Re: [nukkad] Thailand military coup

["Harshal Chhaya" <>]

Anantha Narayanan wrote:
> I was totally surprised with the number of military coups that has
> happened in Thailand.

Yeah, I never paid much attention to Thai politics but I too was
somewhat surprised at their coup-filled history.

Note that coups are common in Africa and Asia, less common in the
Americas and very rare in Europe. I wonder what aspect of a country
makes it more susceptible to coups. Is it its constitution, its
colonial history, ethnic makeup or something else? Why has the army
played such a central role in Pakistan and not in India, for example?

> Is Thailand heading for its 29th military coup?

"heading"? The coup has already happened. The army is promising
elections within the next year or so. And most analysts agree that the
army will give up its power after the elections. I am interested to
know why the army is promising a new constitution. What's wrong with
the current one? And did they have a problem with the PM and his
policies or with some fundamental provision of the constitution?

I also am curious about the mechanics of plotting such a thing. I
wonder how many people know about the plan and how well in advance.
Clearly, the entire army can't be told or the news will leak. The coup
plotters have to maintain a pretty tight plan, account for any
unplanned changes (like part of the army suddenly becoming loyal to
the PM) and make sure to execute it perfectly. Doing all this without
violence is even more impressive. Musharaff did it in Pakistan a few
years back. And now the Thai guys have done it. They should write a
book about it. Or maybe not - the world doesn't really need more
coups.

- Harshal


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