General News

To most Westerners, “coup” is a bad word.  As a Westerner living and working in Thailand for the past 13 years, I feel a whole lot safer now than I did before the Thai military took over the country.  Thank you, General Prayuth and other members of the NCPO.

This is the quietest and most peaceful coup d’etat I have ever experienced.  And I have been through a number of coups in Thailand, some that occurred during visits to Thailand through the years before I came here to live.  No one was shot.  No tanks blowing up locked gates of TV stations. No mass arrests.  No tear gassing of protestors.  NO rubber bullets.  We saw none of the usual chaos and confusion that accompanies a coup.  I am calling this the “Good and Kind Coup.”  It was a compassionate coup.  Everything was done in a way that had the safety and care of the people foremost in mind.

Almost immediately, life returned to normal (or was it that life never stopped being normal?)  It was as if a coup has never taken place.  I had friends and family members frantically contact me by email and Skype asking me if I was OK.  I explained that, except for the curfew at night, things were relatively normal.  This may not have been the message of the Western media, but it was the experience of one Farang (Westerner) who lives here.

Western media is not telling you that the coup stopped a civil war.  That was the true pre-coup Thailand picture.  The Reds were planning a civil war in which they would carve out a new Red country consisting of the North and Northeast of Thailand[1].  The coup stopped their plot.

It is also possible that Islamic militants in the South of Thailand were complicit in a coordinated effort with the Reds to carve off 4 Southern provinces and creating an Islamic republic.  The police and army investigators are still finding weapon caches in various parts of Thailand, including the South.  A recent find was sacks of weapons and ammunition apparently abandoned behind bushes in Nonthaburi , across the Chao Praya River from Bangkok.

The people of Thailand are generally happy with the way things have turned out.  Here are some excerpts from a very recent article in the Bangkok Post, an English language newspaper published in Thailand.

The article is entitled People give thumbs up to NCPO, Prayuth[2]

“The National Council for Peace and Order’s performance in its first month of governing Thailand has received an approval rate of 8.82 out of 10 in an opinion survey conducted by Suan Dusit Poll.”

“Meanwhile, another opinion survey conducted by the National Institute for Development Administration (Nida) shows a large proportion of respondents want the NCPO to nominate Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha for prime minister.”..

What this article demonstrates is that the people of Thailand are relatively happy with the army takeover and approve of the army’s performance so far.  The farmers are very happy since the army is seeing they get paid for their rice.  The former government of Yingluck Shinawatra had promised them payment pledged for rice they produced under an ill-conceived and corruption ridden government rice scheme.  Bangkokians are thrilled they can move about in the capital city unhindered by mobs taking over major intersections.  Highrise shopping malls are ecstatic they need not fear gangs looting and burning shops as happened in past Red Shirt riots.

This does not mean that all is now heavenly in Thailand.  There are still many social ills to overcome and deal with.  There are still development issues and a large gap between income levels of the very rich and the very poor.  But the former Thaksin puppet sister Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is gone (impeached for corruption before the coup) and known criminals are no longer in cabinet positions (One man who held several cabinet posts was a famous owner of massage parlors and kingpin of prostitution rings in Bangkok.)

Things are looking up in Thailand.  Until next time,

Leon Sexton

[2] Bangkok Post Online, 22 Jun 2014 : http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/416756/people-give-thumbs-up-to-ncpo-prayuth

Here are some quotes from the Associated Press that were published by the Top Nine online news service:

“Abbas, Perez Confirm They Will Meet Pope Francis At The Vatican For Peace Prayer

“Pope Francis plunged Sunday into Mideast politics during his Holy Land pilgrimage, calling the current stalemate in peace efforts “unacceptable” and winning the acceptance from the Israeli and Palestinian presidents to pay a symbolic visit to the Vatican next month to pray for peace.

“Jubilant Palestinians cheered Francis as he arrived in Bethlehem’s Manger Square, shouting “Viva al-Baba!” or “Long live the pope!” Giant Palestinian flags in red, white, green and black and the Vatican’s yellow-and-white flags decorated the square, which is home to the Church of the Nativity, built over the grotto where tradition says Jesus was born.

“At the end of Mass in the square, Francis invited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres to pray with him for peace, saying: “I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer.”

“Israeli-Palestinian peace talks broke down in late April, and there have been no public high-level meetings for a year.”

President Barak Obama has been unable to kick start the all-but-dead Middle East Peace Process, despite the efforts of his inexperienced and inept envoy, John Kerry.

