Speaking on condition of anonymity, a leading Oxford Initiative member said he  regretted that the Thai military had chosen to achieve political ends through non-democratic means.

"I don't understand why the problem cannot be solved through a dialogue and people's participation. Democracy cannot exist without people expressing their views. So I'm preparing a statement to express the group's disagreement with the coup,'' said a member of Oxford Initiative.

He added that views of OI members are not necessarily representative of the entire community of Thai students in Oxford who are more or less divided over the current coup. The main objective of the OI is to promote and support the discussions of issues affecting Thai society and other topics of interest among Thai students in the United Kingdom.

Another member of the OI said that there had been informal talks within the Thai students' community at Oxford, but most of them hesitated to express their views publicly. The same student admitted that the current state of political situation in Thailand was not so conductive to students voicing critical views of the political situation. As a result Oxford Initiative emerged as the only group to put forward their views to the media.

"There are three kinds of Thai students at Oxford at the moment. The first group are optimistic students who wish Thailand should have resolved its crisis constructively and democratically. The second group are disappointed with the state of Thai politics in general and the way the Thai military tore apart the People's Constitution, in particular. The third group follow the mainstream. Students in the UK are relatively quiet at the moment because they lack avenues to voice their views given the tense political climate,'' she said.

She added that most members of the OI belong to the first group, comprising students from mostly postgraduate programmes in sociology, international relations, history, economics, physics, chemistry and development studies.

Another leading member conceded that it is too early for Thai students at Oxford to share a consensus as regards the merits and demerits of the military coup. However, it appeared that OI members' stance was not in tune with public sentiments in Bangkok. "The rule of law must be put in place. I feel disheartened by the fact that the democratic process was not given due respect. It's a pity that at the moment democracy in Thailand is non-existent. I don't agree with the idea that the military alone will make a difference. I believe the current People's Constitution is most democratic even if it is imperfect.,'' she said.

OI members viewed the military coup as undermining Thai democracy. "the coup has proved that Thailand has got an 'f' for its democracy test. It should have done better,'' said another member.

Another member insisted that "even though the developing Thai democracy has floundered, there's still a future for Thai democracy to grow back on."

One member was sceptical of whether or not democracy is the right choice for Thailand given that it has a short life cycle. "I'm wondering if democracy is really something for Thailand. It comes and goes so often that it seems impossible to take roots. But I'm still hopeful of its future.

OI members also discussed that the coup could be viewed as a cultural problem in that some Thais do not take rules and words seriously. "Remember, a few weeks back Gen Sondhi was reported in the news as saying the coup would never occur. The way some Bangkokians admired the coup leaders reflect the fact that some Thai people like the idea of the white horse-riding hero coming to their rescue regardless of the rule of law. Last time that hero was Thaksin. This time it's the military," she said.

All OI members hope that the Council for Democratic Reform (CDR) will return a civilian rule to Thailand as soon as possible. "I hope that the CDR will allow the Thai people to have their say as soon as possible,'' an OI member said.

The Nation