It was on this day a year ago that the military seized power in Thailand. The move by the army came a few weeks after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was controversially removed from office by a court ruling. The court verdict followed months of protests against Yingluck and her government. Suthep Thaugsuban, former Democrat Party heavyweight and outspoken opponent of the Shinawatra family, was the public face of those protests although it was clear to anybody that follows events in Thailand that Suthep had powerful backers. The person currently acting as prime minister in Thailand is the man who led the coup, Prayuth Chan-ocha.
The military intervention succeeded in ending the street protests that blighted Thailand at various stages in 2013 and 2014 although the real reasons behind the coup remain open to debate. Sadly, it’s a debate that can’t be held openly in public because it would be illegal to do so. Journalists, academics, politicians and students are amongst those that have been detained by the military junta since the coup. Restrictions are in place preventing political gatherings. Supporters of the coup will argue that such drastic measures are justified given the highly flammable nature of Thailand’s deep-rooted political problems. Others will say that the coup merely placed a band-aid on Thailand’s festering sores. The bleeding has stopped for the time being, but the wounds remain a long way from being healed.
This week saw two more significant events in Thailand’s ongoing political merry-go-round. In a U-turn on a previous statement, the military government announced that there would be a referendum on a new constitution. This means fresh elections in Thailand probably won’t be held until late-2016 at the earliest. The trial of Yingluck Shinawatra also opened in Bangkok with the former Thai leader maintaining her innocence. Speaking about the situation in Thailand at an appearance in Seoul, her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, said he believed that “democracy will prevail”.
It’s important for visitors to note that not everybody in Thailand is happy with the current political situation or the military government. Far from it. But Thailand remains a welcoming destination for tourists. Even in the lead up to the coup and in the immediate aftermath of the military action, most visitors reported little to no effect on their trip. There is no hiding the fact that Thailand has her problems and her faults, but it’s still a wonderful country for so many reasons.
