Straight Talk From The Top Brass

EDITORIAL [from the Nation newspaper]

Army overhaul long overdue

General Sonthi's striking critique of his own troops underscores the endemic faults plaguing the armed forces

Council for National Security (CNS) leader and Army Commander-in-Chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin has always been known as a straight talker. However the series of speeches he made at various seminars over the past several days during which he spoke candidly about the escalating insurgency in the deep South and the armed forces' failure to get the situation under control surpassed anything that any Thai military leader has ever uttered in public about the soldiers' general lack of competence, professionalism, and battle-readiness.

General Sonthi said that today's soldiers tend to be less patriotic, demonstrate less courage and are preoccupied with second jobs that they take to enrich themselves...

It's been said that if you want to make a fool of certain politicians, you only need to quote them. It's so refreshing to see that that ...axiom... doesn't apply to military personnel. The general is correct. No soldier should even consider holding a second job.

Edited June 22, 200719 yr by chevykanteve