PHUKET: Seen in monk's robes at a temple today in Surat Thani, Suthep Thaugsuban. Remember him?
Before the National Council for Peace and Order there was the People's Democratic Reform Committee.
Khun Suthep, a former Democrat Deputy Prime Minister - he visited Phuket's Patong beach once for a tsunami evacuation drill - abandoned politics, took to the streets, and led a revolution in sneakers.
His daily walks urging on followers and raising money on the streets of Bangkok and his nightly televised speeches transformed the face of Thailand's politics.
The attempt by the Government of Yingluck Shinawatra through the Amnesty Bill to return her fugitive convicted brother and former PM Thaksin Shinawatra to Thailand was the final straw for Khun Suthep.
From then on, the rest is history. After six months, Thailand was set to explode into violence.
The Army had no choice. General Prayuth Chan-ocha gave the warring sides one last chance to compromise. When they demurred, he took over.
There are certainly aspects of what the general has done since that mirror Khun Suthep's call for reforms before an election rather than the other way around.
History will put him in his rightful place. For now, he is a monk at a temple in Surat Thani.
There is no word on how long the revolutionary in sneakers will be staying as a monk, and no indication of why he chose to don the robes at this time.
He was given the monastic name of Prapakaro, or ''man who follows the guiding light.''.
Before the National Council for Peace and Order there was the People's Democratic Reform Committee.
Khun Suthep, a former Democrat Deputy Prime Minister - he visited Phuket's Patong beach once for a tsunami evacuation drill - abandoned politics, took to the streets, and led a revolution in sneakers.
His daily walks urging on followers and raising money on the streets of Bangkok and his nightly televised speeches transformed the face of Thailand's politics.
The attempt by the Government of Yingluck Shinawatra through the Amnesty Bill to return her fugitive convicted brother and former PM Thaksin Shinawatra to Thailand was the final straw for Khun Suthep.
From then on, the rest is history. After six months, Thailand was set to explode into violence.
The Army had no choice. General Prayuth Chan-ocha gave the warring sides one last chance to compromise. When they demurred, he took over.
There are certainly aspects of what the general has done since that mirror Khun Suthep's call for reforms before an election rather than the other way around.
History will put him in his rightful place. For now, he is a monk at a temple in Surat Thani.
There is no word on how long the revolutionary in sneakers will be staying as a monk, and no indication of why he chose to don the robes at this time.
He was given the monastic name of Prapakaro, or ''man who follows the guiding light.''.
What the army has done is action - Suthep talked and talked and accomplished nothing. And where is all this money he raised? Given back has it? It would be nice if PW could be impartial in these stories rather than clearly showing your support for a man under suspicion of murder and many other charges.
Posted by ciaran on July 15, 2014 20:19
Editor Comment:
We didn't support Suthep but we do support change for the better and we're anti-corruption. Perhaps you should be commenting on the magazine site that made him Asia's Man of the Year 2013. As we too are under suspicion of criminal acts, we're inclined to give the innocent the benefit of the doubt. Unless you have personal knowledge of these matters, you might as well be the KKK.