"The lesson is clear, painful and costly and reminds everyone about the consequence of having or not having ethics in society," General Prem Tinsulanonda said, alluding to the ousted government.

Prem urged relevant parties to instil in youngsters the importance of upholding ethical values to ensure a peaceful and harmonious future. "Ethics is not an elusive term but an integral part of life," he said.

If government leaders failed to embrace ethics, the country would be in grave danger regardless of the progress achieved from technology and globalisation, Prem told a forum to promote awareness on ethical values, organised by a network of 100 non-governmental organisations.

Premier Surayud Chulanont, who was among key participants at the forum, urged people to embrace the four ethical values advocated by the King during the 200th anniversary celebrations for Bangkok in 1984: honesty, self-control, tolerance and self-sacrifice.