The Thai Army has tossed the civilian government and seized control of the country, for the 19th time in the last 80 years—just about once per election cycle….
General Prayuth Chan-ocha had convened and chaired, over the preceding two days, a meeting between government and anti-government leaders at “an army facility in Bangkok,” and when that didn’t produce outcomes suitable to him, his henchmen took into custody most of the participants.
Among those detained by the army after the talks broke down were five government ministers, the leadership of the governing Pheu Thai Party and the opposition Democrat Party…as well as leaders of anti- and pro-government groups.
And then Prayuth said this over now-army controlled television:
The military has to return peace and order to the country as soon as possible and to reform [the] political and social structure to ensure fairness for every side.
Because factions and democracy are too messy for the army. Especially for an army too used to its own power in that country.