Author Archives: Ken Lohatepanont

Thailand’s current political crisis has lasted almost two decades. Three constitutions, two military coups, seven prime ministers, extreme political polarization, numerous color-coded protests and endless turmoil: it is the story of a crisis that has engulfed Thailand in both chaos and tragedy, involved all from the elite to the masses, and still shows no clear […]

This is the ninth post in the Thailand in Crisis series. The previous post, Amnesty and Anarchy, traced Yingluck Shinawatra’s rule and Thailand’s descent into anarchy after attempts to past the amnesty bill. By May 2014, Thailand was essentially anarchic. Yingluck Shinawatra had been removed from office by the courts and was replaced by a relatively unknown cabinet minister, Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan. The PDRC protestors remained on the streets, but with no clear road ahead. It was political stalemate. Eyes slowly turned towards that traditional kingmaker of […]

This is the seventh post in the Thailand in Crisis series. The previous post, Battlefield in Bangkok, described Abhisit Vejjajiva’s chaotic premiership and the bloody red shirt protests. When the results rolled in after the polls closed on July 3rd, 2011, one could be forgiven for thinking they had watched this movie before. The ruling Democrat Party, which had dissolved parliament a month previously, was once again trounced. […]

This is the seventh post in the Thailand in Crisis series. The previous post, Nominee Governments, followed the tumultuous politics under Samak Sundaravej and Somchai Wongsawat.  “I know that for the past 2-3 years the pictures and images that you have seen of Thailand has not been positive…I know [people] recall Thailand as a land of smiles, land of opportunity and land of the free. It […]

This is the sixth post in the Thailand in Crisis series. The previous post, The 2006 Coup, described the events leading to, and the aftermath of, the 2006 military coup that removed Thaksin Shinawatra from power. In 2007, The Economist described the generals who staged the 2006 military coup as resembling “Arnold Schwarzenegger battling the […]

This is the fifth post in the Thailand in Crisis series. The previous post, Thaksinocracy, analyzed Thaksin Shinawatra’s efforts at power consolidation.  Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the commander in chief of the Thai military, claimed that once while dining with Thaksin Shinawtra, the prime minister had asked him whether or not he would stage a coup. Sonthi had […]