As the campaign enters its final weeks, the election remains anyone’s contest. Thaksin’s tenacity and squirrelled-away billions may well win him a route back to Thailand – and power. Alternatively, the military forces, led by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, may choose to continue the legal stranglehold on Thaksin’s money, prolonging his exile. In any eventuality, there is a spirit of eagerness to embrace the benefits of prosperity: higher education, award wages, free elections, better health care and real job incentives. All hope that the results of the election restores democracy, and turns the country off a path towards further political confrontation and turmoil.
- Extracted from the conclusion to: Phil Thornton, “Between a rock and a hard man”, The Diplomat, January/February 2008, pp.14-16.
1 response so far ↓
1 jonfernquest // Dec 21, 2007 at 6:42 pm
“All hope that the results of the election restores democracy, and turns the country off a path towards further political confrontation and turmoil.”
What? Like making Samak Prime Minister is going to make everyone feel nice and cozy?
Don’t earn enough to pay to read the rest of this apparently superficial and misinformed journalism.
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