September 27, 2006 at 05:39:47

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Thailand: Democracy Removed by Military Coup

By John Carey (about the author)     Page 2 of 3 page(s)

opednews.com     Permalink

When Thailand's monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, criticized Thaksin in a speech last December, that probably signaled the death knell of the Taksin government.

So now Thailand has a Muslim leader.

Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin, army commander in chief and an ally of the royal palace, ran the coup. The coup-makers wore the monarchy's traditional colors, and the king later endorsed Sonthi's transitional government.

When he became Army Chief of Staff, Boonyaratglin claimed that he would take a "new and effective" approach to the Muslim terror crisis in the south – a problem that has all of the attributes of a low-intensity civil war.

Now we know his definition of a new and effective approach.

International organizations such as Human Rights Watch condemned Sonthi's actions. Former prime minister Chuan Leekpai announced, "As politicians, we do not support any kind of coup but . . . [but] Thaksin has caused the crisis."

And some wonder if this new government will be as corrupt as the old. "There's absolutely no system of checking and control now and so we're very concerned that they will line their pockets and spend our money in the way they want," said Ji Giles Ungpakorn, associate professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University.

"Military regimes in the past have been incredibly corrupt," said Ungpakorn.

According to the International Herald Tribune, Thailand produces a large share of the world's computer hard drives, is the world's largest rice exporter, has a thriving automotive industry and hosts an average of a million tourists each month.

Professor Ungpakorn said, "Decisions are being made by people carrying guns who were never elected."

"Whether you liked Thaksin - and I never supported him or voted for him -- he was elected. What's happening now is worse than under Thaksin from a moral, a democratic and an economic point of view," Ungpakorn said in a telephone interview.

Before the crisis started early this year, Thailand's politics seemed to be operating on perfectly. After nearly 15 years of civilian rule, the country had built a vibrant democracy. The nation was operating under a 1997 reform-minded constitution hailed as one of the most progressive in the region.

There are those that say any form of democracy is better than some other alternative: like a coup and a military government.

We spoke to Thanh Trang Nguyen, a former professor and Vice President of the University of Hue in Vietnam before the Communist takeover. "The coup d'etat last week was a step backward for democracy in Thailand," he told us."Maybe it was true that the prior premier was very corrupt, but he was democratically elected. The Thai people have the right to replace him, but it has to be done in a democratic manner, as their Constitution so directed," said Nguyen.

No shots were fired in the coup, no blood was spilled and initially it seemed Thais welcomed the change.

This week, in a crude effort to make all things seem normal, Thailand's military mounted a charm campaign. Soldiers were told to smile more and a former beauty queen began appearing on Thai TV to make announcement.

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