Word: junta
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...junta's philosophy is inspired by the revered Thai King's notion of a "sufficiency economy," which "stresses the middle path as the overriding principle for appropriate conduct by the populace at all levels," according to a royal statement. Many Thais, including top economists, aren't quite sure what that means on a practical level - "none of us really understand it, but we can't say anything because it's His Majesty's idea," one Bangkok investment banker told me. But it's safe to assume that a $29,800 meal doesn't hew to the middle path. (In their...
...Thaksin may claim to be basking in life apr?s coup. But his mere shadow-even an ostensibly retired one-is enough to cause jitters among Thailand's ruling junta. Thaksin presided over a deeply divided nation. Even as the citified middle class rallied for months to dislodge him from office, rural masses clung to a leader whose populist policies were seen as evidence of his devotion to the poor. If general elections were held today, Thaksin might very well win, courtesy of a silent majority rising up from their paddies and mountain villages. Just ask rice farmer Mukda Phardthaisong...
...generals are trying to inoculate themselves against the Thaksin effect. Last September's military takeover was initially greeted with little public disapproval-even among Thai supporters of democracy-yet the junta has repeatedly warned the local press not to report on Thaksin, lest the coverage inflame public sentiment. A recent CNN interview with the former PM was blocked from Thai airwaves. Nor are foreign governments exempt. When Thaksin met last month with Singapore's deputy Prime Minister, Thailand angrily canceled a set of diplomatic meetings between the two countries. A few days later, CNS leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin intimated that...
...just four months after the coup, local polls show that the Thai public is wearying of military rule. At the same time, financial missteps by the military-appointed Cabinet have spooked international investors, as did fatal bombings in Bangkok on New Year's Eve that the junta has yet to solve. Meanwhile, in the restive south, Muslim insurgents have ramped up their murderous campaign; on Monday, three Buddhists were gunned down. Thaksin says that if he were to eventually return home, he could help heal the nation. "If you want to have national reconciliation, it's like clapping hands," says...
...project-Suvarnabhumi Airport, which opened just nine days after Thaksin fell from power-has been tainted by claims of a rush job and of corruption. Late last month, international inspectors refused to certify the airport as safe because of cracks in the taxiways. Resolving all these complex issues, the junta contends, won't be easy. "There certainly were abuses [during Thaksin's regime]," alleges Foreign Minister Nitya. "We are picking up the pieces ... but to get to the bottom of it all is really difficult...