In Brief

The recent events in Thailand have led to considerable debate, and some confusion, regarding their impact upon the region.The battle between the Royalist, elite PAD forces and the democratically elected Samak-led government appears more than an argument over the current state of the nation. Rather, it appears to be a battle over what model of government Thailand will have in the future as the ageing King Bhumibol approaches the end of his reign.

Samak is seen by his opponents as somewhat of a puppet for former leader Thaksin Sinawatra. However, this does not dismiss the fact that his government remains the democratically elected leadership of the nation. Moreover, the opposition PAD party doesn't wish new elections- as it is pretty sure it will lose them. Rather, they seek a model whereby 70per cent of the government are appointed by the monarchy.

Clearly, the outcome of this struggle will have a large impact upon the broader region as a whole. Thailand remains a significant power within the South East Asian region, and in a region not short of governments with authoritarian tendencies, a reconfiguration of governance in Thailand will have implications well beyond the current struggle.

For those readers who are interested in far more comprehensive coverage of this situation, we commend the New Mandala blog based at the ANU to you. An overview of the current situation here, whilst their recent summaries of academic writings on the matter can be found here and here. The Bangkok Pundit also seems to be an excellent source of relevant quick information.