3 replies to this topic

[Expattaya]

There's a starkly revealing interview with the head of the Thai Army, General Anupong Paojinda, in the Bangkok Post today, in which the general feebly tries to explain the role of the Thai Army in today's political disturbances and politics. On the whole, the interview makes the general look like he's part of this country's political problems, not their solution. The whole interview can be summed up by this bald statement which really epitomizes the role of the army in Thailand:

"No matter who leads the government, we will only follow reasonable orders."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/1643...ouble-standards

[Harold]

"No matter who leads the government, we will only follow reasonable orders."

........or orders from another place. No wonder this country is in such a mess.

[Hedda]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Unless and until the generals running this country's armed forces realize that saying things like "I only take reasonable orders" will get them fired, this country doesn't have a chance to get a reasonable facsimile of a functioning democracy up and running. Thanks to the Bangkok elite, who see the millitary as their retainer, the Thai army has come to think of itself as a separate and co-equal branch of the government, deciding if orders from the elected government are to be followed. It's a kind of running coup in progress, hanging like a sword over the rule of law. Break the generals or you can forget about elections and democracy, no matter what the Constitution of the month says.

[Bob]

Absolutely spot on, Hedda. Just another example why Thailand, at least politically, is nothing more than a banana republic.