Dubai: Thai nationals in the UAE are largely unfazed by Tuesday's military coup, effectively ending caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's leadership over the Southeast Asian nation.
All are confident that the country remains safe for their families and friends as well as visitors, due to the peaceful and bloodless takeover of the government.
Prachana Unakul, a Thai national, told Gulf News that he did not even know that there was a coup in his country until his wife, who lives in Bangkok, called to tell him that she and their daughter were safe.
"I'm not really worried because we believe that everything is under control and there was no violence," he said.
Some, however, were surprised that the military chose to wrest control of the government rather than wait for national elections, which had been postponed to November 19.
"I can't say whether I support the coup or not, but I was surprised that Thaksin had lost so much support," said Wat Yenklao, a long-time resident of Dubai and chef at the Ayothaya Thai Restaurant.
Yenklao said he was more worried about the damage the coup has done to the image of Thailand and its economic prospects than the damage to the country's democracy.
"I'm worried about the Thai economy and the business. People might not want to invest in Thailand now," he said.
Thai government representatives in the UAE sought to reassure UAE residents about the situation in Thailand, stressing that the country remained safe for visitors and investors.
Pasan Teparak, Thai Consul General in Dubai, told Gulf News that "it was business as usual" in Thailand despite the change in leadership. "There is no interruption of contact between Dubai and Thailand," he said.
He added that the Thai people were confident that the military authority would keep their promise to restore democracy to the people as soon as authorities drafted a new Constitution to replace the current one.
