(What prompted this announcement?) It came out from statements by the new Prime Minister when he announced that he knew of groups that were preparing activities against him. People immediately accused him of scare-mongering but when the prime minister says something like that, it means something. Straight away the general of the army felt he had to do something and assured there would be no coup on his watch but he went one stage further and instructed state TV to show any troop movements because rumors do spread awfully quickly in Thailand. (Now if these movements are broadcast, will the average Thai be able to watch?) It's a very popular station and not always a military one. So they will know if troops start moving. The army is a quite prevalent operation in the country, a very visible one and I think people will accept this idea for the moment. (How will they broadcast troop movements?) He was vague about that, so I don't really know. I think he was just desperate to put a stop to rumors. The current commander is well respected, seen as pretty moderate and trying to keep the army out of politics. (Why is Thailand so coup prone?) Because the main political institutions are so poorly developed. Thailand has depended on the authority of this king, who has been on the throne for 60 years now. military coups are regarded as a thing of the past now. whatever else happens in Thailand, I think people would find it hard to accept another coup.

Related Stories