High anxiety as rumours grow
Public jitters have escalated to full-out anxiety as Bangkokians reel from the recent bombings coupled with Thursday's rumours of a second coup.
While the bombings remain a mystery, coup rumours have progressed from whispers to the talk of the town. This progression coincided with bickering between ex-premier Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and Council for National Security (CNS) assistant secretary-general Saprang Kalayanamitr. Chavalit lashed out at Saprang for trying to link him to the violence. Coup rumours gained momentum because they coincided with the rotation of troops on security detail at 300 public places in the capital. Troops had been deployed after the bombings. So, will there be another coup? The military intervention is undeniably part of the political landscape. But the ongoing power struggle seems unlikely to escalate into a new coup. Active and retired Army officers indicate there is a real rivalry inside the military. One possibility is that a rival military clique may dethrone the CNS to revive the Thaksin regime. The other possibility is a repeat coup where the CNS would realign its power to overcome problems, one of which is a struggle for control of the Army.
Avudh Panananda
The Nation
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