By inviting the Presidents of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to come and pray at the Vatican, Pope Francis has changed the landscape dramatically. It is no longer the U.S. that is the Broker of Peace in the Middle East. Now it is the Vatican. Pope Francis has, in one brilliant move, stolen the Middle East Peace negotiations away from Barak Obama.

By the way, it is very, very significant the day chosen for the Vatican prayers is Sunday, June 8 – the High Holy Day of Pentecost.

T. Leon Sexton

Reference – http://www.headnine.com/top/2014/05/25/israeli-and-palestinian-leaders-to-meet-with-pope-at_s_100555803.html#ref_3

For those of you who are wondering about the declaration of martial law and the coup in Thailand:

Just as I was getting ready to post a blog to you that told you there was NO coup in Thailand – just a declaration of martial law, I wake up to the following headline in the Bangkok Post:

Deadlock forces Prayuth to go for coup

Sometime yesterday late afternoon, Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, declared the army takeover of all administrative duties of the government.  Red Shirt leaders were arrested and pro-Red TV and radio stations shut down.  The move from martial law to coup was swift and without bloodshed.  It appears that the impeached former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her husband had already secretly fled the country sometime before the coup was announced.

General Prayuth had called together both sides of the political divide to try to hammer out a compromise.  The caretaker Prime Minister and his cabinet were asked if they would resign to pave the way for an interim government to deflate the conflict.  They refused and General Prayuth declared the coup.

The coup created the worst traffic jam in Bangkok history.  That is quite a feat in a city known for its monumental traffic jams.  Otherwise, life goes on as usual.

So much can change overnight.  Please pray for all of us who serve King Jesus in this sometimes volatile part of the world.

All of us are safe and can travel freely as normal.  All the real action took place in Bangkok.  Our project is in Chiang Mai in the North.

Please pray for Legacy and peace in this country so we can carry out the Work God has given us.

In Jesus’ service,

T. Leon Sexton

For more information please see link: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/411238/deadlock-forces-prayuth-to-go-for-coup

Dear friends,

We made prayer requests for the employee (Surachai) and student (Moepalay) who were injured in a motorcycle accident.  Here is the latest update.

Moepaley is back at Legacy School and is back to his regular duties.  He has been miraculously healed by God and, other than a few scars and aches and soreness, is back to normal.

Surachai is out of the hospital and recuperating at his mother’s house.  He still suffers back pain and general soreness from internal injuries.  Surachai took the major impact from the speeding pickup that hit them from behind and received most of the injuries, including internal injuries.  His family and doctors are amazed at how quickly he is healing.  He actually asked his brother to bring him from his mother’s house to our house so he could thank us for saving his life by arranging for him to be rushed to a good hospital instead of the substandard one the ambulance was taking him to.  He actually walked into our house under his own steam with the help of a walker.  He says that he is bored lying around doing nothing and wants to get back to work as soon as the doctor says it is OK.

God had been very merciful to both of them and it is obvious they both are under his watchful care.

Now about Herb Vierra.  Below is a recent update from his family:

Herb Vierra’s progress report.

We are happy to share with you that in the past week or so he has made significant progress. Although his left leg is still immobile, he is gaining muscle mass in it. He is able to grasp the parallel bars with his right hand to balance himself enough to take steps with his right foot, all the way from one end to the other (of the parallel bars). The physical therapist assists with moving his left foot, as he walks with his right foot. He has improved significantly with transferring from one seat to another, and lifting/crossing his right leg over his left leg (while seated) to remove and put on socks.

We are praying that God will restore his ability to move his left leg/foot on his own, so he may come home to continue additional physical therapy. Your calls, visits, and cards of encouragement have been a tremendous source of encouragement!

Thank you for your continued prayers!

His address for the time being is:

5348 Hammill Road

El Monte, CA 91732

Please pray for all three of these men who serve God as part of the Legacy Institute.

Thank you,

Leon Sexton

Gloria and I just returned to Chiang Mai, Thailand from a very successful trip to Myanmar (Burma) for Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. Seven new people were baptized and added to the Body of Christ. A total of 28 shared the symbols of the bread and wine at the New Covenant Passover.

A sermon was given every day for each of the 7 Days of Unleavened Bread and 2 sermons presented on the two high days as well as the weekly Sabbath.

I will tell you more in my next Legacy Letter.

Many thanks to all of you who helped make this richly rewarding trip possible.

T. Leon Sexton