason behind the petition:

I understand that we, foreigners and Thais who are outside Thailand, may not want to suggest any action in Thailand re: the coup, either because one is a foreigner or one is not there to share the consequences. But now I think we MUST do something to help those young people who is about to risk their safety to protest the coup. Attached and below is a draft letter. The opinion about the coup is very soft and general, since I really do not know what other people think about it. But I hope it safe to say that we all “regret” that it took place.

***The most important message of the letter is to call on Thai authorities NOT TO ARREST OR HARM those protesters

I really hope that all of us can agree on this point…… We must try to have this call be known in Thailand by tomorrow before the scheduled protest in the afternoon. Those Thais in the country, I request that you make a similar call to Thai authorities too. I do not know what you think about the coup. But this call should be reasonable even to those who do not oppose the coup. MAKE A NOISE NOW, PLEASE. DON’T LET THE AUTHORITIES HARM THOSE PROTESTERS.

I am going to see what is happening there. Stay tuned for my report.