On Tuesday, the Thai military imposed martial law on the country and insisted it was not staging a coup. On Thursday, the army dispensed with these niceties and took power, overthrowing a government that has been besieged by street protests since late last year.
The head of the army, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, said he had to take power "in order to bring the situation back to normal quickly." There is no question that Thailand has been unsettled for months – violence involving pro- and anti-government protestors has killed at least 25 people in the last six months. But anyone who has followed Thai history should know that military rule is not the answer to the country's problems.
In 2010, it used force to disperse protestors from the "red shirt" movement that supports Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister who lives outside the country, from the streets of Bangkok, killing about 90 people. And in 1992, when I was living in the country, a military government cracked down on Thais calling for a restoration of democracy, killing about 50 people in what came to be known as "Black May." Many more disappeared and were never accounted for.
Mr. Prayuth does not appear interested in the lessons of history, but he does have big ambitions. In a televised address flanked by senior military officers, he said that the military would "reform the political structure, the economy and the society." But he offered no details about what a new Thailand would look like or how long it would take the military to remake the country — something it has already attempted to various degrees in the course of about a dozen coups.
Thailand is a treaty ally of the United States and has been an important force for stability in Southeast Asia. On Thursday, the secretary of state, John Kerry, issued a blunt statement. "There is no justification for this military coup," he said. "While we value our long friendship with the Thai people," the statement went on, "this act will have negative implications for the U.S.–Thai relationship, especially for our relationship with the Thai military."
In the past the Thai army has made political crises worse, not better, and there's no reason to think this coup will be any different.
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