Thailand has a history of coups. Is this time different?
For weeks now, student-led protesters across Thailand have taken to the streets, calling for a new Constitution with authority over the monarchy, and the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led a military coup in 2014.
The security forces have not cracked down violently on the rallies, but it’s unclear how long the restraint will last. Nor is it clear how long the army is willing to stay in the barracks.
Return to order: Over nine decades, the Thai military has tried to oust elected governments about 30 times. At least a dozen of these coups have been successful. Whenever the generals launch a takeover, the refrain is the same: Thailand needs a return to order, without messy rallies or dissenting voices.
Military power: The Thai military is the country’s largest landowner, apart from the forestry bureau’s national park holdings. It has its own internal security apparatus that has brought thousands of dissenters to its military bases for enforced “attitude adjustment” sessions. It appoints all 250 members of the Senate.
Quotable: “I see a coup as not a bad thing,” said one prominent royalist who has publicly called for a military intervention.
The New York Times
