Då fick fascist generalen jobbet tillslut till bekostnad av 91 liv, Allt för att bibehålla kungahusets och Elitens makt över thailands befolkning.
Bangkok—Thailand's monarch confirmed a hawkish general as the country's next army chief Thursday, a move that means the army is likely to act more decisively to prevent any repeat of demonstrations by supporters of former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra that transfixed Bangkok in April and May this year.
In the country's recent turmoil, who heads the army has been a key flashpoint and King Bhumibol Adulyadej's approval of Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, a staunch Thaksin foe, will make it harder for Mr. Thaksin to influence politics in his homeland and mobilize his followers, analysts say.
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Mr. Abhisit and Thailand's army hierarchy, people familiar with the situation say, were determined to hang on in order to secure Gen. Prayuth's appointment to the top military post and prevent Mr. Thaksin returning to the political scene. When Mr. Abhisit did offer elections, it was only for later in the year when the reshuffle period had already passed.
The anti-Thaksin establishment in Thailand appears much stronger with the approval of Gen. Prayuth, who will become army chief on Oct. 1 and could serve in that role for four years until his retirement in 2014. Analysts say that with revered monarch King Bhumibol ailing, not to mention turning 83 years old this December, the army and Thailand's bureaucratic elites are eager to maintain a firm hold on power, at least behind the scenes.
Censorship of politically critical websites has increased while a state of emergency is still in effect in Bangkok, effectively outlawing any sustained show of dissent in the capital.
Paul Chambers, a Thai military expert at Heidelberg University in Germany, said the new army chief is "a man who might be more prone to suggest military intervention or even stage a coup in support of anti-Thaksin forces."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704206804575467333863739588.html