Coup Leader Strong Defender Of Establishment

[JaiRai]

Well researched piece in the AP devoid of inflammatory gibberish.

 

Article references the Amnesty Bill as the point where things went wrong. With the caveat I'm an outsider with limited perspective - fully agree with that point, and it seems like one of the most incredibly stupid acts of diplomacy I've been exposed to in Thailand. IMO at that point Yingluck was put under the bus by her brother and it was a horrible political move.

 

Don't agree with the coup at all. That's not a criticism of the Monarchy - and this isn't the appropriate forum for any discussion of that one way or the other.

 

Regardless of how you feel stay safe on the ground gentleman.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/thailand-coup-leader-strong-defender-monarchy-110944937.html

[Flashermac]

"Thaksin, who lives in self-imposed exile to avoid serving prison time for a conflict-of-interest conviction ... "

 

Self-imposed exile sounds much better than saying "fleeing from criminal charges".

 

"Born in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, Prayuth, 60, followed a conventional path to the top ranks, attending Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy."

 

The military has long been the path to success for poor country boys, especially from Issan. Business is dominated by Thai Chinese, and the civil service was largely the path for the old aristocracy and poorer Thai Chinese. Thailand has had two PMs with Issan military backgrounds - Sarit Thanarat and Chawalit Yongchaiyudh (who is of mixed Chinese and Issan roots). The fact that Thaksin at least appears to be disrepectful is one of the major reasons for the military's dislike for him. He should have been smart enough to realise that.