Thailand: Still Knotted by the Past

Traveler Awareness Bulletin:

Very interesting article on Thailand’s Great Depression revolution and how it has shaped the stumbling forward, most recently in the recent coup

“In many ways, the crisis that has convulsed Thailand for much of the past decade dates back to the turbulent period of the 1932 revolution that abolished the absolute monarchy and set out to establish democracy in the country and can be understood as part of a long, historical struggle between civilian politicians and royalist elites for primacy – a theme explored in the recently released book “Good Coup” Gone Bad, a collection of essays on the 2006 military coup, currently not available for purchase in Thailand.”

“Thailand cannot move forward until it has dealt with its past. As in 1932, the advance towards a meaningful democracy once again faces resistance from entrenched royalist elites. Today, however, the struggle is not only between aristocratic and “commoner” elites but has been nationalized to include all levels of a deeply divided society. Like the coup of 2006, the recent military takeover has deepened Thailand’s crisis instead of resolving it. This is unsurprising because neither were genuine attempts to break the impasse but were instead measures for the royalists to regain the upper hand.”

From The Diplomat