If the Thais are world experts in one thing it has to be military coups. The latest, which occurred last night (here, in Thai time) ran so smoothly no one would have known about it except for the traditional halting of regular TV programmes and replacement with pictures of the king with martial music in the background. The army leaders know this is the only way they would get everyone’s attention. Everyone except me of course who doesn’t watch television. I certainly wouldn’t have known about it had a friend not called me to tell me he was watching live on TV as tanks were trundling around the streets and that we didn’t have to go to work the following day. The tanks of course were there to inform people actually on the street who would have been the only ones (except me) not watching TV.
I must say this way of getting rid of Taksin has to be better than all the democratic street protests, which only succeeded in clogging up Bangkok streets even more than usual and casued everyone to get hot under the collar. This way everything was sorted out without a whimper. Bit boring really and is it really going to make any difference? One set of corrupt cronies will get replaced by another. Same old same old. Anyway, I’m off to the beach..see ya.
