Are Cracks Appearing In Thailand's Military?

[churchill]

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A grenade attack on the office of Thailand's army chief this month is stoking fears of a worst-case scenario in Thailand's political crisis -- a possible fissure in the military along fault lines that have divided the country.

Analysts, diplomats and military sources say it is premature to talk of a split in Thailand's powerful and politicised army but that festering ideological differences show signs of broadening in one of the most charged climates in decades.

A divide in an institution central to Thailand's power structure would deepen uncertainty over the outlook for Thailand's export-dependent $260 billion economy, Southeast Asia's second-largest, and raise the prospect of instability in a country seen as a gateway to the region for foreign companies.

Large numbers of soldiers of lower ranks and some senior officers, analysts say, are sympathisers of Thailand's rural, grassroots anti-government, red-shirted protest movement.

In contrast, many of the military's top brass are at the other end of the political spectrum, allied with royalists, business elites and the urban middle classes, who wear yellow at protests and largely support the present government.

The red-yellow divide is growing increasingly intractable.

And Thailand's markets remain vulnerable to a correction, after benefiting from waves of foreign money moving into the Asian emerging markets that rebounded first from the global crisis. The stock market is off its January highs but is still up around 85 percent from the lows it hit in November 2008.

"When there is chaos and the country is divided, people look to the military to be in control," said a Bangkok-based security analyst, who asked not to be identified because discussions of the military are sensitive. Continued...

http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/id...-45726120100127

[givenall]

any crack can be closed with some money

[Lannatyne]

any crack can be closed with some money

Sorry, but not one like this.

People in these circles don't need to worry about money. This is about power-crazed egos

[LennyW]

any crack can be closed with some money

Or filled with some paste!!

[givenall]

any crack can be closed with some money

Sorry, but not one like this.

People in these circles don't need to worry about money. This is about power-crazed egos

May be true, but remember there are no loyalties in Thai business or politics and power to be treats politics like business. Everyone is for themselves

[chiangmaikelly]

Money is very important. Follow the money. Find out what the Army and Navy own. Then you will have a better idea of why they do what they do. Which branch of the service still supports who? Thais all know. If they are in the know. Ask them they'll tell you.

Me I don't know. I came here for the waters.

[Meridian007]

Wow, we are all watching the creation of a situation from (almost) nothing. There have always been divisions within the military, this is nothing new. By putting so much focus on the division, I think some people are hoping to destabilize the government enough so that the courts feel that they have the stability of the country on their shoulders, and might be willing to bargain.

I hope Abhisit is able to pull another rabbit out of his hat, as he has in past situations, and put the brakes on this fear-mongering.

[geriatrickid]

The article raises a reasonable concern. Before Idi Amin became dictator for life and awarded himself the Victoria Cross, he was a sergeant. Before Ghadaffi became despot of Libya he was a colonel. Have a look at some of the recent coup leaders in south and central america; Many if not all were not senior staff officers - junior officer ranks. . Even the late Mr. Hussein of Iraq was lost in the officer ranks when he plotted in Iraq. In western nations, military officers leave the military before the consider politics, but in other countries, political rule is considered part of the military's turf.

[sharecropper]

The article raises a reasonable concern. Before Idi Amin became dictator for life and awarded himself the Victoria Cross, he was a sergeant. Before Ghadaffi became despot of Libya he was a colonel. Have a look at some of the recent coup leaders in south and central america; Many if not all were not senior staff officers - junior officer ranks. . Even the late Mr. Hussein of Iraq was lost in the officer ranks when he plotted in Iraq. In western nations, military officers leave the military before the consider politics, but in other countries, political rule is considered part of the military's turf.

Good point. Even in Guinea recently, a successful, government-toppling coup was led by a previously unknown Captain Moussa Dadis Camara.