Muslim General behind Thailand coup

Strategy Page:

Despite the Moslem rebellion in the south, a Moslem is now running the country. The head of the army, general Sonthi Boonyaratglin, is a Moslem from the south. What's interesting about this is not Sonthi's religion, but his relationships with the government. There has been unrest between Sonthi, and some senior government officials, over his approach to dealing with the Moslem unrest in the south. Some officials have been publicly critical of Sonthi's willingness to reach out to moderate Moslems, in an attempt to get legitimate grievances aired and addressed, and thus isolate the more radical elements. But the issues between Sonthi and his critics may have different roots. When the general took office, he cleaned house, sweeping a lot of dead wood out of important posts and replacing them with younger, and more competent, personnel. Apparently this ticked off some senior military and political officials, who'd been stashing their inept relatives, old comrades, and political cronies in the military bureaucracy. Being both Moslem and competent. Sonthi is currently the best hope for solving the problems down there. But first he has to deal with the Old Boys network. A coup does not eliminate this crew, it just reshuffles it. The future of Thailand depends on how everyone plays the next hand they are dealt.

This bears watching. Recent reports suggest that a new Prime Minister will be in place in a matter of weeks. The impetus for the coup stemmed from a dispute over the old Prime Minister "favoring" rural development which urban people apparently opposed. So far there is no indication that the Islamist religious bigots had any impact on the coup and it is doubtful they will stop their activities with a Muslim general in charge.