Thai Politics In A Nutshell - A Beginner's Guide
Thailand’s Political Drama: Season 20 and Still No Ending If Thai politics were a TV show, it would have run longer than Friends, had more unexpected plot twists than Game of Thrones, and more cast changes than Power Rangers. Except in Thailand, instead of dragons or aliens, the villains are usually corruption, coups, and a mysterious guy in sunglasses who somehow becomes Deputy Prime Minister overnight. For the last 20-odd years, Thai politics has been like a soap opera that nobody asked for but everybody watches anyway because, well, you live here and it’s on every channel. Season 1: Enter Thaksin Early 2000s. A billionaire with a love for populist policies and big ideas takes the stage. Suddenly, rural voters adore him, city elites hate him, and the military looks at him like a cat staring at a wobbly glass on the edge of a table. You can guess what happens next: smash. Coup! Season 2: Coup, Counter-Coup, Rerun Since then, Thailand has followed a pattern so predictable it could be t...