Those unfamiliar with politics in Thailand could be forgiven for thinking that the country’s latest coup d’etat is both benign and unimportant. In fact, the coup shows how weak and fragile democracy and its institutions are in the region.
On the night of 19 September a military junta calling itself the “Council for Democratic Reform” seized power from the democratically elected government of billionaire tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra claiming that widespread corruption threatened democracy and the stability of the state. Soon afterward, the King of Thailand issued a proclamation endorsing the leadership of the military junta.
The new military government suspended the constitution, banned public gatherings and meetings of political parties, instituted widespread censorship and dismissed the elected representatives of the national parliament.
The coup leaders have promised elections within a year. Thailand’s military have made 18 coups since 1932. For much of the country’s modern history, its citizens have enjoyed only the briefest periods of democratic rule. It should be noted these brief periods were only ever the result of the citizenry rebelling against the dictators (as in 1973 and 1992).
