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Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round That Old M-16

Troops, who have tied yellow ribbons to their gun barrels to signify loyalty to Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, pose for photographs with children and tourists. One army spokeswoman on television is a former beauty queen. General Sonthi has even ordered his troops to smile more. This charm offensive seems to be working. A poll […]

Troops, who have tied yellow ribbons to their gun barrels to signify loyalty to Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, pose for photographs with children and tourists. One army spokeswoman on television is a former beauty queen. General Sonthi has even ordered his troops to smile more.

This charm offensive seems to be working. A poll showed that more than 80% of Thais – including the rural poor, among whom Thaksin enjoyed most support – favour the coup. ~The Sunday Herald

Now I won’t make that most pernicious of silly democratic arguments that because 80% of people in a country approve of something it is necessarily therefore right or desirable, but it really ought to put an end to any notion that this coup lacks the support of the Thai people.  This demonstrates (yet again) that what most people desire is some decent measure of order and the (well-founded) belief that their government is not corrupt; Thaksin was failing to provide for good order in the south of the country with his poorly executed war against guerrillas and his heavy-handed drug war, and he manifestly corrupted himself and the government during his time in power.  Sonthi Boonyaratglin doesn’t exactly flow off the tongue, but it is a name of a general who has helped to save his country for his king and people against the people’s government.

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