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| Anupong: Coup? No coup here!! |
TUESDAY, 29 MARCH 2011
Written by Our Correspondent
Asia Sentinel
The royalty’s role in the tumultuous events of 2008
With Thailand’s government in the hands of an ally of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2008, ailing King Bhumibol Adulyadej explicitly told the country’s army commander not to launch another coup, an advisor to Queen Sirikit told US Ambassador Eric John, according to a Nov. 4, 2008 State Department cable made available on the WikiLeaks Web site.
A coup in September 2006 ousted Thaksin, who was later convicted of corruption and fled the country. The palace has been implicated in supporting that coup by numerous sources.
In 2008, Army Commander Anupong Paochinda said publicly that there would be no further coups. However, it is believed that the military came close to moving against the government and subsequent events showed that even the King’s nominal allies paid scant attention to his wishes for calm.
“What can I say?” said a well-placed source in response to the leaked cable. “The monarchy was directly involved in Thai politics and continues to do so. As much as the king has intervened in politics himself, some of his close aides often claim to act on his behalf even when the King knows nothing about it.
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