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Time - Man of the Year
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1992-09-22
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THE WEEK, Page 26WORLDThe Generals Hold On
Thailand's military loses a battle but is not ready to retreat
The thousands of Thais who took to the streets in the name of
democracy last month had two objectives: to force the
resignation of an unelected army officer as Prime Minister and,
more broadly, to end the military's dominance of politics. After
great bloodshed, the demonstrators won on the first score when
Suchinda Kraprayoon stepped down from the premiership. The
official count of those killed when troops opened fire on
protesters stands at 53 but an Interior Ministry spokesman said
last week that more than 500 people are still unaccounted for.
Parliament met the day after Suchinda went into hiding,
and it quickly approved a constitutional amendment requiring
future Prime Ministers to be elected members of the national
legislature. Another provision would limit the powers of the
military-controlled Senate. Final action on the constitutional
reforms will be taken next week.
Still, the goal of breaking the military's grip on
political life is not yet within reach. The leading candidate
to succeed Suchinda as Prime Minister is Somboon Rahong, a
member of parliament but also a former air force officer.
Opposition politicians said he was simply fronting for the
supreme commander, Air Chief Marshal Kaset Rojananil, and
therefore was unacceptable. They warned that his appointment
would set off more street demonstrations. Another potential
flash point is the last-minute amnesty Suchinda handed himself
and his military cronies, a step many Thais believe is illegal.