Monday 1 September 2008

Land Of Protests

Thailand is suffering through another wave of protests just as it did in 2006 before the military coup that toppled Prime Minisiter Thaksin. Let's not pretend that these protests are anything more than a planned attempt to force a democratically elected Government, this time under Samak Sundaravej, to resign. And it's almost certainly those crafty military folks who are doing the planning.

As someone who loves Thailand, I'm sorry to see this chain of events unfold so predictably. Those Thais I've spoke to about it seem very much against the resignation of Samak; I admit that might just be the type of people I talk with! Hopefully someday soon Thais will be able to cast off the fear of military coup forever as we have managed to do in the West and live their lives without worry for their safety.

Just because the last military coup "wasn't that bad" does not mean another would be the same, and in fact given the failures of the last military coup to turn back the democratic support for Thaksin and his protege Samak, it is likely to mean if another coup were to occur it would a lot more... forceful.

Let's hope democracy, or at least the Thai version thereof!, wins through this time.

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