Green Joins Red And Yellow On Thailand's Political Battlefield

[webfact]

GUEST COLUMN

Green joins red and yellow on Thailand's political battlefield

By Pavin Chachavalpongpun

Forget red. Ignore yellow. Don't even mention blue.

The dominant colour for this pre-election season is green. But do not confuse Thailand's "green politics" with being environmentally friendly. This green is indeed the colour of the military's uniform.

Since the coup of 2006 that ousted the elected government of Thaksin Shinawatra, the military has regained control of the political domain. Thailand's foreign allies are watching this development closely. They are aware of the increasing militarisation of politics. A former American diplomat recently compared the political transitions in Thailand and Burma.

He said that while the Burmese state is becoming more "civilianised", the Thai state is becoming more militaristic. While the Burmese generals are becoming more discreet in their domination of politics, seen in their willingness to exchange their uniforms for civilian attire to participate in the election, the Thai generals are glaring and blatant in their interference in politics. They have stage-managed the country's political affairs even as they wear full military uniforms.

And while the Burmese military claims to be happily embracing democracy, the Thai military doesn't even pretend to show its affinity for democracy. It is absurd to learn that the Burmese junta is now more liberal than the Thai Army.

Thailand's next general election will be held in the next few months. Already, the Thai military has hinted it is not ready to welcome a new government if it is to be led by the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai Party. The constant rumours about another coup and the latest round of armed clashes with Cambodian troops in the contested border area are meant to send a strong message that the election is untimely. Above all, these incidents indicate that the military has no intention of staying out of politics in the near future.

The military's latest fuss about Indonesia's mediation effort in the Thai-Cambodian conflict and its decision to engage in deadly clashes with Cambodia successfully unveils the face of the real "boss" who is commanding Thailand's domestic and foreign policy. Even the Oxford-educated Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared on Sunday that his government would provide full support to the Army in defending Thai territory against any threat from Cambodia.

The involvement of the military in politics has been triggered by several developments, most of them related to the character of Thaksin's previous rule. Retrospectively, one of Thaksin's strategies was to fragment the institutional unity of the Army. He created a rift within the armed forces, promoting those outside the old power network while alienating those inside it. He then began to place his relatives, friends and loyalists in key military posts. This factionalisation split the Army between those who perceived themselves as truly professional (such as rejecting being co-opted by the government) and those who allegedly were not.

Thaksin also sought to re-politicise the military by stamping his authority on its internal affairs. Aside from his control of military promotions, Thaksin acquired a firm grip on the military budget and national security policies. Gradually, the military saw its role in regional security diminished. Thaksin's transformation of long-standing Southeast Asian enemies into trading partners, although seemingly serving Thailand's interests, effectively stripped the military of its influence on external relations. Against this background, there was a strong sense of loss of traditional military roles and expertise within the officer corps, leading to a determination to regain them through political intervention.

Finally, the coup ended Thaksin's successful attack on the military elites, restoring the pre-2001 balance of power between the social, economic and political forces associated with the Army.

Today, the military-dominated balance of power has been fiercely protected. In the current crisis, the military has shown no sign of giving up its political ambition. It has continued to identify old and new faces and threats, including Thaksin, his red-shirt supporters and his Cambodian friend across the border, Prime Minister Hun Sen. This explains why the Thai military has refused to enter into an Asean-sponsored dialogue with Cambodia unless its request for a bilateral solution is adopted.

Within the realm of domestic politics, the colour green has been painted everywhere. The Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha has come out of his barracks and confidently crossed over into the political field. In the past weeks, some Thais who were not familiar with Prayuth genuinely thought that he was one of the Democrat candidates running in the upcoming election. Such confusion was a result of Prayuth's many political speeches.

On March 21, Prayuth said, "I am willing to accept the poll outcome." Two weeks later, he assured Thais, "There will be an election." And on April 11, Prayuth called for a large voter turnout in the election. He rationalised that a high voter turnout was the key to safeguarding the monarchy and bringing about change under a democracy.

The military's footprints in politics have never been clearer. Green, as the latest colour competing in Thailand's rainbow politics, is further complicating our highly polarised society. As Thailand is moving into a period of greater political uncertainty, it is likely that Thais will experience the influence of an even deeper shade of green. In this context, green might not necessarily symbolise lushness and abundance. It could on the contrary signify aridity and bleakness.

Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a former diplomat, is a visiting lecturer at the Department of Political Science, the National University of Singapore.

-- The Nation 2011-04-27

[MILT]

Good News! Green is my favorite color

[rubl]

Finally, the coup ended Thaksin's successful attack on the military elites, restoring the pre-2001 balance of power between the social, economic and political forces associated with the Army.

Interesting. I vaguely remember k. Thaksin was trying to put the military under his family's control. That would have meant swapping controlling elites rather than improvements

[MengWan]

First, you spread rumours, and then you dissert about the fact that there are rumours (so, it proves something, no ?).

This twisted way of "thinking" gives me a headache, Freedom of Expression does not mean Freedom of Disinformation, or am I mistaken ?

One third of the content of the press here is about "rumours", an other third is about communiqués denying the rumours and the last third is about analysis why there are rumours ...

Edited April 27, 2011 by MengWan

[FOODLOVER]

Never a dull moment. This should certainly help tourism.

[ginjag]

Good News! Green is my favorite color

Here we go....................Green for the Generals red for Rampage Yellow for YES we can occupy Brown for Bribes Pink for the Palace Red /white and Blue for Thailand any more ?????

[ib1b4]

Good News! Green is my favorite color

Excellent choice ;;;;; afterall green is a darker shade of Yellow? yes.

[johncat1]

How many more colours will crawl out of the woodwork ?

What next ? Lucky number combinations too ?

Red 44 or Yellow 88 ? etc

One colour / shade that could never be used in Thailand is White because it is a symbol of purity, peace and honesty

[TimeBandit2]

Let's look at something...

How many military coup d'tats has Thailand had? 20? I think we can all agree that eventually there will be another one. It's inevitable.

...and to quote the economist Herb Stein "If something is inevitable that means it will happen."

Really, it's just a question of when. Let's get the soap ready to wash the blood off our hands...

[aaacorp]

Thai army was, is and will be in charge...but this time a lot of thai people will be angry and a civil war is not so far.....

[Paul123456]

That article was a load of crap. Obviously someone stupid or very biased or from another planet

[SiamRose]

Thoughtful and incisive critique of the article there Paul. I would be fascinated to read your analysis of the role of the military in Thai politics and society.

[rubl]

Let's look at something...

How many military coup d'tats has Thailand had? 20? I think we can all agree that eventually there will be another one. It's inevitable.

...and to quote the economist Herb Stein "If something is inevitable that means it will happen."

Really, it's just a question of when. Let's get the soap ready to wash the blood off our hands...

The only thing wrong with this reasoning is the 'inevitability of a coup'. That's speculation at best. Similarly you might say that since the USA had two conflicts on it's soil in one hundred years a third one is overdue and only postponed by WWI and WWII