Anyone who claims to understand Thailand’s politics should be sectioned. The country is preparing for a national election in December and the leader of last year’s bloodless military coup, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, is retreating on his promise to drive his tank back to barracks.
Anyone who claims to understand Thailand’s politics should be sectioned. The country is preparing for a national election in December and the leader of last year’s bloodless military coup, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, is retreating on his promise to drive his tank back to barracks. Instead, he’s flirting with the idea of clinging to power by running for prime minister. Sonthi, 60, retires from the military at the end of September, and is already being courted by a phalanx of political parties. The last time the military overstayed their welcome was in 1992 when efforts to perpetuate their dictatorship met with widespread anger that led to bloodshed and eventual royal intervention. But in Thailand political lessons are seldom learned: the country has endured 12 successful coups plus 11 attempted ones since the overthrow of the absolute monarchy in 1932.
The news that Sonthi may run for office has been received badly at my local Bangkok coffee shop. Gan Aramwit, a sassy 24-year-old who works there, is representative of many Thais who are fatigued by men in fatigues. Business has been bad since last year’s coup. Customers used to buy coffee and cake, she says; now they’ve become penny-pinching and just grab a coffee — if they come at all. That neatly sums up the damage done to the Thai economy by the coup. The military installed a geriatric cabinet — average age 63, though Thais prefer to point out that the combined age of its 26 members is about 1,600 years and have dubbed it collectively Old Ginger.
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in