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Published on December 4, 2007

But seasoned observers of Thai politics know that his comments should have come with a "take it at your own risk" label.

While Anupong should be commended for saying the right thing at the right time, no one who is familiar with Thai political history would want to take his words too seriously. Who would have thought that General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the mild-mannered former Army chief, had the courage to take on a popular democratically elected leader last year and put a brake on Thailand's 15-year experiment with democracy? Probably no one watched his lips carefully enough when he said there would not be a coup against Thaksin.

History has taught us that more often than not coups come without prior warnings. And when the generals in charge say there won't be a coup, it should be taken with a grain of salt. When Anupong answered a reporter's question by saying he would not stage a coup, even if Thaksin's loyalists took power and tried to remove him, there was a still a caveat. The Army chief emphasised he was a "professional soldier" and would never launch a coup "for myself".

As far as we can remember, no Thai generals have ever staged a coup "for themselves". They all had a ready list of reasons as to why they had to intervene. Last September, it was a need to prevent the country from sliding into a violent confrontation between the pro- and anti-Thaksin forces. In other words, promises by military leaders not to stage coups are as good as oaths by politicians who swear they won't buy votes.

So here is a piece of advice to all coup-obsessed journalists: stop asking the Army chief - whoever he is - whether there will be a coup. The reason is obvious: whatever answer he gives will be meaningless and misleading to the public.

Instead of pestering him with the question "Will you stage a coup?" journalists can do the public a far greater service by driving home the reasons why there must not be another coup. And instead of thinking about the possibility of another coup, Anupong and other military top brass must be made to concede that last year's coup has to be the last.

When Sonthi and his junta friends drove Thaksin out last year, one of their excuses was that they had the support of the public. They even counted the media as allies, claiming they had been reflecting people's detest of the increasingly authoritarian Thaksin government.

While a staunch loyalist, Anupong's political thinking remains a mystery to most people. The fact that he played a key role in toppling Thaksin as commander of the powerful First Army Region may easily qualify him as an anti-Thaksin figure. But his close affiliation with the so-called Class-10 graduates of the Pre-Cadet Military Academy, to which Thaksin also belongs, has also raised questions as to where his loyalties lie. Thaksin leaned heavily on his former classmates to shore up his political power during his time in office.

But whatever Anupong's true colours may be, the media need to bear down on him and make it clear that another coup would be a catastrophe for the country. What happened over the past year has been more than enough to prove the military is incapable of running the country. Despite the initial outpouring of support from several quarters of society, the military failed miserably to justify its takeover.

Gone are the days the public would stay passive in the face of political changes. That hundreds of thousands of people rose up to join a sustained campaign against the Thaksin administration more than reflected the confidence they have in their power. The political awakening of the middle class in particular is probably the most positive thing to have emerged from the year-long political crisis.

What is certain is that another coup would definitely not be greeted with flowers and smiles. And the international community would surely be even harsher with their condemnations.

This is something which Anupong and all other military leaders must be constantly reminded of.

Thepchai Yong

The Nation